I find myself overwhelmed as I think about how to start this blog post.
So many things are racing through my mind, and I hope they slow down fast enough for my fingers to catch them and turn them into words. But not just "words", "words" worth reading. A story.
It's quite a bit of pressure.
So let's try this instead: I will just write what comes to mind - following, of course, the intention behind this post - to tell you about the food I tasted in the great "Italia".
But what really comes to mind? I'm overwhelmed because I've traveled to Italy three separate times, to two different regions: I've tasted the seafood on the coast of the North, the pizzas in the South, and the pastas all around. There is, in fact, more to Italian cuisine than pizza and pasta, but the truth is those tend to be the cheapest, and I ain't no high roller!
So pizza and pasta it is - not such a bad fate.
I read once [that's a lie, I saw it in a foodie show on Netflix, not sure why I just lied (just realizing that it's probably because reading something sounds much more credible than watching)] that in Naples, they don't consider it "pizza" unless it is made of only specially-made pizza dough, a certain kind of tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese, topped with basil. Oh, and the ingredients had to be locally sourced. Obviously.
We laymen know this pizza to be called the "margherita pizza". To them, it's just "pizza".
But they offer much more than just margherita - if they didn't, they'd most certainly lose business.
So they're smart.
They shrug their shoulders and give in, topping pizzas with millions of other ingredients. In fact, menus at pizzerias will usually be filled with pages on pages of different styles of pizzas, making it almost impossible to choose.
Do I want to go traditional and fresh with the margherita, go salty with the white pizza of cheese, sausage, and broccoli, or bleed cheese with the quattro formaggio??
It's like being asked to choose between cake, ice cream, and pastry at a new cafe. They all look incredible, and you'll probably be happy with anything, but you're not sure whether you'll bite into that ice cream you chose (and it tasted great, mind you), and still go home wondering whether that cake would've knocked those socks right off.
So the only solution is to get them all. Go to as many pizzerias as you can find and go down your list.
But once you're a little-pizza'd out, you start flipping to the pasta pages of the menu. And something you notice is it's not all of the typical dishes you are used to back home.
Where is the spaghetti and meatballs? What about fettuccine alfredo?? How come I don't see "vodka sauce" listed anywhere...?
Then you remember you're on the coast of the Mediterranean sea, and what kind of MONSTER doesn't use the fresh seafood right at their doorstep?
"Monster" is putting it dramatically, but you see where I'm going with this. In most of the states, we didn't have fresh seafood on hand, so we adapted our pasta dishes to utilize our own local ingredients. And that's what we got used to.
Instead, in the coastal Italian cities or towns, menus utilize the sea, listing pasta dishes like seafood linguini, black risotto, or carbonara with a lot less cheese and cream than you remember.
But don't fret. It all tastes great. However, beware of the same trap the pizza menu put you in - now you have to choose between all the greats! (And to think you almost forgot about dessert...)
What a nightmare! ;-)
Wherever you sit down in Italy, you'll be faced with some tough decisions about what to order. But when it comes down to it, you'll be satisfied as long as you have good company and ordered wine!
The best advice I can give is to stay in Italy as long as you can, so you can make your way down the list of pizza and pasta greats, leaving without regret (and with a newfound aversion to carbs).