July 1
Food on a typical day… On the first day I went to the Conad supermarket in central Siena and bought a few things… only being here for 5 days, I didn’t want to buy too much—plus the market is so close, it’s easy to shop often. Also, in the neighborhood just outside of the arch that leads in and out of P. San Francesco, in the Bruco neighborhood there is a small supermarket with a staffed meat/deli counter. At the counter you can get prosciutto, formaggio, olive, pesto, pane… which form most of the food groups, and the store has all the basics including wine and vin santo e cantuccini (more food groups). On that turn of the street there is also a produce market (fruite e vedure), a bar/enoteca, and a wine shop where I got a discount yesterday. I spoke Italian as I asked about the wines, and when the owner tried to get a wine box for my two bottles of chianti, I said no, just a bag because I live nearby. He asked me if I was staying at S. Francesco, so obviously had me pegged for a student at l’scuola who was living in the apartment. He asked me if I was staying nella casa Paggetti, and when I said yes he offered me a discount. That’s a great lesson in shopping locally—the clerks at the Conad store just shuffle you through—not unpleasant, but certainly not like the local market. It made me realize that there are so many levels of “local.”
The wine shop is as big as a McMansion closet—literally—and has an excellent selection of local wines, vin santo, grappa, prosecco, and some other Italian wines.
At the Conad, I bought all products produced in Italy—some more local, like the formaggio di Siena. The caffe—“Lavazza qualita oro” being the one import, but roasted in Italy.
Ok, back to the menu… I bought cannellini beans (fagioli), tomatoes (pomodori), green beans, finnocchio (fennel), caffe, latte, basilico e salvia freschi, cioccolato con nocciole, pecorino formaggio di Siena, mozzarella fresca, a package of tissue packs (Jessica—you can laugh now!), and a few other things I can’t remember. I asked for due borse (two bags) which I paid a few cents (centesimi) for, and which I have saved for future trips.
So here’s the basic menu if I can cook for myself. When traveling there is a lot more pizza and pannini, and when staying at hotels more eating out…
La Colazione (breakfast)
A pot of espresso with warmed milk.
At a bar, a cappuccino and a croissant—the choice is either a cornetto (a croissant, and the name refers to the horn shape, or corno for horn) or a brioche (like a croissant but without the horns—and this is a French word that is pronounced French with a soft “ch”—normally a ch is pronounced hard like in Chianti). If the bar has many varieties you must specify con cioccolato, con marmalade, etc. or else ask for plain (I need to figure this one out, because this morning when asked I just said “plain”, which isn’t very good Italian…)
Il Pranzo (lunch)
Today is typical… insalata caprese (pomodori, mozzarella fresca, basilico, olio di oliva, sale) and in the same bowl some warmed Tuscan beans. Some small slices of Pecorino, and some slices of the finocchio bulb. A bit of cioccolato con nocciole e un’arancia (a perfect orange—not cloyingly sweet, but with the sweet and tart combination that has been bred out of commercial US oranges, no dry or pithy parts, thin skinned, each juicy lobe of each section perfectly delicious). And a glass of Vernaccia di San Gimignano, which will be followed soon with un caffe that I will make in the espresso pot. Not with milk… the folk wisdom is that milk never follows pomodori—in other words, after you have eaten food like pasta con sugo pomodoro for lunch (or any other thing besides the coronetto that you had for breakfast) then you shouldn’t drink milk—hence the custom for Italians to drink only caffe from afternoon to evening. This suits me, so once the afternoon hits, it’s caffe, never cappuccino.
La Cena
Cena alla casa (dinner at home), solo, consists of leftovers (see il pranzo). At home with friends is usually pasta and salad. At a restaurant it’s pasta or pizza. A full cena, whether at home with friends or out at a festa, or at a restaurant can consist of any or all of the following:
Aperitivi: a glass of wine or prosecco, with very light snacks—some tiny bowls of potato chips, foccaccia, pistachios, olives. By tiny, I mean tiny—the size of bowls you would use to prep garlic or spices.
Antipasti: usually meat, which includes the salumi family (prosciutto, salame) and other meats like mortadella—I am not a pro on this subject, and frankly, the fat in these processed meats always grossed me out, but as I am becoming accustomed to them I relish the little bit of fat in prosciutto, and devour pancetta and giancale. I am looking forward to learning more about the salumi and other typical meats at Spannocchia.
Il primo piatto: the first course, usually pasta, pizza, rice (risotto), or polenta. These are all regional dishes and pasta is likely to be served in Tuscany, with pizza a first course available in restaurants that serve it. Risotto and polenta are served in other regions, and rarely in Tuscany (this may be an overgeneralization—you can certainly find risotto and polenta in Tuscany, but they are not typical).
Il secondo piatto: the main course. This is a tricky situation in restaurants if each person is ordering their own course, which is typical. Sharing is not so common. If you have a primo, and eat the whole thing, you may be too full for a secondo. Contrary to what I have sometimes read, if you are a tourist and are gracious and order other things (wine, bottled water), and are in a neighborhood restaurant (a trattoria or osteria) you will never be bothered by a waiter to order a second course.
Le vedure: The vegetable course. A variety of vegetables in season, and often grilled vegetables. Or a salad (insalata mista), which is always my choice. My Italian nonna (not by blood but by custom) always served salad after dinner and before dessert, claiming that it helped with digestion.
To be continued… it’s 16:00 and time for un caffe…
Since I haven't taken any food pictures, here is a reminder of the awful "food" that globalization has wrought on the rest of the world. This McDonalds was in operation my last two visits... I had heard it was closed. The signs say it will be open 1 October--"Tutti al McDrive." My god, the only thing worse than a mcdonalds is a drive-thru mcdonalds... and in Piazza Matteoti in the heart of Siena? Say it isn't so... Sadly, on the other side of the piazza the fabulous, ornate bar that I thought was an icon of traditional Italy has turned into a self serve snack bar with formica, and no barrista... I was devistated, especially after enjoying many caffes there with special friends.
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