Food, Art and Fashion Abroad: Pt. 1

I am currently on Study Abroad in Rome with both Drexel, and other students, of all majors. Even though the program is not major specific, Italy is an obvious fashion giant that suits Design and Merchandising perfectly.

            Rome, and all of Italy for that matter, is arguably known for three main subjects: Food, Art and Fashion. This works out well for me, as these are three of the subjects that I focus the majority of my studies and life on. Since this is the case, I think there are no better topics to focus my blog posts on for these upcoming 10 weeks. Aside from Italy, I will be traveling to other areas of Europe, the Caribbean, and America, so it will hopefully be interesting to compare Food, Art and Fashion across continents.

            For my first post, I’d like to focus on my favorite meal from the last week and a half that I’ve spent in Italy. This past weekend, the group and myself took a brief trip to Florence. In fashion, Florence is known as the holy land of leather goods, however I was much more impressed by what they were able to do with the meat of their prized cattle. The cut known as the Bistecca alla Fiorintina, is most relatable to a Texas T-Bone steak. However, the astounding thicknesses of the meat even made a carnivore like me feel challenged. 

            Many places in Florence serve the bistecca, but my restaurant of choice was Perseus. Like most places that serve steak in Florence, they only offer it cooked “rare”, most comparable to our medium-rare. This is due to the fact that pieces of meat that size will toughen if you attempt to cook it through any more thorough. In doing so, a wonderful sear is achieved on the outside while maintaining a juicy center. Some people might like to enjoy the majesty of this meat on its own, however I like ordering the full spread. I ended up deciding on caprese, spring salad, spinach, zucchini flower pasta, fried vegetables and house wine for the table. They also brought out some complimentary focacchia bread and a fresh vegetable arrangement. Once the steak arrived, I was in heaven. Many of the others tapped out after a couple of the large pieces, but I was determined to clear every last piece, including chewing the bones. To other patrons I might have looked primitive, however in all honesty it was sadly the first meal I thoroughly enjoyed in Italy. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I decided to return the night after with Emily for round two. I can only hope to enjoy another meal as much as I did Perseus during my upcoming weeks in Italy. If I do, I can promise this blog will be the first to know.