I've gone to visit several markets in Rome throughout my time here, but I think I can finally say that Campagna Amica is my favorite one. Located right next to Circo Massimo, it's a market dedicated to local food and enforces a 0 km rule meaning that everything sold there must be produced within the Lazio region, ensuring the upmost freshness and that nothing is imported.

My friends and I stopped by after our exploration of the Monti neighborhood this past weekend and hauled some pretty good finds. After frequenting this market several times, I have always stuck to my usual basics of spinach, prosciutto, and the occasional pork sandwich for lunch, but this time I decided to purchase the items I have sampled every time and yet never actually bought to try again at home. There are several wine stands at Campagna Amica, one of which my friends and I had bought and shared a bottle of sparkling sweet red from a few weeks ago on our expedition to the Aventine orange gardens, which we all decided to repurchase to repeat those adventures in the spring time air.

There is also a wonderful olive stand where they sell red and green olives as well as the best olive oil I've ever had. Unfortunately I don't think I can use it all up by the time I have to pack up and leave, so I  only indulge in olive oil samples when I visit the market, but I did pick up a jar of red olives which have oddly become one of my go-to snacks. I also have been holding out on buying a huge jar of honey for the same reason as the olive oil, but found a little mini jar and couldn't resist. After standing there trying every flavor twice (it's amazing how different millefiori is from acacia and agrumi), I found that acacia honey fits my tasted the best and enjoyed it with some brie on this loaf of bread that I was given for free by the nicest men at the baker's stand when I asked to buy some as they were packing up for the afternoon.

Aside from the amazing selection of goods available at Campagna Amica, what I really enjoy about going there is the fact that all of the vendors interact with me in Italian. They explain flavors and give recommendations, and many continue to feed us samples (like the super awesome jam man who gave us ricotta with pumpkin/rum jam after letting us try raspberry, peach, and strawberry chocolate) long after we've made our purchases. It's one of my favorite places to practice speaking in Italian and makes me feel really good when I've had a great interaction and learned not only a lot about the products local to Lazio, but boosted my confidence in understanding and replying in a new language I'm trying so use as much as possible.

Keeping myself fed during my spring break in France turned out to be quite an interesting culinary adventure filled with lots of cafes and bakery stops, as well as a few home cooked meals. Of course I had to sip some coffee in a few posh cafes, and at one I was served a sticky little Bourdelaise pastry-type snack called canelles. It was oddly chewy and dense, but something that would probably become a craving problem if I had stayed in Bordeaux and had many more. I also felt the extreme need to fill myself with carbs (my favorite!) and so lots of croissants, fresh-based cookies from La Mie Caline (the triple chocolate squares were so big and so yummy), and were typical french "jambon-beurre" (baguettes with cheese and ham) were consumed.

I was treated to some nice hospitality as my friend offered to let me stay with her in her homestay so I wouldn't have to book a ridiculously expensive hotel room, which led to one of the strangest meals I have probably ever had. Her homestay mother loved to cook and whipped up a pot full of fresh onions, carrots, and lentils with herb seasoning, and started to rip off the packaging to what looked like strange sausages. My gut instinct told me I knew what they were, but I'm not at all familiar with french cuisine so I didn't want to freak myself out... But lo and behold I was right on target. We were served blood sausages that night, and they are one of the most... intriguing foods I have ever had. The taste was not bad, and actually went quite well with the lentils, however the texture is what got me. It was soft and smushy but also thinking that it was made out of blood made it just seem ever so slimy and curdled... I'm still not sure what to make of it. I think I psyched myself out too much by reminding myself that it was blood in order to truly enjoy that meal, but hey, I'll chalk it up as a cultural experience.

The two things I absolutely wanted to try while in Bordeaux were its famed Bordaeux wine and a french crepe (or what I later found out is also called galette). The cheap student vineyard tours were booked for the weekend, so instead my friend took me to her favorite wine bar where we tried fruity red wines from a local winery. My palette is definitely not that refined, but I could really taste the jam-like notes in my glass versus the peppery aftertaste in my friend's which were both very different but quite tasty. My favorite meal of the entire trip took place in this kitschy little hole-in-the-wall restaurant we randomly stopped by because of the colorful tables outside. We were a bit sketched out by the broken glass in the sliding door, but found ourselves inside a whimsical little place with lampshades attached to the ceiling, piles of books and toys and typewriters along the walls, old black-and-white portraits and photographs along the sideboards, and an eclectic mix of mismatched vintage tableware that gave the entire place a cozy vibe. I got a traditional galette with ham, cheese, egg, and potato which was super delicious and met all of my expectations, not to mention the banana-coconut crepe we shared for dessert.

While italian cuisine will forever trump french fare in my mind, it was a good break from all of the tomatoes and pasta, and I really see how the same foods can be enjoyed in completely different cultural contexts to shape your interactions with the city and the locals.

