July 22nd- Anders

Florence, Firenze; a focus of Western culture 5 Centuries ago, now standing in remembrance, museums and tourist priced shops dominate this once pinnacle of human existence. Maybe I am mistaken in my observance of life here but a memory seems to drive an economy.


On a tuesday (now a wednesday) Shelby and I walked 4km out of the tourist town, waling past Ponte Vecchio (click here to see it), walking past two more bridges we are now off the map that has led our adventures for the past week. Prada shops no more, gellatarios dissapear, museums are not to be found, we walk by a compound, fenced in, barred off, decorated with red flags positioned like sentries, and a sign is posted with a hammer and sickle symbol, i can read only one word: Communisto, we walk past a "Blockbuster," an antique shop (if i were to buy real Florentine goods I would buy them here); quiet city apartment laden blocks, wider streets, faster cars, blazing bikers and finally after 45 minutes after our departure, our destination: an Italian Vegetarian restaurant.


There is no english menu, there are only Italian patrons (like the vegetarian jewish restaurant we visited the night before), no pizza is served, the prices are 7-18 euros a meal, just like most pizza/pasta shops except this food is cared for, prepared more lovingly, carefully, we have to wait for our waitress to decide on a dish, to translate the menu. One woman spoke enough of our language to help us (i am humbly grateful)- seitan with mushrooms, veggie skewed role baked and on rice- yes and yes, oh, and some wine; blanco, dry.


The restaurant is cared for, delicately decorated with old fashion magazines from the 50s and 60s hand pasted om the walls, collagé.


This is not a tourist restaurant, this is just a restaurant, in Italia, for Italians, for lovers. for foodies, unlike any others during our distant travels.


The food elates our mood, "i feel drunk" Shelby says afterwards. I ate with my eyes closed, we talked occasionally, sparingly, mainly about the taste, the sauce, the tender seitan, the salad dressong, sautéed mushrooms on a spongy wheat germ past (seitan, click here for what is seitan), perfection, zuchinni, aubergine (eggplant) and greens on oiled rice, sweetly nice.


We smile at each other between bites, while chewing, renewing our lust for wondrous foodie stuff, at the end it is not enough, tomorrow we dine here again.