Errands and a great lunch

I love this type of tomato.  They are so sweet tasting.  They were a bit pricy since they are grown in southern Italy in Sicily and it's not quite 'tomato harvesting season' here yet.   However, I wanted to make my caprese salad with my fresh mozzarella cheese that I had bought last week at the grocery store. 

I left my house early today and ran some errands and when I finished I was actually in the neighborhood of the school.  I do need to work at school this weekend- however, I also wanted to get back to my little town and stop at the bakery before they ran out of bread and closed.  I didn't get to go there last weekend and I only made it there one day during spring break.   So, I opted to go to my house instead of going to work.  *That will be tomorrow's plan.   On Saturdays, there is this very small market, taking up the space of a parking lot, selling a variety of things: clothing, food, fresh fish, veggies, and other odds and ends.  I had never stopped there because I was always on my way somewhere else and then they'd be closed when I came back through the same area on my way home.

When I got to the bakery in my little town; they only had ONE piece of bread with the fresh olives baked in it left.  I grabbed it and a couple other whole wheat pieces.  They do make/sell white breads but, I personally like whole grain breads better.  See the salad that I made?  Pretty, huh?   Fresh slices of mozzarella cheese (this is a big hunk of soft cheese stored in a salty like brine water-- it is NOT, I repeat: NOT like mozzarella cheese sold in the states!  This is not the same stuff that is sold in slices or shredded.), the tomatoes from the today's market, fresh basil leaves from the plant that I bought last week, and just a little salt and fresh ground black pepper sprinkled on.   The final touch?  It is all drizzled with dark green olive oil (I found this olive oil, from the first pressing of the olives,  at a local festival celebrating the harvest of the olive trees a few weeks after my arrival last November.) and sweet aged balsamic vinegar.   

 I also had some of the fresh cooked shrimp, like the local Wednesday Fish Man sells.  Someone at the market was selling fresh 'uncooked' fish and they had a few cooked fish items that you could buy.

I must also confess that after I arrived home and unpacked everything- that I didn't even notice the time; but, I started taking photos and cutting the tomatoes all up/etc.  The next thing I knew, I had taken the photos and I had lunch ready to eat.   So, I ate it and it was so good.  The bread you see is necessary to dip of the left-over olive oil mixed with the balsamic vinegar.  Not just because I think it tastes amazing.

It wasn't until I had finished eating my meal that I realized it was only 10:30am!   Oh well, I'm calling it BRUNCH.

I also splurged and bought myself some yellow tulips. 

A good start of the day, I'd say.  

Spring Break Day 1... about the time that I went on an outing, and had lunch that did a 'gal's heart GOOD... and I mean... real.... GOOD!!!!

Yesterday, when I went to the market... I had noticed 'what' looked like a very easy to get to little shopping area and I decided to go back today.  I found a very large grocery store, that was open, and a few other shops that were closed today.   Many stores do close on Mondays... and I took a chance that they 'might' not be closed.    I found enough interesting places there that I'll go back tomorrow morning when the shops are open.   This area is less than 3 miles from my house- but, in a different direction than I've traveled so far. On the way, to this little shopping area, out of the corner of my eye... I had noticed a Trattoria on the side of the road- so, I thought that 'if' it was open... that I'd stop at it on my way home for lunch.   After all, it is spring break, and something fun like having lunch out would be pretty special- because, my lunch usually takes 15 minutes 'eating at my desk' and then I start grading papers and doing other 'teacher-y' stuff. See nothing fancy and the family usually lives upstairs. A trattoria is usually a small family owned place to eat with home-made food.  This is the reason that I wanted to stop. Right on the highway on my way home.   The last line says:  Closed on Wednesdays.  I forgot to check to see if they were open at night too. Freshly grated cheese.  The full menu is listed above.  The bread was home-made, soft, and fresh.  Very good.  I also ordered plain natural water (no gas). I got the Fettuccine with asparagus.  The pasta was homemade and delicious!  The daily menu usually consists of whatever what cooked that day.  No other options are available.  I was able to select one item from each of the 3 groups. While I was eating... I did notice more people arriving behind me... chairs being pulled out, waitresses walking around delivering the different courses.   I found the food amazing and since this place was only about 2 miles from my house-- I had already decided that I would certainly go to this place again in the future. Before I left, I went to the bathroom and this is when I realized that I had been sitting in a room FULL OF ONLY MEN!!!     MEN having lunch during the workday.   Yes, there I was sitting in a room with over 50 men and I was the only female.   I did notice that I was getting a few glances from the two tables closest to me... but, of course... now, that I'm getting a 'little older'... I just assume that they are looking at me because ... I was talking in English to the waitress, or maybe it was because I was taking photos of my food???   However, when I went to the bathroom.  I did also notice that when I had pulled my small 'ID/Money' wallet on a long strap 'over' my head... I had caused my hair to be all skewed and standing up in all different directions... which isn't easy to do with really straight hair.    No, it might have been because I was the only female in the place. Either that, or I was sitting there (early upon arrival only) taking photos of my food, with my hair sticking straight up... in a 'doesn't she know how horrible her hair looks' kind of way... not in any sort of 'this is the way the cool kids' are wearing their hair nowadays way.    I quickly snapped a photo of the room (way more men than this are actually in the room too) as I was departing the bathroom at the back of the room. No matter what... this is truly the first time that I have ever had a meal with THAT MANY PEOPLE in a room... and I was the ONLY FEMALE!!!    I guess it's like they say in the states... 'if' you can find a place to have lunch where all the everyday workers are eating.. it's a pretty good place to eat and cheap too. Good food, good company... even if I didn't know anyone.   ha ha