Olive Oil for Oliver

One of the many benefits of studying abroad in a country that takes such pride in their food is learning about it.  IES (my abroad program) provided a special after school activity this week - olive oil tasting.  This came to me at a surprise because normally the only kind of tastings I have heard about are wine, cheese or food in general.  The time fit perfectly with my schedule so I thought I would give it a try.

The instructor was born in Italy and later moved to New York to become a lawyer.  The job became too stressful and he wanted to do something with his life that he was very passionate about.  When strolling through a high-end grocery store he stumbled across an aisle of olive oil and started to read the bottles.  Knowing that some of the information on the bottle was not true, he decided to look more into the olive industry.  The man then thought it would be in his best interest to move back to Italy and live in his family's villa right outside of Rome.  Him and his wife soon opened up an olive oil farm and villa.  And that's his story.... This is what we learned.

First things first:
There are 7 different grades of olive oil.  The higher the grade the better the quality.
To be considered Extra Virgin: 100% of the oil needs to come from olives, the acidity must be below 0.8% and it should have no defects.  A way to know if the olive oil is legitimate is if it is DOP certified.

1. Extra Virgin
2. Virgin
3. Olive Oil
4. Refined Olive Oil
5. Olive - Pomace Oil
6. Refined Olive - Pomance Oil
7. Crude Olive - Pomace Oil

We also learned about the Enemies of Oil:
1. Heat
2. Light
3. Air
4. Time
5. Lack of Information.

Heat, Light and Air all change the chemical components of the oil (with light being the number one enemy).   With Time, olive oil does not get better with age and should be kept for at max 3 years (if maintained properly).  This is unlike wine because wine has alcohol in it that acts as a preservative.  We learned that 90% of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the United States is not considered REAL olive oil - to the standards of DOP.

For one liter of olive oil - it costs the producer 7 euros.  This is the price if you were to bring your own bottle to an olive oil farm and use your own bottles (aka the price without bottling and marketing).  When perusing through grocery stores here, there are bottles that are 3 euros.  If you are doing the math that means that the company is losing 4 euros (at least) on every bottle that is created.  That means there is something not right about that olive oil on your shelf.

An average tree only makes enough for a half liter to a gallon of oil.  Can you imagine how many trees are needed to fill a grocery store!

We also learned about the health benefits:
1. Good for your heart
2. Good for your skin (he suggested we bathe in it)
3. Cholesterol - it counteracts the bad
4. Helps with digestion
5. And good for the soul since it is natural and real.

We then sampled and smelled 3 different kinds of oil: olive oil, extra virgin olive oil (both of bad quality) and extra virgin olive oil of good quality.  It was amazing how you could see, smell and taste the difference in a product that you potentially use everyday.  Living in a country where quantity vs quality is the goal really makes me question all of the foods I eat at home.  I have always known that processed foods were bad, but goods that I use everyday - I never really thought about that.  And then comes the factor that I will be entering the hospitality industry with a big girl job (fingers crossed) in a year.  Do I want to be serving my customers with food that I don't even know what the name of one of the ingredients is?

If there is one thing I have learned here - its that quality makes a difference.  At ANY restaurant in Italy whether it be a panini place, high end restaurant or mom and pop shop - the menu is simple.  There are no additives, just fresh food.  I wish that all of America could see this and makes the change to the simple life.  I know when I go back to school I will be hitting up the farmers market every Tuesday and Friday to get the fresh produce and vegetables from the Staties.. IT MAKES SUCH A DIFFERENCE.. Maybe that is also why everyone is happier here - just a guess.

Here are some pics from the tasting.  Now I have to go study for mid-terms and prepare for the arrival of my mommy =)) so excited to see her!!!!! Then right after that I will be reunited with two of my very best gal pals Maureen and Vicky! Maureen goes to school with me at Penn State and was my very first friend that I made there (Curtin Hall 6th floor shoutout!).  Vicky has been my best friend since kindergarten (literally babies) and we have been through so much together.  It's funny that we all three booked the same program by chance.  Can't wait for the adventures that are to come and the memories that are to be created with such great friends (so fortunate to have also made an amazing group of friends abroad that I am sharing this experience with).  Without further ado.. I give you - Oliver takes on olive oil tasting:

A satisfied Sam filled with Olives =)

Mid-Rome Crisis, Lizzie McGuire, and MORE Great Views

*Warning this post has a lot of stuff, if you get bored of the writing make sure you scroll down to the pic of the Vatican at the end!

Mid-Rome Crisis

I just realized I am more than 25% done with my study abroad experience - and I'm starting to freak out that I am not taking full advantage of what Rome has to offer.  Especially in the food department (you all should have saw this coming - I can't help my love for food!).  I made a pact with myself that I would try a new Italian sit down restaurant every week.  My waist line might not agree with this but honestly, when am I ever going to be living in a city that SO many other countries try to mimic and recreate their foods.  As of right now, I know I will NOT be able to go back to Canyon Pizza once I get back to Penn State.

