Day 4: Priorities
A funny thing happened to me yesterday. I slept in, and as I woke up at around 10:30 all I could think of was getting fried artichokes. Everytime I read about Roman food the big emphasis was on artichokes, maybe this entered my subconcious and created my craving. Anyway, I walked out my door around noon for the thirty minute walk to a certain restaurant near the river, Osteria da Giggetto, that everyone says makes them very well. I got about a block away, and I realized: Matt, you just left your hostel without a map, guidebook, or any idea where you want to go after you eat lunch. It literally completely slipped my mind. It was such a sweet feeling. That really is the beauty of a longterm trip. Not caring to organize, not caring if you get lost.
In that way I really, really do not fit in at my hostel. Most people here are on short trips and trying to do way, way too much with the short time they have. I also think a lot of that has to do with their age. The average age bracket I would say is 18-21, and even if you say “c’mon Matt you’re only 24,” let me tell you there is a world of difference between me and these fresh-outta-highschool kids. I have spent the last two years working as a substitute teacher at various high schools and some of these kids here really remind me of the seniors I would have. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, most of the people here have a lot of energy. But I definitely am on a different wavelength. It’s an odd feeling, realizing that you’ve left a particular age of your life behind by noticing that the people around you are no longer your people. This is not to say I’m not having fun, I have hung with a lot of cool people. And Certaldo, my next town, will have a totally different and more relaxed feel. One thing I know from staying in so many hostels is that the further off the beaten path you go, especially in Europe, the more the crowd shifts from 18-21 to 24-30. And Certaldo is definitely off that path - no one here has even heard of it.
So back to the food. I had the carciofi alla giudecca, a Roman Jewish specialty where the artichoke is deep fried and the leaves turn crispy almost to a potato-chip like texture. I also had fiori di zucchine ripiene, which are stuffed zucchini flowers, this time with mozzarella and anchovy. Again in the Roman Jewish style, the whole arrangement is deep fried. The artichokes were interesting (unlike anything I had ever seen before) but I quickly tired of it. Too dry, although the heart was delicious. The zucchini flowers, on the other hand, were incredible. The mixture of flavors was perfect. These are two dishes you apparently only find in Rome.
