Two nights with the Tonno Chef, or how I didn't realize how bad the camp food was until I got to Italy

Ciao! I write to you all from the train station in Bologna, waiting for the train to take me to Santa Reparata, the farm I am WWOOFing with for three weeks.

My last glimpse at France

After a brief stopover in Paris and a visit with my host family the van den Broeks-I used to call them my former host family, but in all honesty they'll always be my family :)- I boarded a 6:30am train which proceeded to zip through misty French countryside, towering Alps (my first glimpse!), and sunny Italian farmland before arriving in Milan. I then took a regional train from Milan to Bologna, where I had my next adventure: my first time Couchsurfing.

The last time I was planning a trip to Europe, I was too scared to Couchsurf, but I have since realized that it’s one of the easiest and most economical ways to get to know a city, its people, and its food.

Francesco!

The past day and a half has been one of the best experiences of my trip so far, and it’s all thanks to my Couchsurfing host, Francesco. He grew up in Bologna, and is a great ambassador for the city. Francesco was more than generous in sharing meals and cooking techniques, himself being a food blogger (you can find him here- he said he would be more accommodating towards English speakers in his later posts). He also gave me a guided tour of the city center, took me to a balsamic vinegar museum, and to multiple Gelaterias (!!!). I still can’t get over how fortunate I am to have met him. Instead of trying to detail my entire stay, I want to focus mostly on the food. (Francesco was also a staunch advocate of documenting every meal and its preparation, so I have plenty of pictures.

Wednesday night, we ate strozzapreti pasta with clams (vongole) in a simple sauce of garlic, parsley and olive oil. We also had grilled mackerel and vegetables. After two months of camp food, this was a much needed meal.

After dinner, we went into the center for gelato at Cremeria Funivia- where I had the BEST ice cream I have ever tasted. It literally brought tears to my eyes, as some desserts are wont to do. It was Marscapone gelato with chocolate hazelnut sauce at the bottom of the cone. I was already crying, but when I stirred up the sauce with the remainder of my ice cream I almost died on the steps of the Università di Bologna.

The next day for lunch we cooked ricotta tortellini with butter and salvia, an herb that I'm definitely growing when I get back to the states. Later we went to a balsamic vinegar museum in Spilamberto, and afterwards I had my second gelato of the trip, with-you guessed it-balsamic vinegar.

That night Francesco made ragu, a sauce of carrots, celery, onions, ground meat, and tomato sauce, and together we made tagliatelle. So delicious.

For secondi we coated salvia and zucchini blossoms in egg and breadcrumbs and deep-fried them in pork fat. Take that, state fair.

For dessert, we had even more gelato- I told the server I trusted her on 

what to get, and she gave me a cone with chocolate, cream, and ciocosoffio, a flavor similar to Kinder chocolate with rice puffs. I was about to die.

I know not every couchsurfing host will be as friendly and generous as Francesco was, but the past two days were a great introduction to my first time in Italy, and it makes me excited to start working on this farm and learning more about Emilia-Romagnan food. I think I'm really going to like it here.