Fun facts about Italy/Europe for 3rd graders…

-Newspaper is printed on light pink paper.
-Meat is not the same. You will eat no steak here. Even if they have a few cows for beef, it never tastes like red meat from home. And I freakin’ miss meat.
-Instead of regular oranges, blood oranges/juice is much more popular. It tastes different and has bright red juice.
-When you ask for water to drink at restaurants, they often bring frizzante, or fizzy water.
-You will never have ice.
-Lotsa gelato. The REAL gelato test – check to see if the containers are metal (plastic is more likely to be store bought) and make sure the banana flavored is not yellow (that shows it is real bananas)
-Cultural differences include the proximity of people. For example, Italians do not seem as weirded out to be crammed together as other cultures. They are also quieter in general than Americans. Clothing is also a signal to a person’s culture. You can absolutely call out someone’s nationality based on what they are wearing. Americans are loud.
-everything’s older here – architecture, buildings in general, yadda yadda
-everything’s more expensive here
-Bathrooms at the hotel include a bidet – next to the toilet.
-Nutella is a European phenomenon. It’s everywhere [unlike peanut butter].
-Went to Capri, the island. Ate caprese, tomatoes with fresh mozz and olive oil.
-Went to Sorrento, the city. Ate gnocchi sorrentino, gnocchi with a tomato parm sauce.
-Went to Naples, the city. Ate pizza, in the home of pizza.
-Went to the Vatican for Easter. Saw the Pope.
-Hybrid cars and smart cars are everywhere. FIAT is the most popular car dealer.
-Shops/buildings close from around 1400-1700 for “siesta”. All the people take a nap or have coffee at a café. The lifestyle is more chill and seems less stressful cause people break every afternoon to sit around and chitchat.
-Continental breakfasts in Italy/France include coffee and bread. No more hard-boiled eggs or instant coffee served in Greece.
-When crossing the street in Italy, GO FOR IT! If you wait for a break in cars, you look stupid. Just walk in front of them, and they will stop. It’s a cultural thing, and each country has a different mentality on crossing the street.
-After eating at a restaurant, waiters don’t bring a check until you ask for it… people enjoy sitting around for hours to talk, and by bringing you a check, the service feels like they’re kicking you out. No need to rush after dinners in Europe.
-A restaurants, you do not follow America’ politeness rules of waiting for everyone to get their food to eat. People think you’re weird. Food comes out at different times, so ya just eat it when you get yours.
-Getting a cappuccino is a morning thing. Getting an espresso is more of an evening thing, a norm after dinner for digestive purposes. People know you’re an out-of-towner when you order a cappuccino at the wrong time of day.
-people can urinate in the streets with no legal repercussions. No one has to clean up after their dogs either. [probably not appro-pro for 3rd graders, but interesting nonetheless.]
-In America, a li’l gas station sorta place would have a name like “Smiley’s”. In Europe, they like to name them “Tabacchi Pizzeria Bar Restaurante…”

Tunisia
-Just took a five day trip to Tunisia – much cooler and greener than expected. Main reason it was on the classics trip itinerary was for its sweet mosaics.
-Everything is a mix of French and Arabic.
-Like 95% Muslim, if not more
-Very few American tourists
-It’s the #1 olive oil producer in Africa.
-Star wars was filmed here
-This might have been some of the best food on the trip. It was French/Tunisian.


Things to cook:
-Couscous, Tunisian style
-Hot tea boiled with fresh mint leaves
-Arancini – fried ball of dough with rice ragu stuff in the center
-Prosciutto on everything
-Ribollita – florentine bread soup
-Beans with barley and rosemary