Hungry for Knowledge

There's always something new to be learnt. Everyday and everywhere.

Funnily enough a lot of the things that I've learnt as I continue to stumble through this bizarre jungle gym of a life, seem to have come not from my expensive education but from pure and simple experience. Cioè, quite simply from living it (surprise surprise).

Today, I learnt that the part of the human brain that controls our appetite and regulates how hungry or satiated we feel is called the appestat. How did I learn this?

By going to Appestat of course (and googling it whilst waiting for my saucisson sandwich).

It's a great little café-cum-pantry tucked away on Islington High Street, within skipping distance from Angel station, new to the 'hood at just 10 weeks old. I had originally planned to haul my laptop, and my arse, to The Coffee Works Project (which I still have yet to try) just a couple of doors down, but the low-key cosiness of Appestat prevailed and before I knew it I was inside.

They've got the simplicity of the decor spot on - not wannabe-rustic nor try-hard hipster; a small pantry-shop section at the entrance with cheeses chilling and cured meats resting and further along a nice lounging area for sitting with a cup of tea or coffee, alone or with a pal, as you like. Plain, clean, simple and functional furniture, friendly staff and no offensively loud music. Indeed, the perfect place to work your appestat.

The discovery of this haven was not my only lucky encounter of the day. I also bumped into an acquaintance precisely as I was being drawn in to this very café. In the end I had the added bonus of new friendly company with my cup of coffee.

I realise my opening remarks may have set a false tone to this post; it may have seemed, initially, as though I had something profound to say about the things that we learn in life. 

Alas, I don't. 

All I can say from my own jumbled efforts to reach the end of each day as unscathed as possible, is that no matter how hard I try to design and shape and select what I learn, what ends up sticking will often come either in an uncontrollable avalanche of events, at times emotionally shattering, or as little trinkets of knowledge and happenings that are swept up along the way and leave individual marks on me and the way I see things. What is more, no matter how hard I try to learn from my mistakes or avoid getting myself in certain situations, from time to time, I will always manage to wind up in those very situations. To put it more poetically, the poo on the road will always somehow find its way Conti the sole of your shoe when you least expect it (as, indeed, it did with me today. Literally.)

Maybe all one can really do, in that case, is learn to deal with it better when it happens. 

Today I discovered that I had the developed the ability to laugh and shrug things off
-albeit after some justified swearing-
and that this little trick is probably a big factor, if not the key, to happiness in my humble existence.

That and remembering to continue being curious, inquisitive and explorative.

Toodaloo

P.s. Do pick up after your dogs though folks. Spread the word.

Just when you think you've heard it all

I've mentioned before that Bologna is a small city which can at times be stiflingly so, especially coming from London.
But there is something much more delightful and pleasing about stumbling upon a new, unbeknownst trinket in a city the size of Bologna, that simply isn't experienced in the same way in a metropolis as large as London.

When it comes to London, I am fully in the know that I haven't even scraped the surface of the city; there are whole zones that I have never visited and many a main streets that I don't even know exists. Bear in mind, this is after two years of living in the very heart of it. The countless alleyways, various nooks and innumerable crannies mean that when you do stumble upon something new, it is a sort of unanticipated expectation; pleasant all the same but more a matter of what and when you will discover something, on any given expedition, than if you will or won't. You could stay in London your whole life and still have plenty of places waiting to be discovered, tucked away in the crease of a map or hiding behind a double decker bus. In comparison, Bologna comes across as much more conquerable, almost to the point of being boring; it is easy to forget that despite its modest size it is just as venous in its network of vicoli and backstreets.

So, when, with the guidance of your local friends, you veer into a sliver of the city that you have never explored, it is like uncovering a gem that you've been sitting on all along. Spending more time with my Bolognese friends has, unsurprisingly, led to a couple of new discoveries - little venues off the beaten track of Bolo, happily minding their own business, happily hidden, yet also happy to be found.

I present to you:

Bar Senza Nome

Literally meaning "Bar No Name" this cosy little venue serves nibbles and drinks and plays good music. It's quietly propped on one of the many alleyways of Bologna, just at the rear end of the Mercato delle Erbe. So what makes it so unique? Well, it was first described to me as il "Bar dei Sordi" which translates to "the Bar of the Deaf", as it is a bar run by a small group of deaf and mute people. Naturally, ordering your drink comes to involve a lot of hand-gesturing (even for Italian standards), exaggerated mouthing of words and a fair amount of lip-reading - because the staff are almost all deaf.

