So when one small cup of gelato made me feel horrible, I was pretty disappointed. I had hypothesized that it was not dairy that made me sick, but the way dairy is processed. In America, we do a lot to our milk. Perhaps the closer-to-source dairy found in Florentine gelato would be better for me. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I had to test it out. Unfortunately, that was not the case. No matter how you spin it, dairy and I will never be friends.
Back in November, when I started this blog, I planned to experiment with different diets and tell you how they went. I started with a vegan diet and planned to move on to a "Mediterranean" diet when I came to Italy. The vegan thing worked really really well for me. There is no doubt in my mind that eating vegan is the solution to many of society's mild to severe health issues. It helped me so much that I don't think I will ever go back to the way I was eating before this; but while I am traveling, I must have an open mind about the way people eat around the world. One solution is good, but many solutions is better. The milk processing theory, for example, was important for me to try out.
For the next three months, I hope to explore two things: first, how the standard Italian diet affects life, and how standard Italian life affects diet. Then, how to experience a culture completely while dealing with dietary restrictions. I will eat, write, and be healthy, finding a balance between adopting the characteristics of a culture and maintaining optimum health.
***
For those of you looking for an update that goes beyond my dietary health, I am all settled in and doing very well! My apartment is spacious and in a lively neighborhood - the Piazza Santo Spirito. I wake up to the sounds of an Open Air Market and go to sleep to the sounds of locals socializing in restaurants and bars. I wasn't prepared for the jet lag or the extent at which the language barrier has affected me, but I am quickly adjusting.
I've been exploring both on my own and with friends, and I can't avoid the beauty of the city. That sounds cliche and awful, but no matter where you turn there is something ancient and amazing. I still stumble ungracefully through Italian, but I can see myself progressing already. I'll be taking Italian this semester and getting extra help from friendly locals; the woman who sells vegetables outside my door, for example, has been helping me along quite a bit.
There is no such thing as personal space here - not between people, not between cars, not between people and cars. Because of this, everyone constantly clutches their belongings in every public place. Whenever I make the slightest bit of eye contact with anyone, they greet me with buongiorno, buonasera or ciao, especially in the morning. Though nothing (and I mean NOTHING) happens before 8:30AM here, after that time my neighborhood is a lively place.
So far, it seems like the customs are much more widely accepted here. No one is working before eight thirty, everyone is out shortly after. No business is open in the afternoon, and if you're out on Sunday morning in any place that isn't a church, you're definitely just visiting.
It was hard for me to say goodbye to everything I have in America, but I can already tell that this is going to be a really rad experience, and I'm really grateful.
If you have questions, comments, an Italian-English Dictionary, or advise for traveling through Europe, comment or email me.
No comments:
Post a Comment