My new favorite snack!

Ever since I started eating lunch with the Italian's at work I always watch what they eat and then when I'm at the market next I try and find it. Mario, the stone wall builder, is always eating a bulb of fennel (finocchio, rhymes with pinocchio) at lunch. Now, I've mostly eaten fennel that's been cooked, I have had it a couple times raw but it was bland and tasteless. But I decided to give it a try here anyway. So, I bought a bulb at the market and was so impressed. It was so crunchy and satisfying, it has the most wonderful licorice-y after taste that leaves your tongue tingling.

When I was at the market last Saturday I picked up two bulbs and quickly devoured one. It's kinda like eating celery but not so watery and just all around more delicious.

I would tell you all to go out and buy a fennel bulb for your next snack attack...but sadly I don't think it would be as heavenly and scrumptious as they are here. But you can try! You never know! If you do, just cut the fronds off and if there are blemishes on the outer pieces remove them and then just cut it into piece and devour. Or you can just cut it in half and start munching...that's my perferred plan of action!

Let's Talk Truffles

"Presently, we were aware of an odour gradually coming towards us, something musky, fiery, savoury, mysterious, -- a hot drowsy smell, that lulls the senses, and yet enflames them, -- the truffles were coming.”

William Makepeace Thackeray

Hopefully by now you'll realize these truffles aren't the chocolate kind, far from it. These are the fungi that grow underground and have the most wonderful taste. I had known about truffles before going to school but while I was at school I got to have my first truffle experience. Because they are so expensive and because we were just first years we got to smell/taste white truffle oil. This is oil infused with truffle-ness. And I will admit that I wasn't a huge fan of it. It wasn't until Tracy found some white truffle oil and Superstore and began adding it to mashed potatoes everytime we had them. By March I was a fan. And so while out for pizza a week ago I got really excited when Micheal pulled out his truffle slicer and this tiny little Tuscan truffle. The smell was unbelievable. He shaved paper thin slices on to a pizza bianca (no tomato sauce, just olive oil, garlic, proscuitto, and arugala). Frack! It was so delicious!
I don't know if I can actually describe to you what truffles taste like. Some taste garlicy, some earthy. But it's strange because you just suddenly have this taste in your mouth and its like a breath of truffle air, you can taste it but can't feel it. It's strange, mysterious, and addictive.

If you are interested in given truffles a try I'd start with a bottle of truffle oil, Tracy got her's at Superstore in the Oil section, try there first or maybe a specialty store. Seriously delicious.

It's Sunday, YAY!

*Note: The part where I say I'm not huffing and puffing when it sure as heck sounds like I am, you really should have heard me earlier.

Florence

This morning I woke up and though to myself "what am I going to write about today?", I had no plans for the day and at 8:30 I was lying in bed watching Dirty Dancing. But my saturday took a suprising turn when at 9:30 Tobey knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to join her, Michael, and Michael's parents in Florence for the day. I said what any of you would say when asked if you wanted to go to Florence for the day "Uh, heck yes". So, 10 minutes later I was showered, dressed, and packed and we were on our way to the train station! As soon as we got to Florence we headed to Tobey and Michael's favorite restaurant, which was utterly delicious! I started with penne and rabbit and then had a traditional Tuscan boiled dinner that is served with an anchovy-caper sauce. I didn't take a picture as it probably would have grossed you all out...let's just say that one of the boiled items was beef tongue. I did take a picture of the 1 kg steak that Micheal ordered and ate. Michael's father ordered tripe (stomach) which I also tried and actually like, ha, I just heard my Mom gag from here! Tobey and Micheal's Mom both wore their napkins tucked into their shirts...it looked ridiculous but by the end of the meal it was apparent that it had been necessary!

For the rest of the day we just walked around Florence with Tobey as our tour guide. She's a great tour guide...especially because she was wearing a red sweater which made her very easy to follow in a crowd!

Okay, so are you ready to see what I saw in Florence? (I apologize that some of pictures are slightly blurry, I was trying to be "untouristy" by taking really quick inconspicuous photos...next time I'll embrace the touristy side of me and take pictures slowly! And some may seem a little random but it's just what I saw and what tickled me.)

After lunch was went to see the Duomo.
It is unbelieveable. Tobey and I stood there with our mouths open in a totally different world for a few minutes until we were snapped back into 2009 by a car that almost ran us over. The Basilica di Stanta Maria del Fiore (or Duomo) started being built in 1296. I was standing infront of a building that Michelangelo had passed many times in his life. Surreal.

