When in Rome…

Sant'Eustachio

… it is impossible to avoid coffee, pasta, bread, gelato and wine. And what would be the point? In his excellent book, In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan considers that in our pursuit for nutrition, or nutritionism as he calls it, we don’t necessarily make thoughtful food choices. Instead, we have a “nutrient-by-nutrient approach”. He prescribes that we should “… bring pleasure back to eating.” Well, that is exactly what I’m doing here in Italy, eating most pleasurably! First of all, you must know about the coffee in Rome. In particular, the impossibly foamy espresso at Sant’Eustachio. It made my knees weak and my heart beat faster, literally and figuratively. I swear,the little spoon in this tiny cup of unabashedly sugared coffee could almost stand upright on its own, that is how thick it is. A New York Times article says that this is what Rome tastes like: coffee at Sant’Eustachio.

The Finest Gelato

And this gelato, I think it must be the finest there is! Especially as the weather is hot hot hot in Rome. I had two flavours, Valrhona cocoa and banana, scraped into a tiny cup. Michael made an even better choice, not so much the pistachio, but the Armagnac. Next time…

Pasta alla Matriciana

Lastly, for today, bucatini alla matriciana is SO freakishly delicious. It’s a tomato-based pasta of bucatini, a long, hollow pasta that most resembles spaghetti, and it’s made with guanciale, or pig’s jowl. Any of you who know Michael can imagine how happy this made him. Not to mention all of the other pork products, he is in heaven and squealing with happiness. Suffice to say that we are both finding pleasure in eating, and in life. And I’m happy to find a fine balance here between indulgences and whole, healthy foods. Sort of how I do at home.