Antonio and Italian Apertivo

Ok, so I’m catching up – slowly but surely. Although, as each day passes wifi-less, I'm getting farther and farther behind. Now I will talk a little bit about Thursday from two weeks ago, then the next post should be about the last two weekends. Luckily, the beginning of last week (Mon.-Wed.) was slower than the last week, with more time to sit and actually talk about some of the things I’ve done. My poor parents have been wondering what I have been up to all week because I can hardly talk to them. What’s worse is that the internet at my home here has been having problems for the last week, which makes it so much harder to figure out a way to type this all out. (The last post about the cooking class was first typed on my computer, photographed on my phone, re-typed into my Kindle without Wi-Fi, then formatted on blogspot on my phone with Wi-Fi so I could include some pictures…talk about a nightmare.)

Remember Antonio, the owner of the famous deli? Well Thursday, two days after the tasting with Giuliana, a few of us stopped in front of his shop. One of the girls from our group was already there, where Antonio had brought her out a huge platter of cheeses, meats, bread, wine and glasses. We stopped to chat and join in for some snacks and Antonio kept bringing out more and more for us. Once again, it was beyond what we deserved so we all decided that we would each pitch in at least €10 to show our appreciation (which is EXTREMELY cheap for the kinds of food he was bringing out). A couple of the girls had been in the day before and told us that he wouldn’t take any of the money they offered, so they basically had to throw it across the counter and run away before he could give it back to them. So, when it was our turn to pay we made a plan to run in to thank and pay him. Well, as soon as we came in he came around the counter and started to chat with us. He ended up talking with us for at least an hour probably (during business hours, no less) about the ingredients he uses when he cooks, the importance of using everything when you cook to avoid waste, the seasonality of fruit and other necessities for his food, different wines in France vs. Italy, and all kinds of other things. He talked about buying kilos and kilos of chilies and Sicilian oranges, when they are in season so they can use them throughout the year. This conversation led to him grabbing a brand new jar of a special chili sauce and opening it for us so we could each have a tiny little toothpick-size taste of the sauce. It led to him giving each of us pieces of shortbread-type cookies that use the orange and lemon rinds. One of the sauces he gave us to try when we were outside eating was even made from plums that came out of his own garden at home! A lot of the conversation came about because I told him we had just done the cooking class with the school the night before. From there he talked about the importance of understanding why Italians use what they use or do what they do when they cook. Everything he told us about his ingredients and his processes have a purpose, and he knows exactly what purpose they serve (for my Christian friends: does this sound familiar?)

One of the most profound things Antonio told us was that he doesn’t run this shop or make this food just to make money - although I’m sure he is well off. He does it because he is passionate about his food and the work that goes into producing it, and after speaking with him I believe it 100%. Many times in America, and yes, I am about to make a huge general statement here, people only start companies, businesses, or restaurants to break into the market, make money, and/or make it onto FoodNetwork or whatever foodie-magazine. The culture here is completely different, and I am starting to have the greatest respect for it. Of course, there are those in the U.S. that sincerely care for their food or their business and I realize that, but here in Italy it is not about growth and expansion to gain the greatest market share or make the CEO a billionaire. Here (at least in Siena so far) it is about producing great food and sharing the culture and history of Italy through the culinary world. Antonio also told us he doesn’t mind giving us free food or tastes of expensive goods to our group because it is his way of sharing his culture and knowledge with us. He pointed out too, that our group is attentive and respectful enough to listen and receive the information he is sharing with us, which is an awesome, awesome compliment. He told us he had a group of American students (I think with the same program but for a different year maybe?) in his shop once with their Cokes and attitudes, with no interest in the expensive wines or cheeses he was giving them free-of-charge, which I think is beyond disrespectful and insulting. Overall, I have such a deep respect for him, who works so hard because he loves what he does and is so ready to share that passion with others. In the end, we did throw the money on the register and run, but to me at least, he gave us much more than food that afternoon.

Thursday night was a great time too. Italy is known for its apertivi, appetizers. Basically, from what I understand, you buy something (usually a drink) at a restaurant and then you are free to eat as much of the appetizer-type food that you want. This happens all over Italy, at random restaurants, and daily. One of the teachers from my school, Andrea, took whoever signed up for the event to a little restaurant nearby to try out an aperitivo. I bought a glass of Prosecco (which was THE best I have tried thus far on my trip) for €4 and then enjoyed some classic Italian foods, like salads, breads, and a dish, which I believe is called Papa Pomodoro? It is like a thick tomato sauce, technically a soup that is made with day-old bread. Sounds gross, but tastes really good. After that aperitivo, some of my friends and I went to a try another aperitivo at another restaurant. Once again, we bought drinks and were able to eat what was set out for appetizers. I’ve been to a few different places for aperitivi since then and some are better than others, and they all have different kinds of snacks they offer. This night was fun because some other people from the language school came to hang out with our U of U group. We met a young doctor from Australia, an 18 year-old New Zealander, a couple girls from Spain and I think probably some Swiss people. 

From the aperitivi, our large group went over to Luna Park, a mini-theme park/carnival a short walk away from the city center. A bunch of us went on the swing ride, and this is where one of my other Moments of Contentment happened. If you know me well, you will probably know that I love swings and I love theme parks and carnivals. Put two and two together and I am the happiest little thing. While flying around on the swings, I felt amazing. Another moment where I took a second to remember that I was in Italy, on my own adventure, flying through the air looking stupid on some swings. Perfect. A lot of the boys went on the bumper cars and that was really entertaining to watch. Luna Park also has such a fun ride called “Black Out.” If you have ever been to Lagoon in Utah, there are these two rides: “Samurai” and “Cliffhanger.” The ride at Luna Park was a mix of those two, without the water. Imagine the motion of the Cliffhanger spinning around attached to the motion of the Samurai. Oh, I love it so much. I’ve been on it once after that, and probably will go at least a few more times before I leave. We hung out at Luna Park with the big group for a while, although Alaina and I went home while everyone else went to another pub. This was my whole Thursday, once again, longer than I intended but I’m happy to share.