We went out right when they opened, at 7 pm. Most Italians don't eat until about nine, so we missed the bulk of the crowd. We only had to wait a few minutes before we were seated. All of the tables were packed close together and the wait staff was pretty brisk- you got in, you ordered, we're done here.
The pizza was FOR SURE WORTH IT. It's easily the best pizza I've had in Rome (and it wasn't that expensive either). I can't remember the name of what I got, but it was supposed to have tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, hot salami and hot peppers. (Tip for americans: tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese aren't givens for pizza here- they're just other toppings. So if you, say, order a pizza with mushrooms and olives- you might just get a piece of pizza bread with mushrooms and olives.) I couldn't taste the hot peppers, but it was so good I didn't even mind.
This feeds one person. Me. We also split a jug of wine. It wasn't great wine, but eh, it was wine. The thing here is that water can often be the same price or even cost more than wine!
The people waiting outside as we left. It wasn't even peak Italian dinner time yet.
Saturday we decided to check out a supermarket not too far away. It's called "Eataly" and had been described as "Italian whole foods". We walked through some kinda weird neighborhoods and finally came upon it.
Ok, this place was insane. It was four floors, first of all, packed with different kinds of food. Each floor had at least two restaurants, bars, cafes, or gelaterias. We spent an hour roaming around and didn't even begin to see everything there was. I also made it my mission to snag some samples.
Italians are actually super into craft beer. I'm not really a beer drinker, but my roommate is, and she got a few bottles to try.
I didn't buy anything, though I wanted to, since most everything I needed I can get at the tiny grocery store near our apartment for cheaper. I was so tempted to buy a blend of spices, but they were all whole, and I'd have to buy a grinder, and I looked at the ingredients and saw the blend was only red pepper, garlic, and parsley. I can do that.
On Sunday we were going to take a trip to a smaller historic town in Italy, Orvieto, but when we got to the train station, the trains either left too late or the ticket prices fluctuated and were too high. So we decided to cut our losses and went to the market.
I don't even know how to describe the market. It's this giant sprawling thing that spreads at least 15 blocks, full of vendors selling everything from shoes to sweaters to kitchenware to jewelry. And everything is either mass produced or of...shady origins. But either way, it's cheap. My first week here, when our apartment was freezing, I got a sweater for two euros. It's huge and ugly but it's warm.
This time I got a microbead pillow (I used to sleep with one every night at home, and I've been missing it) and a pair of tennis shoes, since my mom can't ship mine up. I know they aren't the best quality, since, super cheap, but I only need them to last for three more months.
You also see these guys selling stuff on blankets at the market. They're illegal vendors, selling without a license. Every now and again you'll hear calls of "polizia!" and they'll grab their blankets and run like crazy. Good times.
Monday is my grocery shopping day. I did indeed pick up some garlic and parsley, since I already had red pepper. (They were like two euros a bottle, but that's not bad for how long they'll last and actually eating seasoned food.) I meant to make some chicken, veggies, and rice for dinner, but I forgot to get vegetables at the store. Whoops. Still, chicken and rice is a classic dinner and I'm sure I'm not the first broke person to eat it. Plus I actually seasoned my rice and it was super delicious. I'm like an adult and everything.
