August 31, 2021

June 2021

Life

I officially became homeless on 5/31, when my lease in Berkeley ended. After the apartment was completely emptied, I flew to Seattle to stay with Adeena and friends.

One weekend we went to Vance Creek bridge, an abandoned railway arch bridge about 100 meters tall that you've probably seen before on social media. We hiked for about an hour to get to the other end of the bridge, then crossed the bridge to go back. It was an exhilirating experience – my heart rate was heightened and my palms were sweating profusely – but really it wasn't that dangerous unless you were near the edge. The wooden slats you could see through all the way to the bottom of the valley mostly weren't large enough to fall through, and the boards were generally stable. In fact, I didn't feel any sense of fear until I dropped my lens cap and it fell through. Something switched on in my mind that second; perhaps I began to realize the possibility of a potential fall, and I wanted to get off.

Vance Creek Bridge

I ended up stopping in Atlanta before flying from Newark to Rome due to a misunderstanding in the COVID testing requirement. I had 3 hours and decided to go try a Waffle House, a Southern institution, for the first time. The food beats any fast food chain's breakfast – I'd say in a level above Denny's or IHOP – but it's no gourmet institution. The staff were very friendly, and worked cohesively together like a family. There was a white woman who went in asking for a job while I was there, noting she was on a do not hire list because she called her son something she shouldn't have, and that it was racist of her to do that (I swear I'm not exaggerating). That's when I realized I was really in the south.

I spent the rest of June in Italy, a beautifully disorganized country. In most cities, roads were clearly planned and built before the age of cars or even carriages (in fact, I don't remember seeing a single traffic light in Rome or Naples). The transit timetables were never correct, and the trains were routinely ritardo. Once on the way to Modena the train was delayed by than two hours, such that I had to take a 70 euro taxi in order get to my reservation at Osteria Francescana (more on that later).

I learned about the idea of 'slow living' in Italy, and tried to live up to it. Aperitivo at 6, followed by dinner at 8-9 that often lasted a couple hours. I set aside days with nothing planned just to walk around and understand what it was like to live there. After all, I wasn't the typical tourist who had never been to Italy and wanted to see it all in 7 days. For the first time in a long time, I also had no deadlines or stressers.

Civita di Bagnoregio

That being said, I still did a lot in Italy. There were rarely days I didn't log 20k steps, and it wasn't uncommon to surpass 25k or even 30k. Every city I went to was very different; the buildings are often distinctly from different time periods.

• Rome: Rome is a historic city that constantly reminds you of this fact; elements of the Roman Empire or Republic are common, interspersed between mostly classic buildings from the 17th or 18th century. Chances are you'll end up sightseeing a lot of ancient ruins and using your imagination to imagine what they would've been like in their heyday 2 millenia ago. Rome is also a city with a lot of religious significance, which has kept it ever-relevant. St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican is the most epic and grandiose church I've been to and you really have to be inside to understand the scale of it.
• Civita di Bagnoregio: I took a day trip from Rome to visit this town set atop a mountain that supposedly inspired the movie The Castle in the Sky, and I highly recommend it because it's so unique and picturesque. The town is stuck in the middle ages and slowly dying, only accessible by foot.
• Amalfi Coast: the Amalfi Coast is breathtakingly pretty because of how human and nature interact. The Amalfi drive, the 2-lane coastal highway connecting the coastal towns, was one of the most scenic yet stressful roads I've been on. Paul Klee once described Positano as "the only town in the world conceived on a vertical, rather than a horizontal axis", where stairs were the main way to get around. Terraces carved into the mountains make farming produce like lemons particularly challenging yet insanely tasty. Next time I'm in Italy, I will definitely return to rent a Vespa and drive down the coast.
• Naples: I had a lot of Margherita Pizza in Naples, and that alone made the trip worth it. I stayed in the Spanish quarter, a dense and chaotic neighborhod that you probably would not have believed was in a developed country. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Shanghai's Nongtang, except with higher density and disorganization.
• Eremito: Eremito is where I saw fireflies for the first time, a monastery in the middle of nowhere. It was one of the most unique hotels I've been to, if y ou can even call it a hotel. This is the place you come for a complete detox; rooms are modeled after the cells of medieval monks, phone use is discouraged and there is no wifi/signal, and the main pastimes include yoga or hiking. After the completely silent and vegan dinner complete with monastic chants, I chatted with other guests sitting around the communal fireplace as the sun set, drinking a cup of home-grown herbal apple tea.

