Food: eating, making, sharing

I don't know if I have fully spoken of Italian food in a post.  If I have, then I will elaborate... if I haven't, here it is.

I LOVE food.  It's great that the food here is amazing.  Sometimes it helps you overlook the fact that I am almost living in the dark ages: no heat, no hot water, and no internet (I come to the school, which is only open M-F to take advantage of the internet).  I have not been disappointed in anything that I have eaten so far.  I have even made the plunge in saying that I will not swear off "four-legged" animals because it is just too difficult to make it in a place where meat is a prevalent part of their diet.  I really only plan on doing this here, once I arrive back in the States I will go back to my previous diet.  Food is a big part of the Sicilian culture.  Everyone (mother) has their own recipes for simple dishes and they keep the recipes close to their hearts and their homes. It is hard to fully describe all of the wonderful flavors that come out when eating the dishes, but it should be noted that you can absolutely taste the time that went into the dishes.  Time, as I am learning in my Mediterranean Diet course, is one of the most important aspects when it comes to cooking, especially Italian cooking.  Even if a recipe is fairly short and only calls for a few ingredients the time and effort that it took to actually prepare the food for you is evident.  This is one thing I wish to bring back with me.  At home I have a fairly healthy diet.  Fast and fatty foods are not really present in the meals that I eat, and I intend to keep practicing this when I have finished my adventure here.  However, the aspect of time will come back with me... I will take special care in each meal that I make because it will be the source of energy that my body needs.  Aimlessly stuffiing your face as many of us Americans do, simply to curb your grumbling stomach is probably one of the biggest down falls of our nation.  If we were able to take the time to sit and eat a well made, healthy, fresh (!) meal it makes all the difference.
I do know that sometimes ingredients are not easily accessible, especially during certain times of the year and for some people it is just too difficult to buy fresh all of the time.  We have seen this first hand here in Ortigia.  We volunteer delivering food to elderly women and other people who live in the Ortigian ghetto.  These women may have lost their husband and been forced to live in the ghetto due to monetary reasons, or they have moved there from their home towns because it is cheap.  Today we made our first delivery, and although we only deliver a few pounds of pasta and sauce we know that we are greatly helping each of the receivers.  It is remarkable how friendly and thankful they are to receive these "gifts" from us.  Sadly we delivered food to one woman who's own husband locks her in her home.  There is a giant iron fence in front of her door with a large lock on the outside.  Unfortunately she is not allowed out of the home and has been sequestered there from some time.  Giving her food was almost along the lines of smuggling drugs because her husband is a nasty man.  It was very sad to see someone have to actually be mistreated.