Blog #1
June 2025
Bland Bread, First night in Perugia
I'll be doing a small blog for my food writing class while I'm studying abroad in Perugia.
The first thing you notice about being here is that the bread they serve is very bland and bare. Although occasionally soft and naturally made, it is lacking the raw flavor and spice that can elevate any bread from tasteless to truly delicious. Notably, missing butter and salt which seem to be absent from the table.
As an American who is accustomed to such a normalcy, this was really a surprise on the first day in Perugia, and the first meal I ever had within the country of Italy.
So know when you come here, at least in this specific town, you ain't here for the bread.
Almost every restaurant has this issue, which can really bring down the meals if you aren't careful. On the first night, it lowered my expectations of romanticized, perfect Italian food.
But what culture is perfect? Every place has its own bland bread in some form.
The good thing about starting at a low point is that there is nowhere else to go but up. At least that's the hope anyway…
It should be noted that I've heard this is a specific cultural norm only around the province of Perugia specifically. So if you are a bread lover, there are certainly places out there that will cater to your oat filled desires.
And even in Perugia, I've also found a substitute bread, similar to a tortilla, called a “Piadina”, which tastes crisp, toasty, and delicious to replace every sandwich meal here that may suffer from subpar bread. Essentially it's just a toasted tortilla to cover all your bread needs.
A lot of locations serve both, so make sure to request it to improve your meals if you ever travel here yourself.
Or if you are fine with bland bread, you won't be disappointed by what you find here. As for me, I'll be sticking to getting Piadina while I'm here, and maybe skipping the complimentary bread for the most part. After all, why fill up on something subpar when I can instead fill up on all the other amazing food I order?
Blog #2
June 2025
The Comfort of Italian McDonalds
While on my trip to Perugia, I could not help myself from trying at least once the local McDonalds of a foreign country.
Partially out of a sense of curiosity but also possibly even more prominently a desire to have a taste of something that would be comforting in familiarity while stuck in a new area.
Although food of a new culture is exciting, it can slowly become exhausting and nauseating to continue to consume foreign foods that can vary in quality and taste. Every night of dinner becomes a gamble for what you’ll be eating, which can end in disaster, splendor or most likely a sense of mediocrity that doesn’t fulfill the romanticized expectations of what you expected.
As such, I felt the need to seek something I know would safely satisfy my appetite. Using the italian delivery service, Glovo, I ordered a standard nugget meal and Oreo Mcflurry from the nearest McDonalds in the area. And though I had to wait around an hour, it was worth it.
The freshness yet familiarity of taste was comforting and divine as I ate fresh savory nuggets and salted delicious oily fries. A meal that not only satisfied me but was better than what I had expected. I cannot tell if it was due to an increase in quality or merely the comfort of home but either way, I fully cleaned out my delicious meal with a pleased and intoxicated grin.
The only negative thing I can note was that the portion sizes are smaller than an American meal, with the nuggets meal coming with only six instead of ten pieces. Perhaps this shows that Americans truly are gluttonous or perhaps it is merely a cultural difference in what is expected or consumed for a full sized meal. Either way, I still felt full and satisfied despite this.
Even then, the price was arguably cheaper than in the US, so it isn’t paying more for less, but simply a difference in what you can expect to receive for a single paid meal.
Although it may sound silly, I can certainly recommend at least trying the local McDonalds if ever visiting a local country, either out of curiosity or to reconnect with the comfort of home.
Blog #3
June 2025
Gelato, The Actual Best Food in Italy
There is a romanticization with foreign food culture in America. Many movies are filled with romantic movies that either glorify the foods of other cultures as more classy/exquisite.
And as an American, I can tell you it's mostly wrong. There are many foods that are just better or the same, or indeed perhaps other cultural foods have already been Americanized to a level of quality that surpasses the cultural expectations that you may have romanticized in your mind. As such, while there are some enjoyable foods in Italy, it’s not far superior.
However, there is one major exception to this, and that is the ice cream. Gelato is simply better ice cream within Italy. At least to me. In my experience even some ice cream chains in America feel rather flat or have mediocre freezer burn flavor. And the ones that are maybe a little better, such as ColdStone or other expensive brands, cost a good amount for even a single scoop.
In Italy, it’s pretty much just always good. Every store has good ice cream to enjoy, with a variety of flavors at multiple locations. Some American flavors such as cotton candy or bubblegum are sadly missing at most locations, especially non-tourist areas, but even then they still have a favorite of natural or savory satisfying pungent flavors to select from. My favorite by fair is cherry and oreo, as the chocolate cream compliments the fruity berry taste quite well.
Beyond that, as mentioned prior, good ice cream in America can be expensive. However, here in Italy, nearly everything at most locations is relatively affordable for a satisfying serving of consistent and delicious quality. But even beyond that, the true secret to Italian Gelato is that even store bought it tastes the same as parlor shop locations, with an even cheaper price. Compared to American ice cream that often has gross freezer burn or mediocre taste, Gelato has the same taste for a cheaper price, which is why I think it's the best food in Italy. It's cheap, it's delicious, it's sweet and comes in a variety of flavors, easy to find anywhere…
With all of that, it is no wonder why I’ve fallen in love with Italian Gelato.
Blog #4
June 2025
Best Food in Perugia
This blog will be all about the best foods to have in Perugia. This does not count food from Rome or Florence (which is honestly normally better due to the increase in tourist friendly locations with English translated menus and dishes).
