Sunday morning was a bit of a sleep in day, which was nice considering it was raining for quite a while before I even awoke. It was supposed to rain all day, but that was not going to stop me from heading down the mountain to Scalo to hit up the grocery store. It is funny, I had never been to this particular supermarket the entire time that I lived down there, but it was on my radar because I really wanted peanut butter, and heard that they may be the ones to have it. You see, peanut butter is not common here, most people just reach for the Nutella instead. But I have been a craving some, and no place up top the mountain has it. So off Frankie and I went to find some tasty finds. We were also both wanting to eat junk food the entire day, so that was another reason to head down.
Once we hit the ground in Scalo, the rain was coming down pretty hard, but we prevailed and walked the 3 blocks to the CO-OP. I can not convey to enough how much I LOVE THE GROCERY STORE. For some of my readers who know me all too well, I have been known to hit up 3 grocerys and a Costco all on the same day. I just love it!!! I love an ‘international’ store even more. If it is the local Rancho Liborio in Denver or the CO-OP in Oriveto or the Pegna in Florence, all of these stores have the best finds. Local produce, cured meats, fresh meats, the best butchers, unusual house goods; just items that you never knew you needed until you stumble upon them.
We were on a mission for junk food and pb. We ended up buying items for Banana Ginger Cupcakes, Mexican night family meal food, and of course junk food. We found really unripe avocados for family meal, and snagged them, even for $1.40 Euro each. Yikes! But what did I expect, they came from South America. We bought some hotdogs and a hunk of pancetta for some BLT’s later. Sliced cheeses and more veggies for Mexican night. Some fairly ripened bananas for cupcakes. Then we hit the butcher and cheese area. The smells, the people, the dialogue, all make this adventure worth it. A whole rack of Prosciutto? Have I died and gone to Heaven? Just a little, I decided. We also found this gelatti, that is in liquid form in the dry goods isle. Basically, you shake it up and then put it in the freezer and voila! Gelati! This was a much better alternative to buying frozen items that would be melty by the time we hit home. We found the ‘international isle’ in the store. I shouldn’t call it a whole isle, it was a small section of a shelving unit. It housed some kidney beans, a few taco sauces and salsas, rice, soy sauce, and wasabi paste. That was it, so we snagged some bottles of taco sauce for our fiesta. Piadina wrappers for tortilla shells, tortilla chips, sale y pepe pringles, and the best item; Ginger Ale. Yup, a 4 pack of Scwepps Ginger Ale, which I promptly drank 2 of when we got home.
The trip was not ideal for my pocket book, but for my mental state, exactly what I needed on a rainy day. Alas, no peanut butter, but I did find decent hair dye, so I guess I can stand the trade off. My roots are begging for attention! We made it home with only 2 more quick stops, the guy who sells candy and nuts was on the top of the mountain, we scored delicious candied ginger for use in the cakes. Then, unexpectedly, and the first time since I have been here, the only other gelati store on the mountain was open. What a treat, she had different flavors from the other group and she was cheaper. Frankie bought me the chocolate and cinnamon flavor, oh my was it tasty! We went the next day, not open. I need to keep an eye on this place so much better, long live La Musa Gelati!
The mountain top was less rainy, but as soon as we hit the house it started to pour. Franchesco and I had hotdogs and played numerous games of Boston, I think we were pretty even through the games, but I prevailed in the end. I took a little nap and then we all had decided that dinner was eminent. Katie, Frankie, and I started to make the blt’s. Yummy!!! The pancetta made for a great thick bacon, melty ementaler cheese, fresh lettuce and tomato, and a little Hellmans Mayonaise for good measure. Yum!
I wrapped up the evening by chatting with both my mom via skype and Melaine via magicjack. A few more travel plans were hashed out and I got to catch up with some of my favorite ladies. I can hardly wait for them to join me in this lovely land, hopefully the rain will clear up by then. :)
I think you all should grab a little snack you wouldn’t normally allow yourself to enjoy, and relish in every single bite!!! You deserve it.
Ciao!
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