Wherefore art thou, vegetables?

We’ve been on the road two weeks and we’ve enjoyed wonderful food in Paris, Corsica, and now Italy. We’ve been trying lots of new things (today: sun dried sardines from Lake Como). But we’ve been sorely missing one thing: vegetables!

At restaurants, the menus have endless pasta dishes, meat and fish plates, cheeses and desserts, but few vegetables. At our last night in Vernazza, we surveyed menus until we found one featuring verdure grigliate (grilled vegetables). But after sitting down to order, we were told: “we’re out of that!” It’s become a running joke that we’re always craving veggies but can’t seem to find them anywhere.

Yesterday, we arrived in Como, where we’re staying in a charming AirBnb…with a kitchen! We found a supermarket with a good produce section (it took a few tries) and have been enjoying cooking dinners together. Yesterday, we made fresh tagliatella bolognese, and salad with marinated shallots, artichokes, and peppers.

Tonight was spinach gnocchi with meatballs, tomato sauce, and steamed broccoli. And our fridge is stocked for tomorrow. I’ve never been so excited about a few veggies!

One reason I love traveling is the frequent reminders not to take common things for granted, to question what possessions you really need to live happily, and to value simple experiences like eating steamed broccoli for the first time in a while.

Today, we took a boat trip around Lake Como and explored Bellagio (the “pearl of Lake Como”).

Tomorrow, we’re planning a day trip to Lugano, Switzerland before heading to the big city (Milano) on Friday. We’ve mostly switched from hotels/hostels to using AirBnb, and we’re enjoying it a lot more. Having an apartment to ourselves feels so much homier. And we can stay in and cook!

-Matt