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.