My favorite part about Italy is the food. The dishes tend to be simple and involve less seasonings than the sodium drowned dishes in The United States. Each meal is always enjoyable, fresh, and something I’ve never tried before. Although I love food, the food in Italy is so much fresher and not as processed as food I’m used to eating in America. My skin has cleared up and I have been feeling more energized than I normally feel back home, despite typically consuming dairy and carbs. I have also finally begun enjoying cooking and grocery shopping. Since most food here isn’t as processed, they go bad quickly, forcing you to use everything you can before it goes to waste. My favorite meal to cook is carbonara, and I think I have perfected my own version of it.

When thinking of Italian dishes, I would think of alfredo, which apparently is not really a thing here. But now I have tried common dishes such as carbonara, bruschetta, delicious cheese and meat platters, hare, and more. One of my most favorite foods I’ve tried so far was a sandwich made from cow lung and intestines. The organs were sliced thinly and seasoned to perfection, quickly making me forget what exactly I was eating. I wish I remembered the name of the sandwich so I could eat it again! Another Italian food I have tried is cheese that is made by larvae living in it and eating the cheese; it’s name literally translates to rotten cheese. It was sour at first, but it was paired wonderfully with focaccia, one of my favorite types of bread I have encountered in Italy. I don’t think I would have ever and forced myself to try such foods 3 months ago, but the opportunity was too amazing not to try such common local treats such as a sandwich made from cow lung and intestines. Sometimes it’s better just to eat without really thinking about what you’re eating.