The biggest problem in Rome, other than certain language difficulties, is the food. Now this might sound ironic, given I'm in one of the food capitals of the world, but I'm no master chef. My mother is an excellent cook, as is my father when he chooses to be, but I'm not quite as talented. I have a master's kitchen at my disposal, with spices and all the tools, and a wide range of ingredients (all fresh) just down the road, but there's quite a gap between whipping up dinner and staring at ingredients. The inclination is to fall back on the American food, things that are easily made and require little effort. This has meant frozen meals from the supermarket, which, while tasty, don't count as gourmet. The biggest problem, however, is laziness, but, as with a lot of my decisions, there is some logic to my laziness. I have leftover pasta, which I could easily whip up into spaghetti. The bottle of sauce costs 2 euro. I came home around 7 pm today after working all day, and had to choose between that and something else. Now, I could have spent the 2 euro, came home, boiled water, cooked pasta, and eaten within an hour, cleaned the dishes and called it a night. But I didn't. I instead, spent 4 euro, in an Italian pizzeria, trying seafood pizza for the first time. This was quick, easy, and unadventurous. You could argue unhealthy, but I'm about to shoot that argument out of the sky. In health class at ND, we did a nutrition unit. We had to do the usual calorie calculations, and figure out whether we were living a healthy lifestyle or not. I discovered that (girls, if you get jealous of guys for having an easy lifestyle, leave this post now) I need 3500 calories a day. That's if I don't leave the comfort of my bed. I don't know how that calorie count jumps, but walking from my apartment to work and back is about 3 miles, provided I don't go on any other adventures. Today I had an apple for breakfast, and a sandwich for lunch. I guarantee that I haven't gotten 3500 calories a day since I came to Europe. I feel great (Mom don't worry) and am losing some weight (which doesn't hurt) but eating junk food such as pizza doesn't worry me on a nutrional level. To summarize:
Pizza is a little more expensive in cost, but less in time
It's not unhealthy
There's no mess
Yet I feel guilty for choosing that instead of making some authentic Italian dish that takes four hours to prepare. Thus is life.
Don't beat yourself up. That being said, I know you're capable of doing better. I'm sending you some recipes and meal prep tips. Hang in there! Love, Mom
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you have a crock pot available, but there are crock pot recipes for mac and cheese. You could make a big batch and eat it over 2-3 days. Just add some prosciutto, bread, gelato and you're all set.
ReplyDeleteSuggest you spend Sunday evening planning and making some meals for the week and then when you come home you just reheat, go out on your balcony and enjoy Rome.
Dad
I've sent some suggestions, recipes, and encouragement from "Debbie's Diner" which should help IF you choose to accept the challenge! Planning ahead and doing advance meal prep is the key. Look forward to hearing about improvement in this area. Makes you appreciate Mom all the more :)
ReplyDeleteMark, when in Rome do a the Roman do. I think you will find out more about the foods of Italy by going to the local places and eating a variety of foods.
ReplyDeleteMy travels have taken me to many places where I have had the best meals in a hole in the wall place and learn what the locals eat versus worrying about trying to fix something at night when I got home from work. I know expense watching is important, but I think going to the places in the local village away from the tourist's places will be very inexpensive.
Need to break out and learn the essence of good Italian food.