Comments on: Pasta, Pasta Everywhere

By: umbriadude

umbriadude — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:17:19 +0000

At 65 Euros a head it looks extremely overpriced. She also lives right on the Umbria border (and not really that near to us) and I am referring to restaurant meals. Our food is good because my wife chooses it personally or I order it online and I cook it.

My post is about a) the limited choice on a restuarant menu and b) the way that the chefs abuse the basic ingredients which, themselves, are perfectly OK.

We have been here 5 years and tried a number of restaurants in the area – every single one only offers the same menu (give or take the odd difference in sweets).

By: Leaming

Leaming — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:43:34 +0000

Dude, I looked at Judithgr’s website and her food looked good to me. Made me a bit hungry and wishing she could be my private Chef! I do love Italian food. Though French is my favorite.

By: umbriadude

umbriadude — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:25:06 +0000

Well, judithgr, I don’t know where you are in Umbria but there ain’t anything like ‘Cantucci in vinsanto’ where we are. I’ve lived here for nearly 5 years now and we have lived on either side of Foligno and I can tell you categorically that there are no choices in any restaurant we’ve visited. Obviously you live in a more cosmopolitan pocket – perhaps Perugia. You don’t say and I’d be interested to hear.

I admit my Italian is terrible – that’s one of the things I’ll be covering on this blog. I can’t take it very seriously as a language because of all the set phrases – it’s almost scripted. My wife fortunately is a linguist so I don’t need to worry about my poor Italian.

You sound like one of those ex-pats for whom everything is perfect – ‘La Dolce Vita’ is alive and well. You see them outside Pizza parlours jumping up and down crying, “Pizza for me, please!” We pretend we’re German or something and try to avoid them.

By: judithgr

judithgr — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:12:12 +0000

I cannot imagine where you have been eating but I recommend you stop it. I live in Umbria and I don’t eat anything like what you describe– or at least if I ever did I never returned.
AntipastO means before the meal which is pasto. Maybe when you speak more Italian you can find more interesting things to eat. Italians generally don’t eat a sweet after a meal, so the choices can be quite dire. I thought the most frequent offering was cantucci in vinsanto.

By: umbriadude

umbriadude — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:47:46 +0000

Rome is two hours down the autostrada. It is a dismal place to drive around (Naples is worse, granted).

You are quite correct, the food there is much more cosmopolitan and there is choice. Where we are, they boast about the lack of options – it is a point of honour.

Within a 20-mile radius of us, there are two chinese restaurants (one is impossible for me to get to, even with a disabled badge) and the other serves chinese food Italian style. There is one McDonalds and no Indian or other Asian restauarant.

There are two simple solutions to the Umbrian food dilemma.

1. Our kitchen.
2. Expat grocery delivery service.

Umbria is very attractive – it’s the green heart of Italy – and the air quality is superb. The people are generally very friendly – it’s just the food! Avoid anywhere which says “Prodotti Tipici” on the door.

Our dogs dogs don’t bite unless you are a strawberry or a tomato.

By: Leaming

Leaming — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:27:49 +0000

haha. How are you going to survive there?! Perhaps go to Rome and have a nice caprese salad. I did have some great food there as well as in Cinque Terra. Perhaps its just Umbria? I am not sure if we will head out there. I usually say hi to the local dogs but not if they’re going to attack me… (referring to dogs and fruit)