pouring my heart out over parmigiana
a relatable food & music reflection. Plus, a playlist to skip or sob in the rain to. :)
Yeah, living the raw deal
three-course meal;
Spaghetti, fettuccine, and veal
- P.Diddy
written during a one-woman lunch at Bottega Tirso in Quartiere Salario, Roma.
Why I love going to the same restaurants is not just to support businesses I adore and are steadfastly consistent, but to also see how I enjoy the same place through different phases of my life.
Sitting enjoying the same plate of che ne so amatriciana or parmigiana di melanzane and going: “Wow I am quite different than I was sitting here x number of months or years ago.”
It’s like a playlist for me. I can go back and listen to a playlist or scroll down through one, looking at certain songs saved during a certain period of time, and just be in this introspective awe of change… of the beauty and pain of it all.
My long relationship with visiting Italy (and now living here) is like that. I feel like I watch myself evolve through these little experiences, with each plate of food being a catalyst, a vehicle to understanding something about another place, person, and/or yourself.
Music and food are so similar in that way. They transport you with a single rhyme or flavor. Sometimes harmonious, sometimes not. Yet, always a little reminder that you are very much alive in this very moment. Doesn’t matter your mood.
These are just thoughts I wanted to share, especially now that I am living in Rome - a place where I created and continue to create many memories.
Here are a few photos of now and then, some in places where I love to eat and, well, just love most.
La Tavernaccia Da Bruno - a two-top in 2022 to three in 2023
Little Me in Mercato Testaccio in 2017
Now big me porchetta partying there in 2023…
Two meals da sola at Bottega del Tirso
February ‘23, prior to the battle of the flu & usual SAD symptoms
July ‘23 - a sunny parmigiana for a brighter lunchin’ lady
Finally, a nod to Hamlet: from 2016 to 2023 (at Galleria Nazionale)
2016 when the ‘Time is Out of Joint’ exhibit debuted
2023 - the exhibit is still going, with a new Hamlet quote on the steps!
Thanks for enjoying this little interlude folks. For your patience, here’s my surprise September / Fall playlist meant for skipping down the street in the sun or sobbing in the rain. To each their own!