food

It is FANTASTICO! As a part of our program fee most of our meals during the week are covered at 1 of 3 places. We are given breakfast coupons at 2 places near our studio, Harry's Bar and Osteria Del Tempo Perso. For a 2 euro coupon you can get the best cappuccino and brioche ever! I've been trying to limit my pastry consumption to only 2 a week, but I can't give up the cappuccino. It is just too good.

We also have a declining balance card for a self-service restaurant, Righetti. When you arrive, you select your table, lay out the setting and get bread from the bin of delicious hard as rock rolls(no sarcasm here). Next comes the drinks. You fill up a pitcher with a drink from the tap. Your choices are: Coke, beer, red or white wine, or natural or sparkling water. Then you get to select what you want from the counter. There are 2 cooks who work both lunch and dinner. One does the antipasti, soup(in winter) and pasta. The other mans the meat grill. They really do a great job and always have a smile on their faces and a wink for the girls!

When you've finished eating you just go up to the register and tell them what you had. Simple as that! It is really a fabulous system and great food.

One of my favorite professors came up with this quick reference list for the Righetti cuisine. He is hilarious and I just wish you could read this with his Spanish-accented voice in your head like I do. He wrote this out on a placemat and posted it in the studio...

The GUIDE:
Foods:
pomodoro: tomato!
risotto: rice, usually on the creamy side with some veggies
marinara: NOT marinara sauce. its seafood!
trippe: DO NOT EVER GET! TRUST US.
pasticchio al ragu: good & cheese! cheesy lasagna!
pasta fredda: pasta salad
verdure: veggies
roasted potatoes: AMAZING! ALWAYS GET THEM - ask for the pattates!
pollo alla griglia: grilled chicken. even when its not on the menu you can always ask for it.
bisteche: steak. ask for media or its very well done.
crudo: RAW!
gorgonzola cheese - tastes very molding
linguine w/ salmon: not so delicious

The last part is my favorite! Not so delicious has been fully integrated into my vocabulary. That ugly shirt in the shop window? Not so delicious. Waking up before the sun to catch a flight with the class to Barcelona? Not so delicious. Swamp butt?(This is a new term we came up with for a damp butt you acquire from sitting for too long in a hot unairconditioned room.) Not so delicious.

Getting into the swing

The first week here I was pretty overwhelmed with settling into the apartment and with the other TA helping our program director, Franca, with everyone's passport/visa paperwork. I share a room, one of 3 in an apartment of 9 girls with Amy and Wonseo(one-saw), fellow grads. We are on the top floor, definitely the warmest of all since every place is without A/C and the temperature has been averaging in the high 80s. We really can't wait for it to cool down enough so we aren't needing to take multiple showers in a day!

Since I've been here I can't help but constantly think about things that are different from last time. Most things are still the same in the city: cafes, restaurants, supermarket, shops and even most of the people working at all of those places have been here for at least the past 4 years. It is really pretty amazing how small and quant Vicenza is, it reminds me a lot of St. Augustine.

The first night out with some of my main buds:
Cheech, Amy, Wonseo and Matt

Two Fridays ago, 5 of us went to Venice for the day. It is about an hour train ride and 4 euro from Vicenza. It was hot and unbelievably crowded because Europeans are smart and almost everyone takes the entire month of August off for holiday. We had a fun time seeing all the major attractions, The Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, San Marco, etc. I'll share pictures from the next trip there because I'm sure there will be plenty more since it is so close.

Big Frut, the best jelly candy there is!
My parents discovered it when they were last here
and now I get to enjoy it.