This just doesn't do it for me anymore. Sorry.

After a bit of research on Trip Advisor, we stumbled across Hostaria La Botticella - a mom and pop, hole in the wall, you have to know about it to see it, ranked #357 of 7844 restaurants in Rome, cozy restaurant.  Located in Trastevere, it is off the beaten path and is located on a side street.  Being the only light illuminated on the street - we followed the light (and our noses) to the entrance.  Also -The restaurant opens at 7:30 - thats how you know it's legit.  We were greeted by Guilia the host and owner.  She took our coats, informed us that we could sit where ever we liked and made us feel right at home.  We started with the house red wine that came in a cute pitcher - not a bottle - and fried artichokes.  

After a huge craving for pasta I asked Guilia which pasta dish she preferred - the Pesto or White Clam Sauce (my ultimate favorite).  She said without question, the Pesto - and with a huge smile she added that it was homemade.  Knowing that this was a dish that she was proud of I went along with her suggestion - and MAN - what a dish this was.  The pasta was fresh (and homemade), the pesto had a perfect combination of pine-nuts, basil, garlic and tomatoes. 

Safe to say - my roommates and I did not finish the artichokes nor the pasta - and we received smiles from all the locals who fashionably ate: an appetizer, an entire pasta dish, a side salad, and individual desserts.  I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY DO IT!

When we called for the check, Guilia came bearing gifts - homemade lemoncello!!!!! After sipping and finishing the digestif, Guilia came back with.... another round of lemoncello.  She really knows how to please her customers.

Safe to say the hospitality was warm, the food was impeccable and we will definetly be back to seconds.

*Also another side note: the pasta was almost even better cold than it was hot (and I don't know how that is possible)

A Lizzie McGuire Moment

I can check celebrity look alike off my list and being in Rome, this is almost exactly what happens to Lizzie McGuire in the Lizzie McGuire Movie.  If you were not a 90's kid here is the trailer that will make you understand more of what I am referring to. (fast forward to the one-minute mark)

My Italian class had a field trip to Villa Borghese where we rode bikes and had a scavenger hunt - yeah this is class.  Anyways, the class ended just before sunset and a few of my friends had a recommendation to see an amazing view on top of Piazza Popolo.  Having a few extra minutes to spare, I went along with it.   As my friends and I approached the top, we were greeted by a middle aged Italian man who pointed to me and gave me a weird look as if he knew me from somewhere.  Trying to formulate an English sentence he asked me, "I just saw you yesterday on YouTube."  Quite confused I turned around and went on to enjoy the view.  I could still hear him talk in broken English as he was whispering to himself - "I saw her yesterday on YouTube and now shes in Rome - my favorite American Idol superstar.  Cheerleader, cheerleader the cheerleader." 

 From there, it started to make sense.  I turned around and said hello and said, "Yes, that was me, I was on American Idol.  I am very modest and don't like people to know who I am when I am traveling but you caught me."  My friend Rose became my manager and my other guy friends were my tour bus driver, my spokesperson and body guards.  He was very upset he didn't have a piece of paper for an autograph or his camera.  We took a picture with our camera and said we would send it to him via email (my management team organized this haha).  Below is a picture of me and my celebrity look alike - and me and my new friend.  

I googled, "American Idol contestant who is a cheerleader," and this girl came up.  I can kind of see some resemblance so I know the guy wasn't totally crazy.  I do feel bad that we fooled this guy and he is probably telling his friends he met a celebrity, but it was all in good fun - and a great story to tell =)

In other news this is the view from the Piazza at sunset! 

More Great Views

Born and raised a Florida Girl, loving sunshine and oranges. SURPRISE! There's an orange park not far from my apartment, Giardino degli Aranci, and it houses another amazing view of Rome.  This view is across from Trastevere and is on the Aventine Hill in the district Ripa.  After climbing the trees and grabbing some oranges to snack on we discovered that these are possibly the WORST oranges in the world.  They are so bitter and left an awful taste in our mouths. 

We then went next door to yet another hidden gem of Rome.  A peephole where you can see the Vatican! The doorway in question leads to the Priory of the Knights of Malta, the legendary crusader knights and religious order.  Now it is a small church, Santa Maria del Priorato. No one seems to be able to say with certainty whether this was a beautifully planned, or just a lucky coincidence.

It was hard to get a good picture of the Vatican with my point-and-shoot camera.  Below is my version, and what it was supposed to look like (picture credit goes to: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-aventine-keyhole-rome).

 

Barcelona

A weekend trip to Barcelona, something that my roommates and I booked at the very start of our study abroad experience.  Included on my trip was my first Ryan Air experience, first hostel experience and first time traveling to a different country with a group of friends.

