Fried Green…Zucchini?

Friday, October 9, 2009

Eagles eat better than owls. Last night, thanks to the fact our IES director is a member of the Palio’s winning contrada, (the civetta) our entire class experienced a victory dinner. Since their gigantic feast in the Piazza del Campo last Saturday night, the contrada has held a variety of smaller, themed dinners throughout the week. Last night, the celebration was dedicated to the women of the contrada, meaning that all of the “most important” men of the clan dressed like women (or more like transvestites). While Italian men struggling in heels, short skirts, and outrageous wigs were highly amusing, the night offered an interesting peek into the conception of women in Italy. While the men were either decked out as drag queens or ladies of the night, the women celebrated their sex by donning ruffled aprons, dust collectors, and rolling pins. The surprisingly “stereotypical” representation of the female sex shocked most of us Americans accustomed to politically correct, NOW-approved depictions of women.

After having overindulged ourselves at the Aquila contrada party several weeks back, my roommates and I were prepared for copious amounts of phenomenal food. And, while the wine (and champagne) flowed freely, the food was a bit bizarre. Fried mozzarella, fried zucchini, fried onions, fried rosemary, and/or fried duck started us off; strangely more reminiscent of a southern cookout than of an Italian neighborhood party. A plate of rice then served as the one non-fried course, followed by French fries and either chicken or rabbit prepared (you guessed it!) by a quick drop in the deep fryer. The dinner ended (around midnight) with a few pieces of fruit swimming in chocolate sauce. It was a nice meal, but nothing compared to the out-of-this-world meats we ravished with the Eagles.

Having consumed so much wine and (comparatively) so little food, many of us were exhausted and queasy when we arrived at the Palazzo Chigi Saracini this morning. The Palazzo is a beautiful musical academy full of ornate furniture and hundreds of pieces of art. The tour was in Italian and last only an hour, giving us all time to come back and at least attempt to nap in this ADD rain/pretty weather we’re enjoying. Once again, our apartment is without internet, leaving me disconnected from the world until the IES center opens on Monday or Vodafone miraculously begins to work again, whichever happens first.