Poke Bowl: Not even really from Italy, but still makes the list. Cheap, easy, and convenient food to pick up practically most days of the week. Mix and match whatever variety of vegetables you like with a choice of meat, sauce, and delicately delectable rice. My favorite variety is chicken (pollo), corn (mais), mayonnaise (maionese), spicy sauce, crunchy onion (cipolla) edamame (soy beans), and avocado. This blend creates a crunchy and savory chicken dish with a nice spice kick that is both fresh and flavorful. Would highly recommend getting at Genki Sushi, which is located just a few minutes away from the center of Piazza IV Novembre.
American Breakfast (Pinturicchio Cafe): This charming establishment serves a variety of “American” breakfast dishes that are both flavorful and filling. A tad more expensive than Poke but well worth the quality. The juices are freshly squeezed and authentically produced, the coffee is excellently crafted, and the food is just as delectably crafted. By far my favorite is the French toast, ham, and cheese, which is both the right amount of buttery, savory, and sweet. One of the best places I’ve ever had breakfast, it does it even better than America does.
La Pasteria di Perugia: By far the best pasta I’ve had in Perugia. Had a creamy and rich white sauce beef lasagna that was both filling and satisfying. Which is crazy for me to recommend considering that I am not even really a fan of white sauce. It is also the one location that I preferred my addition of a more bitter alcoholic drink at, as the liquor actually paired well with the food. I got a Negroni, which complimented the lasagna well, as the creamy and savory taste helped to quell the potent yet satisfying bitter-sweet gin. This was the one location that truly satisfied my foreign romanticization with Italian cuisine, and is well worth the upscale price.
Blog #5
June 2025
Unique Delicacies of Perugia
While in Perugia, I expanded my food palette to enjoy some of the following things. I would recommend to try them if given then chance.
Pecorino Cheese: A sweet and savory bitter-sweet cheese that is uniquely flavorful. It is a cheese that is made of sheep's milk, having a unique aroma and slightly thicker texture. I would highly recommend pairing it with wine or meat, as it makes a good pairing snack with them. It is freshly produced around Perugia and appears to be an authentic delicious snack. It was always one of my favorite components of wine tastings.
Coffee: Believe it or not, I had never really touched coffee before this trip. As I had always thought about its bitter taste and the fear of getting addicted to caffeine. But with the help of peer pressure and enjoying Italian cafés in the morning, I finally tried it. And I have to say that it was surprisingly bearable, especially after being combined with some sugar. The frothy foam of the cappuccino was certainly my favorite. The comfort of the calm local Italian cafes certainly helped me ease into it, making me feel more relaxed and social than normal. Though I don't majorly love coffee now, at least I understand it.
Torta-Al-Testo: At first I didn't like the bread in Perugia, until I found this delicious alternative. Basically to explain it in American terms, it is a thicker and more crunchy almost more bread version of a tortilla that can be used to replace standard sandwich bread or buns. It is crunchy, lightly salted, and just the perfect amount of toasted charred. If I had this in the states, I would certainly enjoy this as an alternative to standard breading as it would offer a more crunchy option on occasion. If anything, it's crunch is better than some toasted bread, as it isn't as brittle.
A nice restaurant that had two of these combined was Barley Perugia, which had a unique sausage burger with onion, pecorino cheese, and a torta-al-testo hamburger bun. This combination was excellently delicious, as the melted bitter-sweet and savory cheese added a unique pairing with the sausage hamburger patty and onion. I am glad I knew to order it, as I knew both what the cheese and breading was after living in Italy for a while. I was finally proud of myself to know how to order a meal with delicious local ingredients.
Pigeon is also great, a more rich and gritty chicken taste.
Blog #6
Final Thoughts of Perugia/Italy
(And Perugian/Italian Food)
Before I came to Italy, I was immensely romanticized with the thought of Italian food, even more so than the prospect of travelling to Italy for any other reason. After all, I had been conditioned by the media to consider Italian food to be a high class delicacy and generally superior to the foods that we have within America. I also had assumed that Italian food would taste even more amazing within the actual country that it has originated from in the first place.
After visiting myself, I now understand that this romanticization was mostly a fantasy created from media stereotypes and exaggeration. While there is certainly good food to be had in Italy, if your expectations are overly immensely high from these grand expectations, you will feel a certain sense of disappointment in realizing that the foods are still a reality and not a dream. This goes for nearly everything in Italian culture as a whole, as you stop thinking about it as a perfect idealization and come to realize it's as human/flawed as your normal home.
This isn’t to say that there isn't good and unique food in Italy, especially if you are under 21 in the US and have never experienced wine or alcohol. It is just that you will come to appreciate your own home/food more after realizing that these idealized fantasies of superior foreign food culture aren’t true. You come to realize how much you love your home food traditions.
I will miss Italian food, the cheeses, the wine, the meat, the torta-al-testo, and especially the gelato, but I am glad to just be visiting, as I’ve realized how much I love the foods of my local state, and am ready to return back to it. Italian food culture will also have a special place in my heart for how it has taught me about new foods that I will enjoy for years to come. But even more so for the social bonds that I enjoyed at the dinner table with all my fellow classmates that travelled with me. The best part of Italian food really was the friends made along the way.
(I need New Mexico Green Chile, nothing is as spicy in Italy!)
