Bolonga: Spaghetti Gluttonesa

Dish of the Day: Antipasto, Rigatoni with Eggplant in a Tomato Parmesan Sauce
Wine: 2008 MorAle
Gelato: Hazelnut & Chocolate (together tasted like Nutella)

Do you ever wonder why God made ‘gluttony’ one of the 7 Deadly Sins? According to the World Health Organization, there are over 1 Billion over-weight people in the world. That statistic suggests that there are a large amount of people in need of some serious repentance.

In a time where terms such as Trans Fat and Cholesterol had no meaning, not because English was not yet a spoken language but because people didn't have luxury of choosing what they ate, why did God give a spot one the Top 7 spots to something as seemly harmless as culinary self-indulgence? Unless you were rich or royalty, my guess is that you probably didn’t get the opportunity to be a glutton from shepherding or carpentry. So why then put it on the same level of severity as sloth, wrath, and envy?

I ask this question because here in Italy I have become quite a proficient glutton. If gluttony is in fact a sin, them I'm bound for damnation and I don’t feel particularly guilty about this. On the contrary, I find myself walking through my day in almost a drunken state of sensory paradise. On a steady diet of caffeinated cappuccino’s and starch infused pasta, I have become a slave to Italian Cuisine! Take today for an example. Armed with a book and my camera, here is what my day consisted of. Breakfast: Cappuccino and a Croissant, followed by a leisurely walk through my winding streets and cobblestone pathways. Lunch: Another Cappuccino, Gelato, and a glass of sparkling water, followed by more walking and a little bit of shopping. Supper: A buffet of Antipasto Appetizers, followed by the most amazing homemade pasta that has ever had the privilege of entering my mouth, washed down with a bottle of local Red Wine, and cheese with honey. Proceeded by a dessert buffet that was brought to our table consisting of chocolate cake, apple cake, amareto and chocolate cherry bake, marscapone cheese, almond biscotti, and more, I had my 3rd espresso of the day and walked away in a blissful euphoria.

There was a moment today where I thought, if life was a musical I would be singing right now. Walking in a sundress along a hidden ally lined with window boxes and greenery, I felt the beauty of the moment around me so deeply that I actually did a little slide to the right and started singing, until rudely interrupted by a scooter who competed for volume. Yes I sense the atmosphere all around me. “I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my bones” sings some old British Pop star...he must have been in Italy when he wrote this.

Today I took the pressure off of myself to fit in and embraced the inner tourist within. Ironically, i had 3 separate people come up and ask me questions in Italian because they thought I was a local. Perhaps it was all a scam to make me feel special, as they were all male, but none the less I considered my quest for local acceptance completed! The best line out of all, was this one, and don’t worry Kendall, I sent him packing, he said “You look so good I thought you must be Italian!” He did then follow that with a sales pitch to purchase some sort of a light-up cow on a key chain which I gave him 2 Euros just to go away.

So God, forgive me for I know what I do, but cannot seem to muster up enough self-control to contain my desire for Mama Mia's Spicy Meat-a-balls-ah. Especially now since I've achieved Bolognian status, I am expected to eat like an Italian...it's the people pleaser in me; I hate to disappoint;)