It's a simple bar that harbours a range of customers, from non-deaf to deaf and mute people, all flocking here for the same purpose: a drink and a chat in a relaxed space. It invites a mix of young customers silently conversing away with their hands, intermittently pausing for a sip of their drink, as well as older men gesturing to each other over mouthfuls of mortadella panini (unforeseen pro of sign language: you can talk with your mouth full without revealing the contents of it). The bartenders here are friendly, the appending toilet signs are handwritten and playfully drawn with pictures explaining the correct sign language for "WC" and the place tinkles with noise, chatter and music just like any other bar. Regardless of whether you can hear any of it or not, it is a welcoming space and enjoyable to everyone. For Bologna-dwellers out there that don't know of this place, this one I will leave for you to seek out. So keep your eyes peeled, or whatever functioning senses you have at your disposal (I, for one, am as blind as a bat), and go for a wander around the vicoli and vie behind the market... you might just manage to sniff it out too.

Opening times: Tues - Sat 15.00 - 3.00, Sun 15.00 - 23.00

Images one, two, and three.

Gelato Therapy

The plan was to be sat here writing a blog post having just got an exam out of the way.
Oh how naive of me to think that planning was something that people do here.

I ran to my exam venue this morning, a touch late, to discover that the exam had been moved to this time next Monday. To add insult to injury, just as I was rushing into the building, someone told me that my bag was wide open; I had been running like a lunatic down Bologna with my bag gaping open behind me (cheers to the 20 or so people I ran past who opted not to say anything). Truly truly, what balls. Che Palle. I will have you know that for the last exam I had, which was for the same module, I got to the venue 5 minutes early, only to be herded off like sheep with the rest of my classmates to a different venue. The exam started 15 minutes late. And had no time limit. And I had missed the memo that it was an open-dictionary exam, so I was permitted to use my mobile phone. This is the oldest university in Europe we are talking about; you'd think they'd have learnt a thing or two about running one over the past 925 years.

Anyway, since it turns out I still have a fair bit of revising to do so I will keep this post short and sweet. Quite literally. My top three gelato places in Bologna.

Let's start from the bottom.

3. La Sorbetteria Castiglione

La Sorbetteria Castiglione is located towards the end of Via Castiglione, towards the Giardini Margherita end. 
Though a bit on the sweet side, they have a lot of nice nutty flavours; with pralines of almonds and hazelnuts, mascarpone and coffee, and gianduja flavoured ice cream with chunks of giaduiotti in them. As far as I can tell they have also started a "gusti speciali menu" which includes flavours that are sugar-free. I have personally never tried one, but I've also seen people ordering bun-like things, which are then, I assume, filled with ice cream. Like an ice cream sandwich. If you have a sweet tooth, this is a good place to start your gelato journey.

2. Cremeria Funivia

This one was recommended to me by an ice-cream fanatic and to be honest, it pretty much ties with first place. It's a bit hidden, tucked away around a corner just opposite Piazza Cavour. Now, I am (officially) one of the most indecisive people on the planet, so it was no simple task to pick my flavours and I was slightly traumatised when I churped "Fior di Panna" out of panic, having caught the rather fed up look on the face of the lady serving me. "How boring. Should've got something else." was my initial after-thought. Until I tried it. If an ice cream shop can make their Fior di Panna as tasty as these people do theirs, they are definitely doing something right. My favourite thing from here is the affogato (ice cream popped into some freshly brewed coffee) with a scoop of Fiord di Panna or Alice, a mascarpone flavoured ice cream with a drizzle of chocolate on top.


1. Cremeria Santo Stefano

So what was the tipping point that made me crown this place number one?
Pistacchio Salato. This is my all time favourite flavour of all the gelatos I have ever had. Here, they also sell chocolate and though I am usually not one to go for chocolate flavoured cake or ice cream, theirs is worth a try.
A small, independent shop, it sits unpretentiously along Via Santo Stefano, and the people working there are always very friendly (i.e. they never pressure you to make a choice, good for indecisive people like me!) I should mention, I am currently on a no-fructose diet (N.B. diet to be taken in its original form, therefore not some weight loss fad thing), mainly for health reasons, so naturally gelato is out of the question. Since type 2 diabetes has popped up a couple of times in my family, I take coming off of the sweet stuff quite seriously... but for this pistacchio salato flavoured ice cream, well even if I was a diabetic I think I could find it in me to bend the rules a bit.

A happy bunch at Cremeria Santo Stefano

A rather impromptu post, I must admit. I had other things to write about in mind, but to keep it simple given time restraints, another review it is. On the plus side, you can now start constructing your summer gelato schedule way in advance. For once I am early!

For anyone who is interested, you can read more about why coming off of sugar is something we should all be doing here. And for those of you that think this is some sort of ploy to get you to come and visit - you are not wrong.

Ciao until next time!



Images from: 
Body in Context,
Seriouseats,
Tripadvisor