Milan. July 2015
[from FB post: August 6, 2014]
Can we explore sandwiches? Seriously... how is it something so simple can be so sublime? I have had the best sandwiches here in Italy. I might add they were pretty damn good in Madrid too, but really these Italian ones just blow me away. Why can't I get a good sandwich in the US? What is so difficult? oh and as a sidenote, Italian barristas don't speak "Starbucks" so I'd do a refresher course on coffee lingo... hahahaha.
Milan turned me onto the glory of the Italian sandwich. Spain had some good ones as well, but, hands down, I loved a good sandwich shop in Italy. The best thing about those places were that the sandwiches were often all stacked up "premade", only needing to be put under a huge press to be grilled/heated. They were virtually ready-to-eat. The ingredients were always simple and fresh. I liked just pointing to something yummy looking and discovering what tasty surprises were between those two delicious pieces of bread.
I wondered what was the downfall of the American sandwich? Our "squishy white bread" (as my German neighbor used to call it)? or was it that everything needed to have a lot of "sauce" (mayo or mustard or something)? or perhaps that our vegetable choice was limited to iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and perhaps onion? Was it processed American cheese? Some of the best-made sandwiches in the USA were still terribly dull. Even "good" sandwiches from Italian delis had been "dumbed down" to American standards. I just can't imagine anyone in my entire life universe who would not bite into an Italian sandwich (in Italy) and not swoon and say "oh my god, why have I never eaten something like this before?"
My memory of that first sandwich shop is so strong I can even remember where it was located - somewhere down the Corsa di Porta Nuova. Amazing how food can bring back such a specific memory.
Of course, there was also the realization that I was truly "coffee illiterate". All those Starbucks terms were meaningless in Italy. "Latte" means hot milk. If anyone truly wants to baffle/piss off a busy Italian barista, just speak Starbucks to them. I retreated to a safe cappuccino most mornings. Only after feeling more comfortable with myself with repeated trips to Italy (and taking overly-serious baristas with a pinch of salt) I started to order latte machiatto. Coffee culture shock aside, Italian coffee tastes like no other coffee in Europe. They can afford to be snobbish about it.
Panini, any hot drink with espresso, and local wine [see: Milan - first impressions] - I loved Italy. Those things were the saving graces of down and dirty Milan. Food and drink helped me appreciate the country in spite of starting with one of its hardest cities to love.
Comments