One of the Guys

I know I've been moping around the past week or so because many of my friends have left Florence; nevertheless, it has given me the opportunity to get to know a few people better who have been here all along--people whose social circles I have crossed from time to time but with whom there were at least two degrees of separation.

Up until a bit over a week ago, this list would have included G and V, two really nice guys who were good friends with my friend Lana when she was here in April/May. I first met G (who is German, but that is not where his initial comes from) at Lochness the night I realized my misfortune and naiveté; a couple weeks ago we went to Pienza together with some other friends. V is the American who speaks Italian superbly and hosted Easter lunch.

Today was my last day of voice class with an instructor whom I have grown to appreciate and whose lessons I will miss. In the beginning I did not enjoy being told that I had incorrect posture or that I've been singing incorrectly all these years--those are basically all the things that could go wrong!--but I have learned, on top of improving my technique, that having a different perspective, tradition, and school of thought are essential to expanding one's horizons. It will take me a lot of conscientious practice (something I haven't devoted myself to yet) and painstaking fine-tuning, along with listening to some Mozart (whose operas I am not too fond of) and other composers; but if I can continue following this path that has now opened up for me--a path that allows me to sing high notes (and all notes in general) with minimal effort--well, who knows what will happen? The possibilities excite me.

After class I did some last-minute organizing (the only kind that exists in Italy) and met up with G and V for some Sicilian gelato. My hairstylist here in Florence had highly recommended Gelato Carabé, a Sicilian gelateria not too far from the Accademia Museum. When we entered, I first noticed how plain the flavours looked and then how many American tourists there were; however, I highly esteem food-advice so I decided to order, even though G and V were going to hold out for another gelateria. I ordered cioccolato, fragola, and riso paradiso (chocolate, strawberry, and "rice paradise", respectively) and they were alright, but had nothing on La Carraia. Were my expectations too high?

V led us on a long walk past the train station to Il Re Gelato, a Sicilian gelateria and pasticceria (pastry shop) whose gelato he had tried at Firenze Gelato Festival. I was instantly intrigued. I tried two flavours before deciding but it took me almost 10 minutes to decide, and when I said I was ready to order, the barista gave me a spoonful of cinnamon and greek yogurt gelato combined and I didn't know what to do anymore--stick with my original choices or abandon them? What a dilemma! 

I chose to ignore the last-minute temptation and ordered three of their specialty flavours: Modicana (chocolate, cinnamon, and chilli peppers--recommended by V), riso quattro formaggi (rice and four cheeses), and nero fondente (milkless dark chocolate). So delicious! The Modicana was my favourite and it definitely needs a milder flavour like the riso quattro formaggi to counteract the spiciness that hits you at the end. This place also had pastries such as Sicilian cannoli and babà, but after having two gelati (6 flavours!) I had to just say no.

We followed up gelato with going to Mostodolce, an Italian pub with happy hour pints for 3,50€ (where we went last week as well). For the first hour I was just a bystander to their beer-drinking, but when they decided to get a second beer I decided to get my own too. I still hate beer but at least I finished mine this time. 

K-Bravo returned from London today for an evening before he heads back to Japan, so G and I headed out to meet him and his friend for a belated birthday and farewell dinner. During our walk I had a strong urge to speak French which likely corresponded to the light-headedness from the beer. Brilla!

We went to Perseus, a restaurant that the locals recommend but tourists don't really know about, where the bistecca alla fiorentina (Florentine steak) is supposed to be better than I Cambi. It also happens to be the sister restaurant to Perseus in Fiesole, so the pasta is amazing here as well. I ordered the pappa al pomodoro and we all shared about 1.8 kg of steak. It was definitely delicious, and according to G it was a whole other level of taste compared to I Cambi. After this, for some crazy reason I wanted to look at the dessert menu, which means that I did end up ordering dessert (crostata alla frutta or a type of fruit pie with cream). The bill was hefty, definitely (fo realz, yo) my most expensive meal in Florence to date; but these are my last few days and my mom's advice to me was to eat everything I wanted to this week--and I am an obedient daughter.

If you're wondering, the reason I can't go into detail about the steak is because I am much to full to be able to think about food right now. Which means I am also too full to sleep. It's 1:45AM. On a school night.

Today's word of the day is scema, or "stupid". Notice the feminine form of the adjective. Can you tell that I wish I didn't eat so much?