Mia- Dinner in Rome Blog

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Traveling through Italy the past couple of weeks has helped me understand food in a completely different way. Visiting a lemon grove, touring a winery, and making pasta were all separate experiences, but together they showed how deeply food is connected to culture, history, and place. These moments tied closely to our reading, which explains how meals represent layers of history, trade and tradition. Seeing these ideas play out in real life made the reading feel much more meaningful. Food brings together stories from many places and times. Recently, sitting down for dinner I think about how the ingredients travel, traditions evolve, and how meals connect people across cultures. 

Visiting the lemon grove helped me see how something as simple as a lemon carries regional identity and history. At the winery, learning about the common process as well as the regional markers in the wine was fascinating. Making pasta, something that may seem ordinary and simple was turned into a Grandma’s kitchen experience. It was meaningful, built on skill, tradition, and passion. 

Together, these experiences taught me that food is more than what ends up on the plate. Each visit stood on its own, but all of them reflected the same theme: food is a way to understand history, culture, and community. Being in Italy allows me to experience these ideas firsthand, turning concepts from our readings into lasting memories.