Beware of Microwaves

As I am sure you can tell, we love the food in Parma. This is not to say, however, that you can't find a disappointing meal. We certainly shouldn't try to romanticize every eating experience.

For instance, let me tell you about what happened on Saturday at lunch...Paul and I didn't really feel like cooking. We were out in the center of Parma, not too far from our house, walking around looking for a place for lunch. It was around 2, so it was a little late for the lunch hour, and we ran into the same dilemma that we have had a few times now. Either you find something very very casual like a slice of pizza to go, or maybe a pizza to share at a pizzeria...or, you splurge for a ristorante where you order a couple of courses. Option one costs like 5 euro for the pizza max, or maybe 10 if you have wine. Option two costs at least 30-40 euro, if not more. We haven't found much in between these two options. Trying to save a little money, we thought that maybe we would just have a sandwich at a bar or a paninoteca, but really we were both in the mood for something more substantial, like a hot dish and a salad. We saw some people eating in a bar on a corner near one of the main sqaures, and when we went in, I asked just by chance if they had a lunch menu other than the sandwiches in the display case. The waiter said that they did have first courses at 5 euro each and salads, but that the menu changed daily and wasn't printed so the server would tell us about the options. This sounded perfect. They must have a little kitchen in the back we figured. Paul picked gnocci and I picked tortelli with radicchio, and we ordered a large mixed salad to split. We were so excited for our lunch to arrive, until we looked over and saw our waitress putting frozen entrees that looked like regular tv dinners into microwaves along the wall. Could this really be happening? Sure enough, we then saw her nicely plate these entrees onto ceramic plates and the prepacked, microwaved gnocci and tortelli came our way. We felt duped. The menu changed daily, huh? According to the whims of who swung by the grocery store frozen aisle? Anyway, we made the best of it. Lesson learned: if you approach a cafe for lunch, look closely.

If you see 3 microwaves lined up along the wall, as you can tell upon studying this picture, don't go there for lunch. In fact, if you see a microwave at all, beware.


Instead stick with the awesome pizza. See my favorites here from the place near our house. One has pumpkin and Parmesan cheese and the other just has tomatoes, olives, and olive oil, with no cheese. Price: 1.60 to 1.90 euro.

Or, save up and splurge a little to have lunch at a real restaurant. Or cook at home. Even better!