Vacation is just as much about trying the local cuisine as it is seeing the sights, as I have learned, since you can learn so much about a culture and a place by the way the food is prepared and presented. Barcelona is a bustling city bursting with vivacious flavors everywhere you go. We got in pretty late on the first night and the TripAdvisor app was giving us vague directions so we stopped by an Apple store to ask which way to go, and the nice assistant gave us some recommendations in the area, so we stopped by a paxti/pinchos place called Txapela right next to the Catalunya metro stop. They have an entire menu of numbered little finger foods, and we got an assortment of bruschetta-type bites including ones with egg and iberico ham, chorizo, and cheese with tomato along with sweet sangria (that always comes by the liter, as we soon found out).

The next memorable meal was our stop by Bo d Be, a sandwich joint recommended to us by many of our friends who had already visited Barcelona. Dare I say this was the best sandwich I've ever had...!? It was filled with freshly cooked, perfectly seasoned beef and a ton of vegetables including lentils and a combination of four different sauces. We also lucked out on dinner that night (as the sandwiches had kept us full for the entire day/night) and went to the tapas bar across the street from our AirBNB that was recommended by the owner of the apartment. We indulged in some patatas bravas, ensalata, and some of the best pork skewers I've had in a while. It makes me drool just thinking about them now...

Snack time was also an adventure, as we found a little churro stand next to the Barceloneta beach on Sunday afternoon. They were frying up batches right before our eyes and cutting up the crispy dough with scissors before stuffing them into a paper cone and dusting it with sugar. The churros were so incredibly delicious, I'm not sure I will ever be able to order one at the Giants stadium ever again. What we have in the states is nothing compared to the heaven that was these churros... Unfortunately, the stands might have been a weekend-only deal since the little strip of pop-up tents disappeared after Sunday afternoon.

We also spent one night treating ourselves to a pan full of fresh seafood paella at Bosque Palermo in the L'Eixampel district after searching the web for the best paella place in Barcelona, and it did not disappoint. The other nights were spent trying various dishes at tapas places, though our nightly staple became patatas bravas which we ordered at every restaurant. I also went out of my comfort zone to try some interesting food at FOC near the Barceloneta beach, which included little plantain crisps with basil-apple chicken which turned out to be one of my favorite dishes from my stay. I loved trying all of these new things and it really opened my eyes up to the wonders of Spanish food. I think I will have to start hosting tapas nights when I get back to California so I can relive the balmy Barcelona nights.

This post is long overdue, but I'm tired of seeing the same photo pop up on the food section of the front page of my blog so here's a little change of scenery and a reminiscent post about our lovely food adventures in Prague. I had no idea what Czech cuisine was before I arrived, but was very pleased to find out that it consists of a lot of potato dumplings, meat, and famous Czech beer (they're very proud of it and convinced that it's better than its German counterpart) and mulled wine. Perfect stick-to-your-stomach food to help us brave the negative degree weather which definitely got to us even though we were all wearing at least two pairs of pants every day... My daily get-up consisted of two pairs of socks with boots, leggings, jeans, two shirts, a sweater, a sweatshirt, and my puffy down jacket all topped off with a scarf, a hat, and gloves. It's no wonder I didn't notice my tummy also adding to the bulk (I'll tell ya -- all those potatoes have to go somewhere!).

Our first dinner experience was probably one of the best, as we were all so tired of travel and just wanted a nice cozy meal. We ended up at a restaurant where we had some of the best potato dumplings (with bacon!) of the trip accompanied by a gang of opera-singing locals at the table behind us. A glorious first experience to start off our stay in a new city! I'm also a big fan of the pickled cabbage that seemed to accompany most meals, as its tart flavors cut through the starchy dumplings and rich meat. Though this was probably my favorite mealtime experience of the trip, my absolute favorite meal had to be the cabbage soup from Lokal. It was a red soup with cabbage and sausage, a side of potato dumplings, and fresh bread. Oh man, the soup was seasoned in such a sophisticated way as it wasn't overwhelming at all (rather light, actually) but still filled with flavor.

We also discovered the wonders of trdlnik which is a specialty pastry of sorts that is rolled out dough wrapped around a metal stick and rotated above burning coals and then coated in sugar and little nut bits. It's best enjoyed hot off the stick and the outside is slightly crunchy but the dough inside literally melts inside your mouth (and not to mention that it should always be paired with mulled wine). Mulled wine became one of our new obsessions since there are stands selling it everywhere and it's just so perfect to sip on while trying to make the most of our time in the freezing cold. I wish we could get it in Rome, but I think it's better enjoyed in the north where the climate is far from mediterranean.

We then continued our trend of frequenting beer halls for dinner and one night I got bacon-wrapped cheese with lettuces which was super tasty and the next night we knew we had to get goulash. The service at the last restaurant we went to was unfortunately awful (they literally left us for two hours after we waited for about an hour for them to come take our order without coming back to check in, take our plates, or bring us the check), but that aside I think I liked the stew of sorts. My friends told me I had to try it in Budapest so I'm excited to taste test during the summer (is it a year-round thing? I hope so).

