life without alma

of course, the first day that we don't eat at ALMA, our assignment is to write a visual description of our lunch using the techniques of imagery we learned this morning. i had a bowl of cereal along with a mug of instant nescafe coffee and a thick slice of salame felino - a regional pork salami (arina and i were suckers for local food yesterday - the butcher even held up a loaf of white bread and said "parma" and we of course had to buy it. and yes, the salami, bread and the goat cheese we've bought have not only been extremely delicious but also the basis of our italian diet.)

an ALMA plate example ->

what we've been offered every day at ALMA: salad; an assortment of cured meats and cheese samples; sauteed vegetables, fried vegetables; usually at least two pastas - ravioli's, risotto, spaghetti carbonara, rigatoni or penne with veggies or seafood; roast beef, pork, quail, chicken, fish; rolls, pizzas or flat breads of various toppings and sizes; and fresh fruit or little cakes for dessert....and for some reason we opted out of ALMA.

how imaginative i got with my kellogg-wannabe-processed corn flakes and 1.5% milk: the army of flakes floated in the bowl at the mercy of the thick white milk. the sharp crunch would eventually succumb to the creamy liquid. only the dried, shriveled fruit would benefit by absorbing the milk to come alive. it was a battle of balance to find the perfect bite.