Market

Today was all about grocery shopping. Us four grad students went to the early morning open market at the Campo de' Fiori. At first I was a little intimidated because of the language barrier, but an older woman called to me and forced me to try parmesan cheese and salami. I ended up buying both from her, and the cheese in particular was amazing. I bought a giant chunk of it that was 7 euro or so. I bet the same amount would be almost 30 dollars in the United States, and not nearly as tasty unless it was purchased at just the right place. At another stand, I bought some general cooking vegetables like onion and carrots and celery, and some lentils that are so tiny and wonderful looking. I really love tiny lentils. At that stand, I decided to buy a melon that seems very similar to cantaloupe, but with different color variation and texture. The stand owner asked if I was going to eat it today, and when I said yes he took his knife and cut me out a tiny sliver and handed it to me so that I could try it and make sure I liked it. Trying the fruits and vegetables at the stands is very much a part of the experience. I grabbed a small container of fruit to snack on, and the raspberries in particular were so sweet and wonderful.



After that, we went to a grocery store by the Pantheon (of course we visited my favorite coffee). The grocery stores here are a series of maze-like tiny rooms instead of one big room. I have been in two so far, and both were that way. It is interesting because in France, the large groceries were closer to what we have in the United States. I got some other staples and a bottle of rose for dinner. I know pretty close to nothing about Italian wine, other than the fact that they have a controlling body like in France. I just grabbed a bottle with the Denominazione di Origine Controllata label and hopefully it will be tasty.

I also got toilet paper and fizzy mineral water. Yes!