Vado al mercato!

a tantalizing array of produce! 

Ciao i miei amici!!  Come state?  Today I will share a trip to the market!  Everyone has heard about Italian produce markets, they really do exist!  The produce is fabulous, abundant, interesting & beautiful.  This particular market is in Campo di Fiori, a piazza in the historical center of Rome.  Campo is very popular during the day for the market and then at night very popular for restaurants, drinking & general hanging out.  It is interesting to observe the transition from market to social scene.  Despite the tiny streets & lack of many modernities the huge market is shut down & cleared away by about 3pm.  I walk through the piazza many days after school.

Admittedly, the Campo di Fiori market is aimed at tourists and is really expensive.  I actually don't do much shopping there but, you will see some Italians buying produce.  Much of it is "biological", at first I had thought... biological, of course, right?  But, here this means ORGANIC!  Italians are quite conscious about their food choices & have the same concerns about pesticides & chemicals that we do in the US.  I would imagine that Italy does not have as much of the large scale agribusiness that the US has these days.  I will have to do some research into the food supply of Italy.  Until then I will continue to imagine quaint, small farms dotting the countryside!  

this is the most fantastic array of stovetop espresso makers I have seen!  Here they are called "caffeteria" and are quintessential!

some exotic variety of radicchio.   so bitter & delicious with lemon & vinegar!

fiori di zucca!  squash blossoms, usually filled with ricotta & anchovy, breaded & fried!

broccoli romanesco!

carciofi!  fried artichoke is also a typical roman snack.

seeking the perfect pomodoro....

a nice array of caci (persimmon), melone & grapes.  Italian grapes.... so good!

giving the doggy a drink @ the fontanello

borlotti beans are popular, and so pretty!

berries from the countryside!  red currants are popular here.  you can see that these berries are NOT cheap!  E3.5 for one little basket is like $5.

pioppini mushrooms?  

perfect salad greens

these artistic radishes remind me of my friend Penny!

lovely lemons...

So there you have it, folks!

In other news from Italy....  I am visiting the US consulate for advice today.  Hoping for the best.  It turns out that I may very well have to make a trip back to the US to secure my work permit/visa & it might take... up to 3 weeks!  ugh!  Of course it seems obvious that one would obtain this before arriving in the country you are going to work in but, I hadn't done anything about it because I kept being reassured that everything was being handled.  I was a bit naive!  Anyway, sometime this month I may have to make a trip.  It might be back to Seattle if the visa needs to be issued from my last place of residence.  There is no official Italian embassy in Seattle but, there is a consulate office.  Or, I would go to Chicago or SF.  If I do go I hope to coordinate it with Thanksgiving, Il Ringraziamento or Christmas... Natale!  If everything works out properly I may actually begin working sometime in December!!!  Fingers are crossed!  What a good learning experience I have had.

I'm meeting with the 6 year old to speak English this afternoon.  He is a funny little guy & I am having to be more of a babysitter than a teacher.  We usually play some games & do some reading.  He is really smart but shy to speak english.  He loves whales, dolphins & kung fu panda.  

Also, did I mention I have joined an expat group?  It seems pretty fun & a decent way to meet some new peops.  Unfortunately, it involves way too much English speaking.  Lots of Italians show up but, mostly to meet people to speak English with.  We meet once a week and tonight we are going for... Karaoke!!!  One of my most favorite things!  Hopefully I will get to sing an Amy Winehouse tribute.  Or a Kate Bradfield tribute with a Jesus Christ Superstar song...  or a Laura Pretto tribute with a Kinks song...  I miss my Seattle karaoke team.

Have you heard about the flooding in Genoa?  Really bad news.  Italy has been suffering from incredibly heavy rains in some areas.  The city was just not able to cope with the amount of water, no good drainage apparently.  Most of these cities are super old so they have no modern means of draining the water.  I guess there was a bit flood about 30 years ago caused by the same drainage problem, hopefully it gets fixed this time!  Some have asked...  don't worry about me, we are fine in Roma.  And also, I live on a hill.  :)

Did anyone see that P.M. Silvio Berlusconi has agreed to resign?  It's been all over the news here but Italians that I talk to seem to not believe he actually will.  Italy's debt is nearly 2 trillion euro, I am not able to conceive of that amount!

That's all for now, I must be off to school to be humbled by Italian language.  

Baci! xx