"Mio Giornale Italiano": VICENZA Day 3: LOCAL SALAMI, CHEESE SHOPS, and GROUP DINNER

[Amongst the Asiago cheeses]

We had a field trip at the cheese shop, wherein we observed how cheese was made. Cheese at the local shop that was family-run was freshly created in the mornings. Asiago cheeses were stored in a huge refrigerated room, and the older the cheese, the tastier it gets!

[Salami-tasting]

When we visited the Salami shop, we met the mayor of the city and Lorenzo, one of the workers and our tour guide. A professional photographer took a group picture of us and the visit (little did we know that we'd have that group picture published in the local Vicenza tabloid!) Inside, there was a huge weighing scale to weigh the massive amounts of meat used for the salami; some of my classmates took that opportunity to weight themselves and see how much gelato and pasta pounds they've earned). During our first stop, it was amazing to witness the teamwork done by each worker, as each salami mix was mainly packaged using a small machine and was passed on through an assembly of workers. The oldest in the group was the owner, who was probably in his 80s but was still actively participating. As the salamis were stored in the animal's stomach, they were placed in specified refrigerators. The older the salami, the more bacteria there was around the bag, and the smaller it got! Odd as it may seem, the bacteria were normally grown to protect the freshness of the salami. We ended the visit with a free salami and cracker tasting.

We had our first group dinner in Vicenza. The whole group dressed up and sat with a professional. Though the rest of the class sat with mainly healthcare professionals, Emme and I were eager to sit with Señora Angela; we all shared stories about our culture and ghosts/superstitions.