We departed bright and early (flight was at 8 am) and arrived in Barcelona around 10 o'clock.  From the airport we had to navigate our way to the hostel.  Without a map in tow we had to depend solely on a screenshot from our iPhone.  Following a crowd of other study abroad students (as much as we try to fit in with the Europeans we stick out like sore thumbs) we found a bus that took us into the city center and then located a metro that was mentioned in the screenshot.  And then... we found the hostel! Woo!

After checking in and putting our belongings into our lockers we were starving for lunch.  My roommates and I are huge foodies (which I think is why we get along so well) and we wanted to find a place to eat for lunch so we asked the front desk for local recommendations.  WRONG thing to do.  I guess the people at the hostel are used to showing college kids who don't care what they eat places to go.  He pointed us to a street with restaurants I would have neeeever have thought I would eat in.  We stumbled across a place that looked decent with at woman sitting outside smoking a cigarette.  She gestured for us to come inside, turned on the lights to the kitchen and sat us down at a table.  We were the only people in this dive restaurant and did not know what to do next so, we ordered.  What could go wrong?

Turns out the place wasn't half bad and we were entertained by the owners son who was dressed as a clown for carnival.  I realized that this is what study abroad is about, not really having an agenda, trying things that you would not have thought you would ever try before and letting your feet be the guide.

I have never seen so many fries on a plate!

After getting some food in our stomach, we let the adventure begin!

The first day we went to:

 MACBA - Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art

Port of Barcelona

Las Ramblas

La Boqueria (my personal fav, I was literally in food heaven!)

and a wonderful dinner at a  cute contemporary restaurant.  The calamari was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Then danced the night away (the clubs don't open until 1:30 am)

After a few hours of rest - we were ready for Day 2!

We went to Park Guell - 

Here is a picture of me and my family a few years ago at the same park.

We ate traditional paella and had the best cheese sticks I have ever had in my life at Café Catalunya Restaurant!  They were brie and came with a strawberry jam dipping sauce.

The Barcelona Cathedral

Loved randomly running into Jen!

Picasso Museum - Also got free entrance because I was a student 

and finished with an amazing last dinner at Bar Lobo with tapas and sangria.

We ordered: Hummus with pita bread, Asparagus tempora, ceps, perol sausage and truffle on toast nachos with guac, tuna tataki with guac and a Spinach, blue cheese apple and bacon salad.  YUM! Also can't forget the sangria!

Sangria

Tuna Tataki

Nachos with Guac

Overall I had a great experience.  It was a whirlwind of a trip (our flight the next day was at 6 - so we had to leave for the airport at 3 in the morning) and it took me sometime to recover from the lack of sleep (hence why I am posting this now) but it taught me valuable lessons and created great memories.  

I have to also add that life in Barcelona is very different from Rome.  Not being biased, but leaving my second home in Rome made me realize that it really is my second home.  I missed its unique charm, cobblestone streets and yes, even paninis.  It made me realize that I chose the right city to study abroad in - for me.  

Until next time Spain, until next time.  

Vogue: T-Unit Edition

Birds Eye View

"Each fresh peak ascended teaches something." 

-- Sir Martin Convay

One week, two outstanding views.

The first view was discovered one day after class when my roommate and I had some extra time on our hands and wanted to go on an adventure in our neighborhood.  After flipping through our guide/tourist books, we stumbled upon a hike in Trastevere.  After more research we saw that it was one of THE top things to do in Rome - at that point we grabbed our coats and ran out the door, excited for what great sights were to come.  

After a steep hike up Gianicolo Hill - we reached it - one of the most beautiful, hidden gems in Rome - Gianicolo Park

This view hold the best panorama view of Rome (with the addition of beautiful greenery).  It was so nice to escape the chaotic busy streets and admire the city from a birds eye view.  Being able to just sit... relax... and do nothing but enjoy the view in front of me was a very humbling experience. 

Enjoying the view

Irem and I

But - then I went to Assisi.

My Mystics, Philosophers, Saints and Sinners class took a day trip to Assisi, Italy.  A small quaint town 2.5 hours north of Rome in the Umbria region of Italy. It is the birthplace of St. Francis (who founded the Franciscan religious order) and St. Clare (the founder of the Poor Sisters).  My teacher is American and moved to Italy 8 years ago - and now LIVES in Assisi.  My classmates and I were confused why she commutes that long of a time and then when we got to the city it all made sense.

The Cloister

Selfie with a Fresco

St. Francis viewing his homeland

Statue of St. Clare and my roommate Rose

Rocca Maggiore

I never heard of Assisi, nor was it on my list of places to go to during this semester AND I am not Christian BUUUUUT I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a peaceful, quaint get away.  I would have loved to have done yoga outside here!

I don't know if it's because I grew up in Florida (aka flat lands) or what, but I still can't get these views.  I literally felt like Leonardo DiCaprio...