Risotto: Breakfast of Champions!

Anyway-
Martin and I have this habit. He will be looking to buy something (a shirt, a jacket...something fairly basic) and then, while on the way to look at said clothing items, we will end up buying stuff for me. I'm not always sure how it happens, and I mostly appreciate it when it does because Martin has a great eye and awesome sense of accessories, but yesterday, in the leather market I think that the smell of Italian leather went to my head as I ended up with yet another leather jacket! I mean, an awesome leather jacket (Me: Would you buy this? Martin: "Honey, if it were me I'd have already paid and walked out of the store wearing it!") which will truly help sell our fake Italian over the top Monaco look that we are planning, and one that I bargained HEARTILY for and is warmer than my other coat but still. Is it because I'm becoming more Italian that I feel the need to swath myself in yet more mis-matched shades of brown? I mean, if my inner Italian demands more leather goods, I should just roll with it, right? And why am I rambling on like this? Because we are trying to be fiscally responsible and so cooking for ourselves, hence risotto for breakfast!

And while I am on risotto, let me mention that I LOVE RISOTTO. And now Martin, after feebly fighting it, has given in and started cooking different kinds for every meal and it is AWESOME. So far we have had red wine and honey risotto, shrimp and prosecco and melon (!! awesome!) risotto, pear and peccorino, and now there is talk of some sort of sausage risotto (me, hopefully: "with honey?" Martin: "sigh. of course!") and life is awesome! And I even know how to make it! But as Martin said, it really is only on step up from soup and scarily easy. But the best part? We are now getting recipes from our favorite restaurant! We are one step closer to having them teach us to cook!! Our evil plans are slowly coming to fruition. Our code names finally MAKE SENSE!

In other news, we actually ran into people we know (that we met here, not that find me internationally--Pius you rule!) at our local pub, so are starting to feel like we belong. Our bartender even knows our regular schedule (Him: "you guys are late tonight!" Us: "What time is it? We are? Risotto!") and we are taking Italian lessons. We had two last week, and they blew my mind. Normally, in a 101 type of foreign language course, you start with present tense verbs and maybe some vocabulary. Not for us in Italiano it seems. Nope--we got Present, Imperfect, Past Perfect, and Simple Past in HOUR NUMBER 3. I'm not sure which way I'm coming or going, but apparently I'm going to do it in the present or the past. I'm terrified!! We like our teacher however, she was recommended by our landlady and is fun. And, Italian is much more forgiving than French, so there is hope for me maybe?

Finally, besides knowing people, taking lessons, and dressing well (cough, better), we feel that we are totally caught up on one of Italy's major past-times, which is aimless strolling. Our first week here we would walk around at night, and wonder where everyone was going. Why weren't we going there? How should we figure out how to get there? Where was there again? But now, we are in the know--Italians aren't going anywhere! So last night, after dinner at our local pizza joint (taking a break from risotto) we went for a stroll and felt quite Italian. We felt our wandering was properly aimless (well, to a point. I mean, we did head in the direction of gelato because this is me) and we even walked past a church! And a library! Hi Mom and Dad!

So overall--we are slowly becoming more and more Italian. And I know pictures have been requested--Martin and I are working on it, more photos (of us!) to come soon!

The picture I posted above is of another mask in Venice. But I can also get my hair to look like that if it is really humid out....