The past few weeks and my personal gelato challenge

Ciao! Life here in Torino is kind of a blur, but it's been so fun! I've been getting to know my classmates better and they're all lovely. It was our friend Liang's birthday last week, so we all had dinner together. The hosts were so nice and made so much food! I tried Chinese hot pot for the first time. Happy birthday Liang!

Have I mentioned that I eat a lot of gelato? Because I do. Our "ten minute" breaks at school usually turn into 30 minutes so that everyone can go have a coffee. I have gelato. Gelato shops are on pretty much every corner here... so how can I resist? So my challenge to myself is to try every flavor I possibly can while I'm here. If I'm going to eat it, I might as well be creative.

Some of us went out for dinner the other night. so yummy! I had gnocchi made from semolina (they're usually potato). These breadsticks are called grissini and are typical in this part of Italy.

I also got a visit from the lovely and talented Alan Delamora and Jenny Choi. It was so cool to see familiar faces in Torino! We only had one evening together, so we went for aperitivo at Lobelix (I highly recommend it to my friends here). thanks for hanging out with me, guys!

The other night we had a Cultural Potluck at school, where everyone brought a dish from their country. Pam and I butchered macaroni and cheese so we turned it into "noodle casserole" with tomato sauce. Sorry, Italy. I also made chili which turned out decent. It was really cool tasting food from different places, and everyone cooked so well! YUM. Thanks to all the chefs!

Tomorrow my mom flies into Venice. I'm so excited to see her and spend time in another part of Italy. Plus I get to see Sanaz and Natalie! Can't imagine a better way to spend the weekend.

xo,
R