Not to rub it in the face of all you lovely folk back in Texas (where it's been over 100 degrees 23 out of the 28 days so far this month), but it's another lovely 80 degree day here in Florence. Husbear's out, trying to check in with Study Abroad and possibly, if he's lucky, pick up his cell phone, and I sit here at home trying to craft a post out of a set of disjointed pictures from the last couple of days.
Yesterday, we went to Apicius for information on the permesso di soggiorno, bought like seventeen kilos of leeks at the Mercato Centrale, and then ate felafel. Going to any small felafel or schwarma stand anywhere in Europe reminds me of when we were backpacking though the continent after college, when an average day in an expensive country (read France) meant that we could afford to either 1) picnic on yogurt, fruit, and a loaf of bread, 2) eat Chinese food, or 3) eat schwarma or felafel. Of course, there were days when we were able to swing a full meal, especially in Italy or Spain, but for the most part we ate a lot of cheese and felafel.
Also, I had my first proposal of marriage ina felafel restaurant in Amsterdam. I don't think it had anything to do with my sexy looks; in fact, I'm all but certain it had to do with my American passport. ("A business relationship," he repeated.)
I would say that these particular offerings were mid-range, gaining points both through judicious application of several tasty and well-spiced sauces as well as the inclusion of French fries (what! yay!), but losing points due to a significant lack of salt as well as underfrying of the felafel patty.
The place had a mirror wall. Time for a self-portrait!
You can see our camera from here! (BTW, that was a really, really good investment. That little camera goes just about everywhere with us.)
Then, we walked past the duomo
(yup, hasn't gotten old yet) towards Paperback Exchange. Husbear really, really wanted a replacement Silver Spoon (due to weight restrictions, he didn't bring his home copy with), and I very much needed to buy some books to read that weren't Italian guidebooks. Though their prices are a little high, they have a great selection of books that I've been wanting to read for years but haven't really gotten around to. Perhaps without TV in English I will have a chance to better the ol' mind a little?
Ahem... we also went by Lush, because I was out of face cleanser and Husbear wanted to try their Gin Tonic solid shampoo. (It's been discontinued in the United States, where it was called Jumping Juniper.)
Hey, our book choices make us look semi-literate! (I hid the Mary Higgins Clark and Dan Brown. Ha.) Dave Eggers and Bocaccio were my choices (I thought Bocaccio would be a good tackle while we're living here) while Husbear went for John Kennedy Toole and a Tom Robbins, along with the Silver Spoon we originally walked in there to get.
While I was spending hours setting up and lighting that beautiful shot, Husbear was toiling away in the kitchen, melting leeks, making crepes, slicing taleggio, and toasting hazelnuts.
He put together this lovely salad, filling the crepes with melted leeks and taleggio and serving them on a bed of frisee and arugula with an apricot/hazelnut vinaigrette. Yum!
After dinner, we left our house to go on a walk, which was greatly shortened after the realization that we were getting rained on. Oh well.
This morning, the tasty tasty obsession with combinations of polenta cakes and poached eggs continued with:
Polenta cakes on a bed of arugula tossed with a red wine vinaigrette, topped with a poached egg and sauced with a leek bechamel.
If I ran, after looking at all that food it would be about time for me to go on a run. Since I don't, it's time for an aperitivo and then a final push to get this place in tip-top shape prior to Husbear's school orientation which begins on Thursday.
Ooh ooh! Breaking news: Husbear has arrived with his phone, so we do now have that and will try to be good about keeping it charged and on.
It for now... until we do something else worth blogging.
girlie
