variety is the spice of life

Americans tend to like to make choices, I think, because there seems to be so much variety in the United States. Especially when it comes to food. Not only are there hundreds of types of food to choose from, there are also hundreds of brands to choose from, and also lots and lots of stores to choose from. And then there are the restaurants. Oh, and let's not neglect to mention the scores and scores of food recipe websites and blogs and television channels. Holy guacamole!

In Italy, this is simply not the case. The only variety that really exists is the thousands of shapes of pasta, or the hundreds of types of cheese. All the grocery stores are similar, and there simply aren't that many of them, and all the restaurants serve Italian food. Period. I've gotten used to this lack of variety, and have enjoyed Italian food to its fullest, so I don't miss all the choices.

The other day, though, I was really craving some good Mexican food from a good Mexican restaurant. For a few minutes, I wished I could just drive up the road and get some good guacamole, or homemade corn chips, or a fancy burrito, or a margarita.... I happened to talk to my mom a few minutes after this reverie, and she was surprised that there were no good Mexican food places around these parts. Her surprise surprised me, until I remembered all the variety that people in the US enjoy. I had forgotten.

And so, Mom, I just had to show you the picture I took of this food buffet at an Italian birthday party we recently attended.

Notice the "variety" in all the different types of sandwiches???

Do you believe me, now?