>
> Did I misunderstand, or are you in Italy? Italy, the nation with the best
>
> food and the best cooks, including home cooks, in the world, and you have no
>
> equipment to speak of?

Yep. I was surprised too

My wife says that she developed a completely different relationship to food and wine after she met me. In her family they never cared for it... And when she goes back to her country for vacations she sees it in a whole different light than before. She does find it funny how foreigners have romantic views of her country. When I came here they said cote d'or is the best icecream brand (one of the worst industrial brands in the world with no milk/cream in it, pretty much ice-margerine), and we are talking about the country that everyone consider the reference of the gelato world haha.

They dont really cook much at home. it is simple things like salads, grilled bell peppers or zucchini, and some "salumi" (slices meats like prosciutto crudo, mortadella, salami), or cheese. and melon for dessert. They go out to eat a lot though.

The place In in is Trieste, near the slovenian border, and they tend to go out for dinner in slovenia, where it is pretty cheap. 15$ for a good meal thats like 1-2 portions and its all handmade. Last I had a veal steak filled with ham and cheese and breaded, with sauce tartar and grilled bell peppers, zucchini and aubergine. It all filled 2 plates haha. With it a pilsner beer that the owner brews in the cellar of the restaurant.

in wednesday we are going to an italian place, which specializes in horse meat, where they "grow"(?) their own horses, and we can get horse tartar, steaks, salami that they make themselves, etc.

Another family favourite is a place that makes salumi (ie. sliced meats) themselves and raises (better than grows) rabbits that they serve in the restaurant. They also grow their own veggies that are used in the meals.