I’m not sure where to begin with the end of semester reflection. Mostly because it does not feel like it’s already coming to an end. My sister likes to ask me how I feel about the peak of my life coming to an end. Although I hope she’s wrong and life continues to bring adventures as great as this one, she is sort of right. When else will I be able to spend four months in Italy, eating wonderful meals while learning about the food and culture of the country?

This class has shaped my experience, especially my food experience, immensely. I’ve mentioned in a previous blog that food was something I never gave much thought. At home I ate variations of the same foods for every meal and ate quickly between classes or before work. Italy and foodways have given me the opportunity, and challenged me, to slow down and enjoy each meal. I’ve learned to look at each meal as an experience, rather than a task. I have begun to savor each bite and appreciate how it came together. I now think about each step, from the local produce and ingredients, to the chefs using passed down family recipes to the company I enjoyed my elongated meals with.

I also learned that food is much more than just food. This class has taught me so many ideas surrounding this topic, and many stand out as I’m reflecting back on the semester. One being that not only is food an experience and a way to bond people and communities, but it can also be used in more negative contexts. I learned that food can be used to cover hidden racist agendas such as the banning of ethnic restaurants in Lucca. I learned that Italian food isn’t as simple as it sounds and varies greatly throughout the different regions of Italy. I read about the strong ties people have to their food and how it is a part of their identity. On the other hand, we read about the globalization of food and how it’s hard to define what food truly belongs to what country.

I, like most others, have tried to understand the definition of authentic after lengthy discussions about it in this course. Many of the same ideas come to mind such as fresh, local, real, and old. However, now I know that I don’t need to see an old eccentric Italian man in the kitchen to know that the food I am eating is authentically Italian. Someone that doesn’t appear to be Italian but has learned and respects the culture can have just as authentic of cuisine. I’ve learned that the definition of authentic is up to the person using the word.

We also learned the definition of embodied knowledge. Simply reading about the term made it somewhat hard to understand. However when we had the assigned cooking week I started to make sense of it. The recipe called for us to learn a new double boiler method. When mixing the ingredients using this method the recipe told us to stop when it was creamy. None of us knew exactly what consistency this would be, however as we mixed the ingredients we could just tell when it seemed done. Along with helping us understand this definition, the assigned cooking brought my roommates and closer together (both figuratively and literally in our small kitchen). It also made me less afraid to try more seemingly complex recipes.

The information supplied by the course and readings completed my Italian food experience. I have no doubt that without it I would have enjoyed every meal. However, enjoying meals while taking this class gave me a new understanding and appreciation for each meal I was eating. We learned much more than I thought we could about food in this course, and I feel so fortunate to have been able to take it while in one of the best food countries in the world.