Out and about in the neighborhood

Today, after Italian class, my friend and I decided to grab lunch. It was 12pm and according to the Italians, lunchtime. Mind you, do not try to find a restaurant open past 1pm for lunch, it just isn't happening. We drove until we found a place that was hopping, because if the locals are eating there, then it must be good! It was called La Paesana, Cucina Casalinga. We walked in and immediately, heads turned our way and it was as if a small hush fell over the crowded room. Geesh, we really stood out. Not knowing if we should wait to be seated or not, we let a group of guys walk ahead of us. We found a table, following what the guys did and it was at that moment the waitress said "no" and directed us back up front, where she seated us at the door. When she made the group of guys do the same, i felt better about being moved. The waitress came by and asked us, in her best Italian, what we wanted to drink. That is one phrase I now understand I replied "uno liter Acqua Naturale, per favore" and within 2 minutes, we had those drinks. Now during lunch, most of the restaurants run a special or  menu fizzo (price fixed menu) that only gives you three choices from the first, second, and third courses. First course  is pasta, second is meat and third is vegetables. We chose the pasta with ragu and one with pomodoro sauce, in other words, a meat sauce and a traditional tomato sauce. Then my friend chose the chicken cacciatore too. I only opted for the pasta, however I tried a piece of her chicken cacciatore and dang, it was GOOD. The whole cost of our meal was 10 euro a piece, a just for the record, the Italians do not split a bill the way we would. Everyone chips in for the whole bill. Strange but it's how they do it. When we left, we felt excited that we ventured into a traditional Italian trattoria, a family owned restaurant, and survived the lunch. Now on for some homemade gelato!

And by the way, I made the chicken cacciatore for my family and my picky 9 yr old daughter actually told me I could make it anytime! Now that's a compliment!