The McPanino Classic

I never, ever eat fast food at home, but now I cannot get enough of my gourmet boxed lunch, a la Happy Meal. McDonald's has become as hypnotic for me as the vineyards in Tuscany are for a sommelier. Of course, this could not be further from Italian food, which is probably why it is always ridiculously crowded in every McDonald’s. They are sick and tired of their own food too. Can’t blame them.

McDonald’s in Italy is a dining experience, or so it seems. Every store has a manager that is dressed in Armani or Gucci or some designer suit; and, he stands in his store, keeping it pristine, greeting the people, making sure the food is expedited in a delicious, fresh manner etc. Definitely never saw a McD’s manager in the States sporting an Armani suit to work or demanding high-quality Big Macs or fresh fries from his staff. This was an experience in an of itself, which I highly recommend.

You will never be able to find a Parmigiano Big Mac or a McPanino, which is their version of the Egg McMuffin, in the States. These are tasty treats and undoubtedly a nice break from the typical Italian fare. At least for me, it satisfied my hunger and gave me an appreciation for anything furthest from Italian food and Nutella now.

Oddly enough, McDonald's is almost as ubiquitous as Italian coffee bars in Milan (not quite), but let's just say that there are more McD's establishments in Milan than in any other city in the entire country... This explains why I cannot resist the temptation...I mean, I only live two minutes away from one... Speaking of which, I am getting hungry now and the delectable, little cheeseburgers are beckoning me...

Nutella, Peanut Butter, and Apricot Jelly...

Besides some “important historical monuments,” Italy is known for her food, among other particulars. Obviously the delectable fare that comes to mind is the pizza, pasta, and panini, at least for me. Aside from the fairly obvious choices, there are the regional dishes that break up the monotony of the “carb” infested dough, oh, and more dough. In my travels, I vowed to myself that I would entertain some caution, but also renounce my picky palate. With that unspoken promise, I have been quite experimental with my food selections. Let’s start with Milan. Yeah, it is your fairly basic piatti di Italia (Italian dishes). Every morning I eat a brioche con marmelata (croissant filled with jelly) and drink my cappuccio* (which is an Italian shortened slang for cappuccino). *Another classic Erica tangent: anything spelled with a ci is pronounced “ch”* Before now, I never thought I would like apricot jelly…wow. Definitely give it a try, even if you think you would have an aversion to apricot jelly. Try it. Trust me. I wish that I would have given this fantastic spread a fair attempt, especially after all those years of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sorry, strawberry. When I come home, you are OUT of the pantry.

Lunch in Milan would be a delicious PBJ with my newfound appreciation for this fuzzy fruit spread, but either there is a shortage of peanut butter or the Italians prefer other spreads (Nutella, yummy. I will get to that later). Indeed, peanut butter is scarce in Milan, probably because there is too much protein for these folks to handle in one sitting. So, instead, I settle for an insalata con tonno, which is a salad with tuna or a panini. Ok, I have to be honest, after about a week of panini, I was over them. Yeah, GAME OVER. Sure the meat and the cheese and the fresh bread was hard to pass up, but my waistline and my bored taste buds needed to find an alternative food source. I chose Nutella.

Yeah, and I definitely gained the lbs just to show the world my loyalty to this "chocolate-hazelnut-creamy-melt-in-your-mouth-delicious-can’t-get-enough-of-but-better-stop-eating-so-I-have-something-to-wear-while-I-am-here" spread. Because Nutella is an Italian product, it is in everything. I mean everything. The cookies, brioche, cake, gelato, candy bars, and even in your cappuccino at some bars. We couldn’t get enough of each other. Nutella and I went out for about a month, during which we had a great time, but hence, like everything else, I had to break it off and move on. Literally, I was putting Nutella on everything. Apples, bananas, bread, cookies, brioche, my tongue, whatever seemed palatable was paired with Nutella. My roommates looked at me like I was crazy because no one does that in Italy. God, I feel like I am bringing these revelations to these people, like Nutella with fruit or peanut butter…

Believe me, I would take PBJ over pizza any day. Nevertheless, now that my taste buds are completely OVER Italian food, my hunger is quenched with ANYTHING BUT Italian food (except my brioche con marmelata). n my quest to discover an appreciation for diversifying my palate, I am happy to report that my favorites still remain on my list, but not without a few recently added items… And, thanks to my breakup with Nutella and my aversion to the Italian carb loading techniques via pizza and panini, I am happy to report that my waistline is back to normal…

Camogli at Sunset

Alas, my time at the Italian Riviera was coming to an imminent end but not without my last sojourn to an exotic place. Camogli is another village situated right on the coast. The difference between Santa Margarita Ligure, Portofino, and Camogli is that the latter has a shore line with sand. The architecture was the same—little cube structures with pastel façades and so many square windows. When I arrived, the sun was beginning to set, painting the sky an array of hues and colors. The old Monastery is built right on the beach on top of these rocks that are situated in the water, emulating a path towards the horizon. My time in Camogli was short—only two hours. Nevertheless, these two hours were spent on those rocks, listening to the surf, watching the sun disappear and the sky change before my very eyes. Even though my time was short-lived, it was a treasure and an extraordinary place and final stop at the Liguria.