View from my monastic cell at Eremito

• Florence: Florence is stuck in a completely different time period as Rome. You come here to learn all about the Renaissance mostly through the history and art. I recommend getting a tour or audioguide for the museums; I would not have been to appreciate the art without it. I also biked around the Tuscan hills, which was another example in Italy of how human and nature interact to create something beautiful.
• Venice: Venice is so saturated with tourists, it feels like there are no locals living there. It's definitely worth seeing once to take a gondola around the canals and walk around the many islands laid out like a maze. I went up San Marco's Campanile, which Berkeley's Campanile was inspired from; a bit ironic since I've never been up Sather tower.
• Modena: I stayed for 5 days in Modena to truly understand what it was like to live in Italy. It was inspired by one of my favorite shows, Master of None, in which the main protagonist moves temporarily to Modena to learn how to make pasta. I didn't have much of a plan in Modena; I shopped at the central market for in-season cherries and tomatoes, went to local homecooking restaurants without looking up reviews beforehand, and browsed the Sunday antique market in the central piazza for random old stuff. I also visited the Ferrari museums and Osteria Francescana, which are main reasons why tourists would visit the city.
• San Marino: I took a day trip from Modena to visit this microstate. It is a beautiful country mainly perched atop a mountain, overlooking the surrounding Italian countryside. There are three notable towers on the edge of the mountain that are probably its only notable attraction, and are even featured on its flag.
• Cinque Terre: the Cinque Terre are 5 scenic coastal towns carved into the mountains connected by winding roads; where have I seen this before? Compared to the Amalfi coast though, the Cinque Terre towns are smaller and more rural while the Amalfi towns are more historic and have always been a vacation hotspot. The strenuous hike between the towns was the highlight of my time there.

Manarola in the Cinque Terre

• Milan: it feels like Milan is the only international city in Italy. There are restaurants serving other cuisines worth visiting, modern architecture like the Bosco Verticale, and plenty of residents who aren't Italian. Aside from the Last Supper and the Duomo, I didn't opt to visit many historical sites. Instead, I finished my Tacos article from Mexico City at the Milan Starbucks Reserve and went to a few well acclaimed restaurants serving modern Italian food.

I'll cherish my time in Italy and don't regret sacrificing other places in Europe to stay in Italy for longer. I see myself coming back every few years.

Bosco Verticale

Food

Oops! I dropped the lemon tart from Osteria Francescana

• Haidilao (Seattle, WA): we felt very exhausted and satisfied after crossing the Vance Creek bridge, so we decided to get Haidilao hotpot for dinner. I was struck with a sudden burst of nostalgia walking into Haidilao; everything is just like how it is in China. Except the prices – here they're more than double.
• Gelato (Italy): I tried out many Gelaterias in Italy, hitting up all the spots recommended on the different guides. But to be honest, most of the time I couldn't really tell the difference between the shops. I guess my ice cream preferences are dominated by the flavor over the quality of cream.
• Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy): this was the best meal I've ever had, and also the most expensive. The dining experience is more than just a tasting menu of 9 dishes; diners learn about the story behind each dish, and they piece together the journey of Chef Massimo. The food is also absolutely phenomenal and insanely creative, while capturing the regional specialities of Emilia Romagna.
• Amalfi lemons (Amalfi, Italy): I went on a lemon farm tour in the Amalfi Coast. These lemons are delicious, so good you could eat the entire rind and pith with the pulp. They're particularly fragrant yet light in acidity.
• 50 Kalo (Naples, Italy): this place has the best pizza dough. It’s almost a contradiction: fluffy yet supple, airy yet with a good chew. Chef Ciro has done his R&D to create this dough; it stands out for its higher hydration concentration and lower protein content.
• Florentine steak (Florence, Italy): in Florence, I really wanted to try Florentine Steak but the smallest T-bone cut was 1kg. So I ate 1 kg of steak. Surprisingly, it wasn't too filling. The steak was delicious despite the simple seasoning; the dry aging really brings out the flavors.
• Pasta, pasta, pasta (Italy): my three favorite pastas were the linguini and shrimp scampi at Veritas in Naples, the lingua di passera con scorfano at Il Buco in Sorrento, and the tortellini at Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Florence (which was surprisingly better than the one at Osteria Francescana).
• Balsamic vinegar (Modena, Italy): the balsamic vinegar of Modena is so sweet and flavorful, I loved to dip bread in it along with a bit of olive oil. However, I learned that locals don't use much Balsamic at all; it's mainly a touristic export.

