Becoming Roman: The best food in Italy, where to find it

...I actually read a post on an expatriate site where a person said she found Italian food boring and not really very good. She accused Italians of having "food arrogance" whatever that means.

I'm still processing that post internally. I had to read deeper to find that she's not here entirely by choice. She's an American who married an Italian man and moved here to be with him, doesn't work, hasn't bothered to learn Italian, made no friends and is just disenchanted with all things Italian. Poor thing. I guess she misses her malls and big-box stores and fast food.

I figured that she's, as we say in the software game, an edge case. Statistically so low in percentage of valuation that her opinion doesn't even register when looking for trends. But she did get me thinking about Italian cuisine and why I adore it so much.

I'm a cook. Not a chef. Just a cook and a good one. What I see when I look around is an almost endless variety of combinations of fresh, wholesome, oftimes elegant food choices. Enough for a lifetime of exploration. Whether one is in the far southern heel of the boot, Puglia, the lights of Rome, or the far north. There is just no place in the world like it,

Anywhere you go you can find endless variations on pasta; arrabiatta, amatriciana, ragu alla Bolognese, seafood, clams, octopus, fettuccine with lemon and cream/cheese, cannelloni, tortellini ravioli, RISOTTO*! Then one turns one's eyes and nose to look at soups, and porchetta, and beans, glorious beans. And of course bread and dolci. Of course, you can also find a McDonald's, or a curry house, even a good old fashioned American hamburger, fries and a beer in the Trastevere. I know, I walked by one just two nights ago. And to be honest, being a native Californian, I AM craving a taco, somewhat.

*My risotto is world famous - within the walls of my own house. long simmered arborio rice in home made pork broth, creamy yet chewy, artichoke hearts, mint and fennel and lots of garlic in large chunks so it has more sweetness than bite.

I'm always hungry (pun intended) to learn more and one of the highlights of next month's trip to Bologna will be a Ragu & brodo, tortellini and ravioli making class on my birthday.

But wait, I digress...

So, I thinks to myself, how could anyone say Italian food is boring? It just doesn't register, I'll just say categorically that she is wrong wrong wrong. Lei e' sbagliata, ne discuteremo mai più.

But what about food arrogance. Is that a reality? Do Italians think their food is better than it really is and turn their nose up at other cuisines? In my limited experience, I have not seen this. I HAVE seen that every ristorante takes extraordinary pride in the quality and presentation. This does require more research though. A conversation with some of my new friends at Bar Gianicolo is in order, I think.

And here's the thing that has just floored me from day one. On this trip, after a nearly 30 hour Hell travel day(s) of delays, missed flights, re-connections, more delays, etc... We arrived in Milano, bone-tired, disoriented, discouraged and ravenously hungry. Too tired to walk or think, we just went to the Osteria next door to our Airbnb. Simply because it was there and open and it was literally less than 10 steps from our front door. A small 5 or 6 table old school (with the antipasti displayed in an open tray to temp your tastebuds the moment you walk in the door) Osteria with one waiter and the owner running the whole shop, with an open kitchen where I could see the hardworking cooks. We were served a meal that ranked in the top 5 of any meal I've had in my life. Anywhere. Really. An amazing bean soup, fried zucchini blossoms with mozzarella, and Cod prepared three ways - all perfectly. And of course limoncello afterward gratis. They just brought the bottle and left it. All my troubles and pains of travel floated away.

Osteria Murales

Mi adore Milano.

But the thing is, as much as this stood out as a distinctively amazing meal, every dinner or lunch we've had hit these standards of quality, pride, friendliness of owner chefs who want to share their passion for food. And it's not like I'm some Anthony Bourdain type of famous food writer recognized and schmoozed in hopes of a good review to draw in the tourists. I'm just some random guy who walks through the door, obviously an Americano by my non-moda clothes and from the minute I open my mouth, albeit one who makes the effort to blend, to pass myself off as part of the scenery.

So I kid you not, every place we walk into, whether planned from a reference guide, or just one we stumble into because dangit, siamo tante fame, and we jump at the first place that beckons. Every single place, without exaggeration, has surpassed or been the equal of that first night in Milan.

Conclusion: If indeed Italians are arrogant about food - which I've yet to see, but I think if that after my conversation with some of the folks at our local cafe bar about it and the signs point even slightly to yes, well okay, they damn well deserve a little arrogance slack.

And this is exactly why I believe Italian cuisine to be the world's finest. Not just for the Michelin 3 star white jacket restaurants, which I can't afford anyway - and likely Paris is equally the match of if not better - but that every place you chance upon in every village and city will be of such high quality that you'll feel like you've died and have entered food heaven at every turn of a cobblestoned street

Oh yeah, I did have one place that slightly overcooked my suppli, but it was still so good and full of stretchy, twangy mozzarella that it brought tears to my eyes.

The following gallery is composed of some of the food I've devoured on this trip. By no means comprehensive as often by the time I think to take a photo it's too late and it's all gone.

Case in point: Anticha Arche, a ristorante 50 steps from our house which by chance IS a 3-star restaurant and considered one of the best in Rome - We went on a Tuesday night in the rain (just because it was close) and were one of three customers and had a meal to rival any Chez Panisse celebration back in Berkeley.

Of particular note was the dolce which was so complex (5 different elements of flavors - strawberries, and cream and pistachios and orange and lime) that they brought me a pre-dolce/dolce to keep me occupied while they created it. Dio mio!!