Hmm..I have elaborated, slightly, on my trip to Rome/Athens/Mykonos, but I really didn't give any dirt on how the places really are. Well for one, they're real places, like your restroom, as real as that, but with added amenities, such as interesting foods, sights, smells, and sounds. When it comes to how something feels, it's better to leave that to your own senses, as I cannot tell you how it "feels" to be in these places, just how it "is". Well, first off, when in Rome, remember this, almost every place selling food is going to be great, and I do stress almost. When eating Chinese food in Rome, it's best to remember that Chinese food is chinese food, and perhaps in China it might be better, however when you're in Italy, don't expect the best. That said, seeing as though you're in Italy, might as well just go have some Italian food, or some GELATO. There is no simple way of saying how superior Gelato is to the ice creams of America. It's a completely different, yet similar experience, one that is best tried rather than explained. Sure, there are places in the United States and elsewhere that say they can make a good Gelato, but very few, really, I've seen none, can seem to get it right, unless you're really in Italy. There is a place near my home, that sells "homemade" Gelato, and I'm sorry, it tastes worse than a store brand ice cream, just sickening.
Oh, while eating at an Italian resturaunt in Italy, do not be surprised if you do not find them doing everything to United States food safety standards, as they don't have a concept of that. I didn't really care, as you will look around you, and see many older italians, that have been eating there for their entire lives, thus if they can take it and keep plugging along, then it was fine for my taste buds. That said, there is times though, where you will be amazed at where the stuff comes from. Like this one resturaunt I visited not far from the Collosium, that served a great bread along with wine for an appetizer. I wondered where this great bread was made, and imagined a careful baker, taking his time to ensure it was perfectly baked. At one point, I had to use their restroom, and was pointed upstairs, and to the right. Well, before I made that right, I looked to the left, to see my waiter sifting through a big paper sack full of bread, some good, some bad, he put the good pieces into a basket, and threw the others into a waste bin. Then he took the basket downstairs where he placed it, and some wine, on someones table. Needless to say I didn't eat anymore of their bread, and only picked through my entree when it was served, half expecting to find some morsel that wasn't supposed to be there.
A few places in Rome are good at making a pizza. This is another lesson to learn! OK, you may be in Italy, but it doesn't mean you will come across the greatest pizza in the world, I'm sorry, but that honor belongs to Grimaldis pizza of New York, but that's another story for another day. Instead, I will say this, the pizza in Italy focuses on the taste of the crust, not on toppings. You will never find crusts, or breads that are so flavorful, and I mean never, anywhere. Also, when in Rome, visit the McDonalds near the Vatican, as it's probably the farthest from a traditional McDonalds you can visit, as they have so many extra offerings, and great gelato. It might be helpful to also keep this in mind, MEXICAN FOOD in Italy is a joke, as I've had better at Taco Bell. I cannot remember the name of the place, but there was one particular seafood resturaunt that had absolutely no menu. Instead, they brought you a dish, and once you had eaten most of it, they brought on the second dish, which was a different form of seafood. By the fifth dish, I was still hungry, but I couldn't stomach the calamari, thus the parade of dishes ended there, and a small part of me wishes I could've seen the sixth, seventh, and final dish. In my travels, that wasn't the only resturaunt with no menu, but that is another story for another day.
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