The first time I came to Europe, I was not yet a vegetarian, so upon my return, I really was not sure what to expect in terms of eating here. Of course, I knew beforehand that meat is not the main ingredient in a lot of Italian dishes, if it is included at all, but I was wondering what it would be like eating in Italy long-term.
La colazione (breakfast) - 08:30
From what I have encountered, a lot of Italians’ breakfasts are very similar to dessert in that they mainly consist of cakes, croissants and cookies. If I am running late to class I will grab a packaged croissant from the cabinet to eat on my walk, and then buy a cappuccino after my first class. If I manage to wake up on time, I like to sit down, drink a hot tea or caffe d’orzo, and slowly enjoy the aforementioned croissant, a piece of nutella toast or a piece of cake. Breakfast is the most relaxed of the Italian meals as everyone is taking their time waking up and preparing for the day.
Il pranzo (lunch) - 13:00
Lunch is a little more difficult to manage as a vegetarian but still not severely limiting. Lunch in Italy is probably exactly how you imagine it: pasta, pizza and paninis. With my program, we are able to choose between eating at the nearby restaurant or bar. Almost everyday I eat at the restaurant where we are given about three different options, usually pasta, gnocchi or soup: some days, all three options are vegetarian, and other days there is merely one. My favorite dishes so far have been the pasta con pesto di noci (walnut pesto), pici all’aglione (a really thick spaghetti with a garlic tomato sauce), and gnocchi ai 4 formaggi (gnocchi with four cheeses).
If I eat at the bar I usually order a sandwich with tomato, mozzarella and pesto on focaccia, which is amazing and surprisingly filling. But other than a sandwich or a mini pizza with these same ingredients, the only vegetarian option is a salad, which is not my favorite thing to eat to say the least. Whether we eat at the bar or the restaurant, an espresso is included which makes for a nice pick me up so I can make it through the rest of my classes.
I only usually eat pizza when I go out for lunch, but there are always so many vegetarian choices. Boring cheese pizza is not even an option in most pizza places here, instead there are pizzas with zucchini and eggplant or tomatoes, and you can never go wrong with a lovely margherita pizza.
La cena (dinner) - 20:30
Just about every night I eat dinner with my host family. And no that was not a typo, we actually eat dinner at 8:30 p.m., an Italian habit in which I am still adjusting to. I was luckily (or probably, intentionally) put with a family that does not frequently eat meat. The first course always consists of either pasta or soup, or an interesting combination of the two. One of my favorite dishes that my host mom makes is broccoli pasta, which is so much better than it’s simple name makes it sound.
The second course usually consists of vegetables and bread, which of course are staples in most culture’s meals, but the way my host mom cooks simple things like peas or green beans would have made pre-vegetarian, picky-eater Makenna look forward to eating her veggies. I also definitely get my daily dose of protein here as there is always some form of bean included in our meal, whether it be in a form of pasta or as the second course cooked beautifully with garlic. After dinner, if there is still room in my stomach, I will eat a piece of fruit or maybe a piece of cake if my host mom is preparing one (If I’m too full to eat it after dinner, it becomes breakfast).
Overall though, I think I have found it much easier being a vegetarian in Italy versus the United States, but this could also be because a sweet Italian woman is in charge of feeding me and not Aramark. I have only had a few annoying encounters in restaurants where the menu does not say that it includes meat but actually does. It can be a bit frustrating just because I’m used to most American menus having a bunch of symbols next to every dish, but there is usually someone that is nice enough to trade me dishes or the waiter is nice enough to switch it out entirely. Nonetheless, I know I have three months left in this beautiful country, but I can already feel myself missing the food upon my return home.