After that it was time for a snack...an cold, refreshing, delicious snack. Tobey's favorite Gelati shop. Now this ain't any old gelati shop, this is all natural, "real" gelati. It isn't piled high into cases, which is a no-no, but in little covered containers. I had pistachio, greek yogurt, and grapefruit. I think it's safe to say I have been ruined, no ice cream will ever taste as good as the one I had here. I can't even describe it....well, let me try....orgasmic.
My mouth is watering just from looking at the picture!

The next picture is for Tracy (aww, miss ya T-Race!!), it is rows of salt, all different kinds. Whenever we're at Superstore and we walk down the spice aisle it seems we always check out the different salts. So, I though of her when I saw this:
I didn't get her any though, I'm still trying to find a way to bring back some truffles, okay, maybe a truffle. Heehee!

Then I saw a pair of lime green-snake skin-cowboy boots that I kinda wanted. They are slightly hideous but they are also lime green-snake skin-cowboy boots.
Next up, a children's clothing store. "But Revanna, you don't have an children!" you say, and I reply "Uh, yeah, you're point?". Chantelle, I thought of you while I was in here, we've spent many a shopping trip browsing through the baby clothes, and yes, in Italy like in North America girl's clothes are still much cuter than boys.

After popping in at H&M I saw "David"...but not the real one. This is the fake one where the real one use to stand before his arm was broken off in a street fight, don't worry they fixed it. I didn't get a chance to see the actual "David", but I am sure I will as this was just the first Florence trip of many.

You can kinda tell that doppelganger David is newer because he's whiter than the statue beside him.

Then I rubbed this boar's snout and made a wish...it's like rubbing Mr. Eaton's foot for good luck (that is what you do right? I just got the awfulest feeling I made it up...I do that sometimes.)

His snout is so shiny and there were tons of people just waiting to rub it!

We passed by a store selling tights and I thought it looked so funny to see all those legs lined up with different colors of stockings on. Remember, I said some of these pictures are random!
I also saw this lady made out of chocolate. I especially like the trim of colorful sprinkles!

There were many other wonderous sights I saw but didn't take pictures of, I had to save something for the next trip! It was a great day and by the end of it my cheeks hurt from smiling. I laughed so much seeing all the funny people and things, and not my cute teehee laugh (do I even have one of those) but my gafaw-har-hee-haha one....you can dress a girl up but you can't take her out. Can you blame me though? I went from Charlottetown to an even smaller town and this was my first time being (I'm not counting airports) in an actual city since Christmas!

We got back on the train and made it home by 6:30 pm...what a wonderful way to spend a Saturday! I can't wait for the next Florence adventure!

Who knew...

that this afternoon I would be in Italy driving the back roads with a Transylvanian while jamming to French techno music. Heck, I couldn't have dreamt that one up!

My Ant - Sunscreen Mascot

This is my Ant (and no, this is not a spelling error, for some reason I can't recall exactly why, but she went from being my "Auntie" to my "Aunt" and now to "Ant" and that's where it's stopped):

I love her.

She has a great laugh, it's kinda like a teehee...I am forced to laugh myself whenever I hear it.

And she is a big advocate of avoiding the sun's harmful rays and not getting sunburns.

So, when I got a sunburn like this:

(How the heck was I to think I should be sunscreening my back!!!)

Or this:

(This one was just pure dumbness.)

Or the burns on my ears, arms, and cheeks.

...I don't think of my Mom's scolding voice (does my Mom even have one of those??) and I don't just shrug it off...I picture my Ant's tsk-tsking and her shaking head. I feel like I've let her down!! In fact, I even hesistated puting pictures up as I know she checks the blog. But I did because I wanted her to know this: I learned my lesson. I now walk around lathered in SPF 60 and a hat, I look very uncool and un-Italian, but I do it 'cause I know it's better to be a dork with pale skin then to be the person with skin cancer.

People make fun of my SPF 60 sunscreen but I just think of my Ant and her smile of approval. So, kids, the lesson of the day, wear the freakin' sunscreen!!

And last but not least, thank you Ant for making me hear the sun say this everytime I got outside without sunscreen "Oooh! There's that Revanna chick, hey UV Rays, come on, lets get 'er!!

I have something exciting to tell you!

Lunch time is a bit crazy at Petraia because usually when there is more than one Italian in the room things can get loud...and at lunch there is usually 5 or 6. I don't say much during lunch, as I don't understand it alot and it would probably be hard to get a word in anyway, I just sit and watch, it's hilarious! But today there were only 3 Italians and I understood a conversation, all by myself, with no translating! Yipee! Some Italian is sticking! It was a stupid conversation about how to pronouce "Micheal" in Italian...but I understood everything that was going on! Heck, I need a pat on the back! I'm going to go study some more Italian! Ciao! I mean, Ciao-ciao-ciao! (That's more Italian, I guess it's better when you say it at least 3 times really fast.)