Winery Visit

The vineyard visit was short, but a lot of fun. It was interesting to see the vines and learn about how the grapes are picked. I felt like we didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked to in the actual winery. We simply stood by one of the machines, which separated the grapes from their stems, and heard about how the wine was made, but we didn't get a chance to actually walk around the facility and at least see the machines the owner was referring to. However, I did enjoy seeing where the wine was kept in barrels and learning more about the process of storing the wine. It was also a lot of fun to create our own blend, but I was honestly expecting to see a lot more than we did. I enjoyed the lunch and the wine tasting, especially the 2004 merlot. It just seems that we could have used the time we had to see more of the actual facilities.

Television Station Visit

The visit to the television studio was a very interesting experience. I have never attended the filming of a television show before other than a local program as a child. I found it interesting firstly that the television studio seemed to be located in the middle of nowhere. Television studios in the U.S. are more commonly found in higher populated areas. Secondly, the show definitely lacked some of the flair of American food television. Discussions were longer and the focus of the program seemed to be less on the food and more on the people themselves because although food was the topic everyone talked about on the show, it simply wasn't highlighted as much on screen as it is in American food television. Additional contrasts from American food competition programs could be seen in the fact that retakes were only made when absolutely necessary, the competitors themselves were by no means professionals, and the final editing of the program differed greatly. In the U.S., competitors are often interviewed after the competition and their interviews placed over the actual competition footage during final editing. This was not done for the Italian program, and the combination of this and the lack of background music during the show made the program seem too quiet and boring at times. However, it was interesting to see the actual filming process for the show. It was a good experience.

Pranzo Di Ferragosto Review

The film, Pranzo Di Ferragosto, used food in a variety of ways to relate the characters to one another. It was clear from the beginning of the film that Gianni and his mother related to one another through food. This was especially seen in the scene in which Gianni's mother refused to come to the family table for dinner, and instead wished to eat with her son in her room. Afterwards, she sought to apologize for ignoring her guests by inviting them to watch television and have tea with her. Food also serves as a way of defining the characters themselves. One of the characters, Grazia, had a very strict diet and wasn't able to share in the meal Gianni and Maria had prepared earlier. This somewhat divided her early on from the other women, who had already begun to get to know each other before Grazia arrived. The other woman staying with Gianni that weekend, the mother of Alfonso, refused to eat at all and instead left the house that night to eat on her own. This showed her independence from the other women. Lastly, the final meal all the characters shared with one another worked to bring them all together. After the turmoil of the day before, Gianni was finally able to sit with everyone and enjoy the meal he prepared. All the women became so close to one another that they paid Gianni to allow them to stay longer. The film also did a lot to show the strong relationship between Gianni and his mother. Gianni clearly cared dearly for his mother and did not want to leave her to care for herself. This is in sharp contrast to Alfonso, who begs Gianni to take his mother for the holiday so he could spend it with another woman. The two characters seemed to portray the different mother-son relationships that exist in Italian society, but on a larger scale, the film seemed to be so successful because of it's universal relatability to people of all societies, who were able to relate to the mother-son relationships found in the film. Pranzo Di Ferragosto was a very interesting film.

Stefania Barzini

Stefania Barzini is an incredible woman.  She has written a wide variety of books revealing the connection between food and italian culture.  She has also made many films on the subject.  However, what I found most revealing about her presentation was how her family attempted to assimilate when they came to America.  I found her story regarding her son and his friends particularly interesting.  She described a scene in which she invited her son's new friends to dinner and they seemed confused and astounded by the traditional italian dinner she was accustomed to.  However, they quickly fell in love with her cooking and missed it dearly whenever her family would return to Italy for the summer.  What I also found interesting was how she described the changes she found in italian meals when she arrived in the United States.  She mentioned how eggplant parmesan was transformed into veal parmesan because the price of meat in the United States was much cheaper than that of vegetables to the poor italian community.  Her stories offered us a unique perspective of an italian in America that we would not have otherwise been able to see.  It was a fantastic experience to be able to meet her.

Italian Commercial: Pubblicità Completa Parmigiano Reggiano

This series of commercials appeals to me for a variety of reasons.  The commercials clearly make the most out of a small budget. but they seem to use the low budget look to enhance the commercial and make it more appealing through humor.  Although I don't understand what the characters in the commercial are singing, it is clear that the tone of the commercials is lighthearted and fun, and those adjectives are then applied to the product in the viewer's mind.  I also enjoyed the use of the shredded parmigiano reggiano as snow in the last commercial.  It gave a fitting holiday feel to the commercial while utilizing the product.  These commercials are vaguely reminiscent of the Fruit of the Loom commericals in the United States, which have been met with a good level of success because of their appeal to humor to sell something that would otherwise be unremarkable; namely, underwear.  These commercials use the same idea and apply it to parmigiano reggiano.  The cheese is very popular in Italy and may be seen by the average Italian as something unremarkable, but these commercials change the viewer's perception and make the cheese something interesting and fun.  Although this particular commerical is slightly is more emotionally engaging than some others, I have included a Fruit of the Loom commercial below for your comparison.

First Italian Food Experience

My first food experience in Rome was in Campo de Fiori the night I arrived.  My roommates and I shared the house wine and ate.  While both my roommates ordered the carbonara, I opted for a chicken dish I hadn't experienced before.  I do not remember the name of the dish, and frankly, I wasn't quite sure what I was ordering at the time.  I simply hoped that my first Italian culinary experience would not be a disappointment.  However, once the dish came, my worries ceased as the aroma of the freshly prepared chicken enveloped my senses.  The presentation itself was simple, as I would soon learn is common throughout many restuarants in Rome, but it had a certain unassuming elegance to it.  The breast, thigh, and leg of the chicken were simply laid across the plate, inviting me to begin eating.  The chicken appeared to be roasted slowly with various Italian herbs and spices and when consumed, fell apart delicately in my mouth.  The flavors melded with one another, each taste complimenting the last perfectly and leaving a hint of lemon on the palate between bites.  It was a wonderful dish.  I hope to experience many more like it while in Rome.