Things you don't realize you need until you're in Italy
- Mac&Cheese (I know, I know. The pasta looks like wet cardboard, and the "cheese" is about as unnatural as you can get. Still, there's something about that uniquely fluorescent orange macaroni that I can't resist. Sometimes you just need something cheesy and instant. I do like adding parmigiano grattugiato to it though, to dress it up a bit.)
- Spice mixes (i.e. taco mix, sloppy joes, marinades, etc.) Though Italy is swimming in basil, oregano, and garlic, it is incredibly difficult to get the flavors of BBQ, Worcestershire, and any pepper that isn't peperoncino (red chile peppers). Plus Mexican restaurants are rare and very expensive. I need tacos!
- Jell-O. They have gelatine sheets, but they're flavorless because they're intended for fruit filled cakes/jams/tarts. I suppose I could try to add flavor extracts and food color to make my own imitation Jell-O, but the extract selection here is limited to rum, lemon, lime, almond, or coconut. Rum Jell-O. Hmmmm.
- Gravy mix. I have been making it with flour and broth/drippings, but sometimes I really need a "just-add-water" back up alternative.
- Brown Sugar/Molasses. So far I have only ever found this in incredibly small, expensive bags at the ipercoop supermarket (which is currently a 2 hour drive away from here, not exactly convenient). It isn't quite right either. It's much grainier and darker than I've ever seen it in America. I have fiddled with the chocolate chip cookie recipe so I can make it work with cane sugar, but there really is no substitute for Brown Sugar. Well, I looked it up on line and their is... but you need molasses. Which also does not exist here.
- Apple Cider. For some reason apples aren't nearly as popular here as they are in the U.S., and virtually nonexistent in sauce, juice, or cider form. I have been able to buy Strongbow Cider, which looked so promising in the William Tell inspired commercials, but honestly just tastes like really bland spumante. I confess I was more than just a little disappointed.
I think it's GREAT that this food can't be found here! MAc and Chesse???? Ughhh.....
ReplyDeleteApples are very popular in the north, where they are grown. And YUMMY, too. But only at the right time of the year, of course.
I always like to imagine what I would miss most if I left Italy. I think olive oil is at the top of the list, followed by the cheese and the fruits and vegetables that actually have taste to them. Of course, it goes without saying that easy access to a variety of vino at great prices tops them all.
D
Hahaha, I know I know. Bad, lazy, American food. We went to McDonald's recently and it didn't take me long to remember why I stopped going ten years ago. I am grateful that Pizza Hut will never make it here though.
DeleteYeah, the easy access to fresh veggies and fruits would be big ones for me too. And yes, the vino goes without saying :-P
You will find import Irish cider and most of the spices you are looking for in Cristaldi, a shop which is located in Via Pacini, a side street of Via Etnea in Catania (close to La Rinascente but on the other side of the street).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cristaldi.it
No, I'm not the owner of the shop. :)
Davide
Hi Davide,
DeleteI think I know which shop you're talking about. I have definitely been there to stock up (Yogi Tea and Betty Crocker cake mix, yay!). It's still pretty expensive (compared to what I was used to paying in the states) but it's better than nothing! I didn't know they had a website, thanks for sharing :-)
It's bound to be more expensive cos they are import products, exactly the same way it would happen if you wanted to buy, let's say, original Pistacchio di Bronte, original Lemoncello, or Prosciutto San Daniele in the US. That said, I think anyway that food conservatism (to the point of reactionaryism) is the other face (the ugly one) of Italian cuisine. I know that when you feast on excellence every day it is difficult to adjust your palate to other tastes but I reckon that, shutting proudly off from the influences of other cuisines, my countrymen miss some great stuff (I'm not referring to Mac&Cheese, obviously :P) This is more marked in little towns, though. In bigger cities the attitude towards the influences of foreign cuisines is slightly changing.
DeleteDavide
All very true. I do understand why Italians are proud of their food (and rightly so!), but I can't help but occasionally crave the Thai, Mexican, Indian, and Chinese food I used to enjoy in the states. However, I do have 24/7 access to the world's best pizza, so...
DeleteWhen the cravings get bad, you might want to try some of the foreign restaurants that there are here in Catania. You'd probably find them diffent from the ones you used to enjoy in the US but they might be worth a try. Asiatic cuisine is the best covered cos the Chinese community in CT grew a lot in the last decade (I do know this cos I live in the middle of Catania's Chinatown :-P), so you might find a decent Chinese and Japanese restaurant. "Chan" in via Renato Imbriani 207 is a decent one, the place has a modern urban décor(not the vernacular little Chinese type of place), the prices are reasonable and it covers Chinese, Japanese, and some Thai and Vietnamese. As for Mexican cuisine, Gasoline is a Tex-Mex place in via Etnea 462, a nice place with a wooden décor, it might be worth a try in the darkest days of delicious pizza's sweet tyranny XD
ReplyDelete(Can't judge on the quality of its food, though, cos I've been there just to drink :)
D.
Wow, those places sound great! I guess I should plan another trip to Catania...
DeleteThanks for the recommendations :-)