52 New Things: Week 6: Eataly
Even as she entered Eataly via the cafe entrance, she found herself being swept in along with a group of people were also intent on entering the Italian mega food store. Once inside, she moved slowly passed the barista counter serving customers hot and steamy beverages until she found herself in the confections area of chocolates, nougats, jams, honeys, and pastries. She looked over the pastry counter and was delighted by the sweet descriptions of the panna cotta, torts, and cakes. She wanted to try them all but at the price they were selling it for, she had to be selective.
Cannoli are her favorite Italian pastry. She loves the crunchy tube shell that is filled with a creamy sweetened mixture of ricotta cheese and dotted with either chocolate chips or candied fruit. There were two being offered, one with candied orange peel and the other with bits of chocolate. She also took home a layered lemon and fruit tort and a baba limoncello.
She then moved into an area that she realized was the dining area. People were standing and enjoying boards of cured meats and wine. She felt a bit awkward being caught in the middle of the space where people were casually eating while she was passing through. She eventually crossed into another area where there was pasta and other food products on display and for sale.
One of the many foods Jeannie enjoys from Italy are the various shaped pastas. And not the kind of pastas that are found in the local supermarkets but the ones that are thicker and have a pale yellow-cream like color and with a light dusting of flour. She liked eating this quality of pasta. There's more chew than the common pasta.
She slowly went up and down the short aisles admiring the pastas but eventually realized she was seeing the same shapes by different brands. She was disappointed there was not more variety of shapes and even color!
Jeannie then saw a beer area and made a beeline to the section. Again, she noticed there wasn't a great variety of Italian beers. In fact, she was put off they were selling American craft beers in an Italian food market. She looked over the Italian beer selections and was baffled at the prices per bottle especially after reading luke-warm reviews for beers that seemed interesting.
She then went next door to Eataly wine shop. Though the shop was small, she was overwhelmed by the selection. Then again, she knows almost next to nothing about wine other than what she likes to drink. There were wines that interested her like the Barbaresco, which she was not familiar with. One thing she was surprised that was not sold in the wine store was amaretto. The shop sold other types of Italian liqueurs like sambuca, grappa, and dessert wines but not amaretto?
In general, Jeannie enjoyed walking through Eataly, and looking at the various Italian products. While she walked throughout the space and especially through the dining area, she couldn't help but feel as though she was in an Italian piazza but enclosed. She found the amount of people and general chatter overwhelming though manageable. She had no desire to dine at any of the eateries at Eataly. After today's visit, Jeannie would not rush to return.





