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| View from the courtyard. |
The Topic: Rome's food and wine scene.
The Question: What am I doing here?
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This group gathers on a monthly basis to discuss what's happening in Rome's food/drink scene, their various blogs and projects, and other aspects of Roman culture. Katie Parla is here. Katie is a frequent contributor to the NYT Travel section (see http://www.nytimes.com/ slideshow/2013/01/27/travel/20130127-SURFACING.html;http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/travel/in-rome-a-new-branch-of-eataly.html), and the author of the Parla Food blog (http://www.parlafood.com) as well as a leading app for foodies in Rome. Gillian Longworth McGuire is also here. Gillian is known as "the source." Her blog Gillian's Lists is both informative and entertaining, and her Rome for Expats app is an indispensable resource that I have already used several times to find particular foods and other items.
Throughout the evening, I have the nagging suspicion that they might be onto me. They can tell I'm an impostor, right? I mean, pretending to be a woman is hard enough. But, in that area, I do at least have an idea. Pretending to be a foodie, by contrast, is downright exhausting. Do they know that at least 90% of my "meals" are composed of either (a) 5-minute oatmeal; (b) bell peppers and a nut butter; (c) microwaved broccoli or brussel sprouts, or (d) a home-made smoothie?
Perhaps not. Because I'm now getting tips about where to go in my 'hood to find the best meats, the highest quality cheeses, the freshest fish, the finest breads, and the most delectable pastries. Do they know I haven't cooked a real meal since 2008? Have they seen my fridge? You saw it on Day 2. Well, it's not much better now:
Yes, those are carrots. And peanut butter. And milk. Full stop.
Nevertheless, I think I pull it off. After a Negroni and some wine, I'm holding court on the latest in the SF and NYC restaurant scenes. I throw in LA and DC too for good measure. I concede that I haven't spent much time in Chicago or Philly recently, but report on what I've heard through the grapevine on the new openings there.
It's ultimately an enchanting evening. I learned lots about food and wine in Rome. I learned of some more spots where good cocktails can be had and where mixology reigns. I made a couple of new friends. And I was able to speak English all night.
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The Answer: Just to come full circle, I was here because my Vino Roma friend Hende Leimer was kind enough to invite me to this event even though she could not attend. Hende is on a digital-free vacation to the Canary Islands. Much of the buzz tonight was about the new blog that Hende, Katie Parla, and others just launched: theromedigest.com. It is a well-organized and curated blog of places to eat and drink in Rome. It is broken down into sections on Eat, Drink, Shop, and Learn. Check it out the next time you're in Rome. It's right now one of the two new blogs that are the bruscheta of the town.......
That refrigerator is my dream.
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