The first hot meal I've had on an airplane since January 2020

Misc

I'm not proud to admit that I've been ripped off a few times buying water at an airport; I remember paying more than 4 dollars at O'hare once and more than 6 dollars at Oakland for some smart water. I've noticed that many shops straight up don't put the price tags on water, even though they put price tags on everything else. At my layover in Newark, I had some time to investigate this and found a very unethical business practice: here, they had many cooler stations with drinks distributed across the shop, and each had slightly different options (think one station sold evian while another sold voss water). However, the pricing hidden on the side of the cooler would display drinks not in that station.

Everything inside my one bag that I brought across Europe

Traveling during COVID is a double edged sword, but I feel the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. There are way fewer tourists than normal years, which means less waiting and far easier reservations at popular spots: I reserved Osteria Francescana only 2 weeks before, and was able to get same day tickets to the Vatican museums. There were still some tourists though, mostly from European countries.

Toledo station in Naples. The Naples metro also is probably the loudest subway I've been on; it beats BART by a mile. And by mile, I mean like 10 dB.

I saw a Jollibee in Italy. I wonder what the Italians think of Sweet Spaghetti.

How to make pesto with pestle & mortar, from a pesto making class I took in the Cinque Terre:

1. Pluck the basil. Basil oxidizes quickly after being plucked, so place it in an ice bath.
2. Grind garlic and salt. Spread the garlic all across the mortar as an antioxidant, and only a little bit is fine (less than one clove). Add a tad of coarse salt; the cheese and olive oil will add more saltiness.
3. Add basil and pine nuts. Grind on the side of the mortar first like turning a motorcycle gear, then beat top to bottom, and lastly rotate the pestle to grind. Always add more basil if in doubt (fill the mortar initially); it reduces to fairly little.
4. Add Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Use the same grinding procedure as the basil; break the cheese by grinding first, then go up and down.
5. Add olive oil. Add a hearty amount to allow the pesto to reach a saucy viscosity.

Guess where I took this

While chatting over the campfire at Eremito, I learned from a fellow 'monk' that football is a religion in Italy, far more popular than in powerhouses like France or Germany. Parents want their children to become football stars, and everyone follows the national team. I was in Italy when the Euro Cup was going on, and I can attest to it; even proper restaurants would roll out TVs outdoors if the national team was playing.

I hit level 40 on Pokemon Go

Outside of Milan, food in Italy is particularly Italian; there aren't restaurants serving cuisines other than Italian worth going to. This is especially stark compared to the US or Germany, but even in France or the Czech Republic there were plenty of authentic and fantastic cuisines from other parts of the world. This also doesn't just apply to food; socially and culturally Italy is more homogenous than its neighbors.

Proof that Uber jacks prices when your phone is low battery (SeaTac to downtown Seattle)

Something I've been listening to: Mille by Fedez, Achille Lauro, and Orietta Berti. This song will evoke Nostalgia for my time in Italy.

In the Milan metro, I saw a guy wearing a Berkeley shirt and instinctively exclaimed "Go Bears!". He was confused and didn't know much English; turns out he had no idea what he was wearing and that he bought this shirt just because it looked cool.