KD Dinner Parties

February 1,

Class has officially started. Today I went to Wine Appreciation and Food, Culture, and Society of Italy. I though Wine Appreciation was going to be a joke, but it was intimidating as hell. There is so much to know and learn about wine; I had no idea. Thankfully, it is all very interesting to me and I really enjoyed the class. We tasted two different wines and using the five S’s, (see, swirl, sniff, sip, summarize), the class compared and contrasted. Side note, our final exam will be to blend and create our own wine. How cool!? Food, Culture, and Society of Italy was also amazing. We spent the first part of class learning about ancient Roman cooking and how it changed during the Renaissance. Did you know Romans loved sweet and savory flavors together and would often sprinkle sugar on their food instead of salt? I didn’t. The second half of class we made crepes with ricotta cheese and spinach filling. Needless to say, so far, I love my classes.

After class we decided to join forces with some friends here in Kappa Delta and have a dinner party. I made pasta with sautéed spinach in a pesto sauce and tomato brushetta with garlic. Lindsay made yummy chicken with tomato sauce and fresh salad for everyone. The seven of us sat around the dining room table laughing, telling stories, and sharing our excitement about traveling and the next few months here. Our first potluck dinner was a great success.

Sarah’s ten-year-old sister called her on Skype after dinner. When Sarah’s dad popped his head in the screen and asked, “How is school?” she quickly interrupted with “School? She drinks wine and eats food! That’s not school!” She has a point. But, in my defense, I am learning so much in my classes- just not the typical math and science.

Tomorrow, I have a Literature of the Grand Tour of Italy, an Opera, and an Italian class. This should be interesting.