One of the great things to experience when traveling is eating the local food. It doesn’t matter if eating in a restaurant or having a quick bite on the street, the food from a new city can leave a lasting impression. You can find delicious, tasty food that leaves memories for a long time, and this adds a lot to the whole experience.
A lot of people think about travel in terms of ‘seeing’. yet it is a far more rich experience when you can immerse completely in a new environment. And when ‘seeing’ is replaced by ‘doing’. Whether it’s eating the local food, dancing in the local clubs, diving, trekking, getting lost in the old town – it adds a whole new dimension to a trip.
National Geographic, Discovery Chanel, BBC – all are great ate conveying the look (most often breathtaking!) of a certain place well enough. But it’s impossible to capture the smells, the tastes, the sounds of a certain place.
I really enjoy tasting the local food – I make a point of going to local markets (when I find them) and eating from small vendors on the streets. And so I had pretty big expectations from Rome. Maybe other parts of Italy will offer me what Rome lacked, but lacking it did. Street food – non-existent. Restaurant dining – complete failure. Pizzas – I’ve had better back home. Yet there is one saving grace – the ice-cream. Ice cream is wonderful – it’s creamy, tasty, and comes in more varieties than I ever found anywhere. Apple with cinnamon ice-cream? Yes please! So for me the ice-cream is the defining thing about Roman cuisine. Forget ‘Bucatini all’Amatriciana’ – gelato is the king.
To be fair, i also found some good food in Rome – Chinese and Arab though… However, I intend to study a bit more the Italian cuisine next time, and I will be glad to post a positive food review.
Until then, enjoy these photos – restaurants, deli shops, ice cream parlors. Bon apetit!
Rome is just a tourist trap. If you really want to check out la cucina italiana try Tuscany, and start with Florence.