Day 3-
Not too much of an eventful day.. got up this am went to a local cafe and had a latte and chocolate croissant. then we headed on to class.
Today we made gnocchi, pesto, polenta, and Fegato alla veneta better known as liver onions to us southerners.
The gnocchi was amazing to say the least and we learned the secret to making great gnocchi and pesto afterwards we went to class and learned about Northern Italy and the laws that control the naming and standards of products. quite interesting yet a tad boring... Its partly our ADD instructor that goes on tangents left and right.
Following class we came back to the apartment to regroup prior to heading to Ganzo, the restaurant we are interning at. On the way to Ganzo we passed the major bank for Florence, outside there were 5 police officers with both semi automatic and handguns cocked and ready to fire as a delivery was being made. We saw a guy on a bike almost get shot at because he was not corroperating with the officer, quite an unique experience.
Once we got to Ganzo I and two other people started putting together the family meal for dinner. We decided on an antipasto that featured roasted zucchini squash, spring mushrooms, cantaloupe, asparagus, fresh roma tomatoes (1,000 times better than the shit we get here in the states), fresh buffalo mozzarella as well as purshuttio, turkey, and mortadella. Prep started off a bit rough which can be contributed to a new kitchen, new chef, international differences, etc. However, after family meal was cooked, he complimented me on it (the most that he will offer a compliment me and my animosity quickly dissipated. )
Service was a bit slow tonight because of the rain (the restaurant is mostly outside with sparse covering). I worked what could be equated to the assemble station in an American kitchen. I finished off the chicken, rabbit and vegetarian stuffed zucchini (made from a virital that is round like a tomato). We cleaned up and were out of the restaurant early because of he slow night. All in all service was real smooth and it was interesting to see the differences between American and European kitchens where there literally is a dish pit in our restaurant.
I have also found it interesting the sanitation habits here in Italy, unlike America there isn't as much focus on the wash, rinse, sanitize process that we find in the US, however there are some process that are similar. I also found the univeral cooking concepts that we use in the states are just as important here. For instance, the basic saute principal is universal and it once again serves as a reminder of the universal language that is food.
Day 3, it seems that I've been here for weeks, and I am having the time of my life. I can only wait to see what the next weeks hold. We are already planning a day trip for both Friday and Sunday. I'll reveal them after I visit.. possibly before then.
-Until
Matt
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