Overall we didn't really have any misses on the food during our trip, and I am actually very much intrigued by Czech cuisine now. I don't know if I'll be whipping up potato dumplings in my own kitchen anytime soon, but I really liked it a lot and would be more than happy to go back just for the food!

Ah, Munich. The wonderful land of pretzels, sausages, and most importantly, beer. Home to the world-famous Hofbräuhaus where we had our first dinner of sausages, potato salad, and enormous 1L beers, the start to our foodie adventures proved very successful. I also never realized how popular donuts and other pastries were until we ran into several bakeries during our trip and I had some delicious apple twists and cups of coffee that were more than three-sips deep (though paying more than 90 cents for coffee was a little painful since I'm so used to cheap, delicious Italian coffee culture).

The sausage and fried potatoes from a little stand in Viktalienmarkt were some of the best I've had ever, and it really hit me that all I ate in Munich was carbs and sausage when I uploaded that last picture of our quick lunch in Munich between day trips on Tuesday. I also couldn't help but pick up some Haribo gummy bears from their country of origin as a souvenir (though most were consumed on the various train trips through the city), because I decided that trying to haul some more of that Hofbräu brew would prove more difficult than a few bags of candy.

Aside from that unfortunate stop at Burger King we also had a strange little detour to a pho place outside of main city center in Munich because after weeks of nothing but tomato and cheese-flavoring (not that we don't love Italian food!) and scared of overdoing it on the sausage, we were craving some Asian cuisine. The noodles were very thick and weird, but it was a nice change of taste/palate to have some oriental broth and plum sauce with sriracha back in my life.

I would rate the sausage at the market and the beer at Hofbräuhaus as the best of the meals I had in Munich, and now I'm on this weird sausage thing where that's all I want to eat because I ate so many in the span on two and a half days in Germany! I now understand why the meals are so hearty and the beer so delicious in Munich, because after a cold day outside there's no better feeling than to sit inside of a beer garden surrounded by cheery locals and foreigners alike clinking their glasses and toasting to the good stick-to-your-stomach food before heading back out to brave the February freeze.

When in doubt about things to do, places to go, or food to eat, we have an abundance of locals' advice at our disposal in the Study Center. Most importantly, we have our professoressa who not only guides us through reviewing the differences between passato prossimo and imperfetto tenses, but also gives us tidbits and mini-lessons about Italian culture during our daily three-hour Italian practicum course. Some of our best conversations have come from discussions about the neighborhoods in which each of the seven of us in our class reside, and what local landmarks she recommends we see and what experiences she has had in each quartiere of the city.

During a recent visit to my friends' apartment in Prati, we stumbled across a gastronomia that has been brought up several times by our professoressa. We had just recently wrapped up our vocabulary review about food during which she delved into discussing Italian street food she reckoned would please our palates, and every time she began rambling on about gastronomias versus trattorias and the varying prices from tavola calda to ristorantes, the same name kept popping up: Franchi.

Franchi is a small shop on a corner of one of Rome's most prominent shopping streets Via Cola di Rienzo. At night it is lit up with neon lights blaring out the words Rosticceria, Salsamenteria, and Gastronomia under the retro script of the store name, and the windows glow with displays of ham hanging above wheels of cheese and adorable packaged jams. Inside you can see an L-shaped service area, half dedicated to cheese, fresh cuts and deli meats, while the other half is filled with cucina romana artigianale (artisan Roman cuisine). These wonderful prepared dishes include Roman staples such as carciofi alla romana (Roman-style artichokes -- pictured above), zucchini croquettes, smoked salmon, roast beef, homemade lasagna, lentil soup, and my new favorite discovery, supplì di riso (also pictured above).

On my first trip there I decided upon carciofi alla romana and supplì di riso porta via (to go) to see what all of this excitement was about. Carciofi alla romana is a very simple Roman dish that features a whole artichoke, cleaned of its thorns and steamed. It is served with very little seasoning, just a little bit of what seemed to be parsley, salt, pepper, garlic, and olive oil. The simple preparation really showcased the artichoke, and demonstrates what I have learned is a major Italian mind set regarding using fresh, seasonal ingredients and highlighting their natural culinary beauty. The supplì is what really intrigued me about my takeaway meal here, however, because it is something that Katie Parla (here she is again! I really learned a lot from her lecture.) mentioned as one of the most popular Roman street foods. It is basically a fried ball of either rice or nowadays pasta, in this case rice, that can contain different flavors inside. The supplì di riso at Franchi featured a crunchy outer layer of breading filled with a warm filling of rice and tomato sauce (probably flavored with other fancy things), and in the very center is a melted core of mozzarella cheese. It's basically all of my favorite things combined into a convenient little fried package. I cannot put into words how scrumptious and satisfying the supplì is... Let's just say for something I've only tried once I've been craving it more than a normal human should for the past few days. Honestly if I could eat it every day, I would. I'm glad we found Franchi on our adventure out in Prati and I'm sure I will be back again after visits to my friends' apartment nearby.