the big food face off

Italia vs. France: Qui gagne?

As my most loyal readers know, I am a foodie in heaven over here in Europe. I am studying along the Mediterranean, in FRANCE, which is a double combination for food deliciousness. My travel buddies often noticed this week how I couldn't help but describe my meals as "beautiful," which is a natural instinct for me when I "mange" something so perfectly crafted that it should be evaluated on a scale of beauty.

I was fortunate enough to spend a week of my 10 day fall break in Milan and Florence with some of the coolest girls to ever set foot in the American Center, and even more lucky to have 28 hours with my Papa, who flew down to Florence for a short visit after doing business in London town. Not bad, eh?

Here's my full food report for the week:

Hotel Cadour in Milan has an amazing bread basket, and if you ask enough, the refill will keep getting bigger. Prime time for such dining luxuries: 10 pm on a Friday night, so you can watch the elegantly-courteous waiters start laying out the breakfast buffet for the next morning. Yay for 4 star hotels and their luxuries you can't help but love!

Cappucinos: Almost never are they bad, but in Italy they were impeccable. From the first one we had, on our shopping break Saturday in Milan, with a hand-crafted leave design in the foam, to the perfectly-creamy Sunday afternoon capp at the Break Cafe, I was not disappointed. In Aix, I've tried to stick to expressos because it's cheaper and more calorie-friendly, but there's just no way to resist an Italian coffee dream. Note: I did try a real Italian coffee but prefer the flavor of black coffee in the land of Frogs. Between the two countries, all coffee needs can be covered pretty darn well. :)

Pastries, breads, and sweets: I pick France. I was disappointed by the croissants in Italy after eating the flakiest, softest ones in the world for 2 months straight. The gelato in Italy was amazing, but I'd choose nutella crêpes over anything these days.

Dinners: Italy wins. Every meal we ate was a WOW, especially our dinner out with Poppa, where we all had our best meal of our life, without a doubt. It was so special being out with him and my new abroad friends, I literally could write an essay about the whole experience. I will, stay tuned for that soon! That meal & my time with my Pop deserves its own post. But, back to dinners overall, what I've decided is that the food in France will never disappoint, but I have not had the same WOW effect as easily (for a lower price, no less!) as I had in the multiple cities and restaurants in which we dined in Italia.

Not to pull a Switzerland on you, but honestly, I'd say it's a tie for which food country prevails. I like things about each country's cuisine, but am happy as ever to come back to the south of France to have the comfort of tomatoes and unbeatable bread products. Although, I'd be open to going back to confirm my verdict... :)