Long Way From Home
Alessandra Rodriguez
Monet Gregory, Staff Writer
September 25, 2009
Filed under International Spotlight, Photos
There are many new faces at LJA School this year, but one that most of you probably know is Alessandra Rodriguez. Alessandra came to our little island in the Pacific from a place far, far away — Milan, Italy. Milan is the second largest city in Italy, and is located in Lombardy where it is also the regional capital. It is one of the world’s capitals for design and fashion, and it’s famous for its fashion shops and stores located there. You can find these fashion shops and stores in famous places in Milan like the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, or walking down the Via Monte Napoleone.
Alessandra recommends people should definitely visit Milan if they get the chance. She says, “Sardegna, the biggest island in Italy, and the beaches,” are the must-see places you should visit in Italy. Back home in Italy, Alessandra enjoys hanging out with friends, and going to the movies. She is looking forward to doing everything in Hawaii that she can’t do in Italy. Her favorite thing, so far, about being here are the friendly people. When asked how Italy is different from Hawaii all she could say was, “Everyone has asked me this question, everything is different”. All though she loves living in Hawaii, she does miss home every once in a while.”I miss my family, friends, and the food”, she says whistfully.
Milan has beautiful scenery, and interesting fashion, but there is even more. People also flock to Italy for the amazing food. Alessandra says she loves the food there, and especially the pizza. If going there during the winter season, people should try their Pannettone Christmas cake (see picture). Milan has its own regional cuisine, shared with the areas around it, and they generally eat more rice than pasta, and very few tomatoes. Most of their meals are meat dishes. A few interesting dishes people should try are dishes like the Nervetti (boiled calf’s shank and knee cartilage cut into strips, and mixed with thinly sliced onions), or the Risotto alla Milanese (full-bodied beef broth flavored with saffron), or even the Salame di Milano (made from finely minced pork and beef meat, and many types of cheese).
Another interesting thing about Milan is they have many different types of cheese. One of them is called Grana Padano, which comes to Milan from the Po valley. Other delicious cheeses you should try if you are a cheese lover is Mascarpone (a cheese used in desserts, or mixed with fish), Gorgonzola (a rich cheese), and Crescenza ( a milky cheese that can be spread on bread or raw veggies).
If you are looking to try new foods, or if you are a cheese lover, or looking for some intense shopping, you really should fly to Milan, Italy. It is a bit far away from Hawaii, and is different in everyway possible, but that’s what makes going there even more interesting.
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