“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
- Virginia Woolf
Some people eat to live, while others live to eat. I would put myself firmly in the latter camp. This will come as no shock to anyone who knows me, but food is very important in my life. So part of the joy of living in Europe this past year has been our opportunity to travel and eat good local food wherever we go! In Prague, one of the ways I've gotten to know the food/restaurant scene has been by reading a few food blogs. I never thought I'd appreciate food blogs the way I do now. (Rachel, I know you're laughing at me. Oh, the irony...) In particular, my favorite Prague food blogger is enjoyable to read because his food writing is funny and informative. I don't always agree with all his food opinions, but that's part of the fun. Because of our recent trip to Italy, I thought I'd try my hand at a blog entry dedicated to my favorite meal in Italy. There were so many good ones, I couldn't possibly cover them all. But this one was is one that stands out for me, so I thought I'd share...
Steve, Phil, and I had just finished a morning of hiking from Monterosso to Corniglia. We'd been out for a few hours and we were ready for lunch. We happened upon a small shop at the edge of Corniglia called Terre Rossa. This store sold a variety of wine, cheese, and pesto and had a garden terrace with no more than five tables. The garden faced the coast and you could sit and look out on the water. The terrace seemed to be calling our names, and so we sat down to rest. A sweet man came out to ask us what we wanted to drink and we explained that we'd like some white wine. He said "I bring you some white" and returned with three glasses. He explained that he wanted us to try three different local wines from Monterosso, upper Riomaggiore, and lower Riomaggiore. It was a great way for us to sample a variety of wines and see what each town had to offer. Most of the wine made from the grapes of Cinque Terre is only sold locally. They don't grow enough to export it, so we were really going local;) All three of us liked the upper Riomaggiore the best. It was crisp without being acidic and light bodied with a smooth finish. Mmmmm. Perfect for drinking after a hike;)
Our wine came with two little bowls with olives, caperberries, and salty, circular crackers. Phil, a notorious olive hater, tried the olives and concluded he still doesn't like them. More for Steve and me! The menu had just a few things, a good sign that they were making everything they served at the store. We ordered two plates of bruschetta and a cheese plate to share. This was my idea of a perfect lunch: delicious homemade bread, a variety of cheeses paired with a fig jam and honey, and bruschetta topped with everything from homemade pesto (Steve's favorite) to sun dried tomatoes, tapenade (my favorite), to roasted red peppers. This meal was TDF (as Charlie and John would say), To Die For.
It wasn't just the food and wine that made this my favorite meal of Cinque Terre, though that was a big part of it. I guess I've just always been taught that food can and should be something that is greater than the sum of its parts. It isn't just the food, but the experience of the food. It's the time and place and company you share it with that makes it more than what's on the plate. So in addition to the delicious variety of local food, the meal was our morning hike, our tired legs, the views of the sea, the sun on the water, the shaky wooden table and chairs...and the people. Always the people you share it with.
Steve, Phil, and I had just finished a morning of hiking from Monterosso to Corniglia. We'd been out for a few hours and we were ready for lunch. We happened upon a small shop at the edge of Corniglia called Terre Rossa. This store sold a variety of wine, cheese, and pesto and had a garden terrace with no more than five tables. The garden faced the coast and you could sit and look out on the water. The terrace seemed to be calling our names, and so we sat down to rest. A sweet man came out to ask us what we wanted to drink and we explained that we'd like some white wine. He said "I bring you some white" and returned with three glasses. He explained that he wanted us to try three different local wines from Monterosso, upper Riomaggiore, and lower Riomaggiore. It was a great way for us to sample a variety of wines and see what each town had to offer. Most of the wine made from the grapes of Cinque Terre is only sold locally. They don't grow enough to export it, so we were really going local;) All three of us liked the upper Riomaggiore the best. It was crisp without being acidic and light bodied with a smooth finish. Mmmmm. Perfect for drinking after a hike;)
Our wine came with two little bowls with olives, caperberries, and salty, circular crackers. Phil, a notorious olive hater, tried the olives and concluded he still doesn't like them. More for Steve and me! The menu had just a few things, a good sign that they were making everything they served at the store. We ordered two plates of bruschetta and a cheese plate to share. This was my idea of a perfect lunch: delicious homemade bread, a variety of cheeses paired with a fig jam and honey, and bruschetta topped with everything from homemade pesto (Steve's favorite) to sun dried tomatoes, tapenade (my favorite), to roasted red peppers. This meal was TDF (as Charlie and John would say), To Die For.
It wasn't just the food and wine that made this my favorite meal of Cinque Terre, though that was a big part of it. I guess I've just always been taught that food can and should be something that is greater than the sum of its parts. It isn't just the food, but the experience of the food. It's the time and place and company you share it with that makes it more than what's on the plate. So in addition to the delicious variety of local food, the meal was our morning hike, our tired legs, the views of the sea, the sun on the water, the shaky wooden table and chairs...and the people. Always the people you share it with.
1 comment:
D, that picture made my mouth water, and I just ate lunch! If you ever decide to switch careers, I think food photographer is calling your name!
Can't wait to see you guys soon :)
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