Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Can a person who can't cook be a foodie?


That is the question. I am so enjoying the food here, and so enjoying preparing little meals for myself without actually turning on my little 4 burner stove top (except to make coffee, the Italian way). I went food shopping today, and though it is possible to buy everything in a supermarket, it is a lot more fun to shop like the Italians do--go to this butcher for proscuitto parma, that fornaio for cheese, an outdoor market (like the one at Piazza S. Cosimatto, in my neighborhood for produce. I've been eating so many more fruits and vegetables here, and that's because they actually taste like a treat rather than kind of tasting like medicine--or tasting like not much of anything at all.
This afternoon, I bought a 1/4 pound of proscuitto crudo from Parma, some salami from Tuscany, pecorino and some other type of cheese from the north, fresh foccacia, green olives from the Castelvecchio part of Italy (not sure where that is--maybe the Castelli Romani?). All of that, from one store, and it cost me less than 5 Euros! Then I went to the outdoor market for fresh ruchetta, little green tomatos, these beautiful little pears that were kind of a pink/rose/red color and bananas (all that cost me less than $2 Euros. Then I went home and made myself a sandwich with olive oil and sea salt and balsamic vinegar and pepper, and ate the cheese and pears with honey for dessert. Plus, a glass of Nero d'Avola. Pretty damn good. What I want to know is: Does it count as cooking if you don't turn on the stove?

2 comments:

Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn said...

Hey Paula!!! Just checking in for the first time and I'm so envious--Italy looks amazing! And yes, you qualify as a foodie, absolutely. I have to go back to work but in scanning your postings I saw that you said you're bored with your books...do you want me to send you a few new ones?-Elizabeth

Blueeyes said...

Of course you can cook without turning on the stove! After all, there is that whole 'raw' movement... although I'm not sure that proscuitto and cheese are on the menus of those restaurants...

I don't think the definition of a 'foodie' includes 'chef', so you are just fine. But now, your blog has made me hungry -- I'm off to find some breakfast. :)
Ricki