Rugby Tartar

Cultural differences can be so enlightening. And I’m not talking about Italian ones this time. Yesterday the French (three good friends of mine in the Erasmus program) made me “beef tartar”. Being the foodie that I am, I was very excited to try something new, different and, well, FRENCH. However, yours truly did not realize that “tartar” means “raw”. At first I thought my friends were having a laugh at my sometimes gullible nature. It took a lot of convincing before I realized that they were dead serious. Not only were they serious, they were very excited about the dish because it’s apparently one of their favorites. I’ve heard that you should do something you’re afraid of everyday. I’m slightly perturbed by salmonella poisoning so I think that counts. I tried the tartar, and I didn’t hate it, but I couldn’t really wrap my head around the raw part.

After I bid my beloved French “Adieu!” I decided to run errands because I was getting ready to head to Rome. By an act of serendipitous happenstance, I ran into an Italian friend of mine who invited me to watch the Francia v. Italia Rugby match with him at a local bar. (Side Note: Ever since my sister started playing Rugby at our University, I can’t get enough of it. It’s the perfect combination of soccer, American football, “playful” aggression and tackling. What do you think my answer was??). It turns out that I was one of three women at the bar enjoying the game. Not only did I enjoy it but I was yelling and screaming along with every other slightly intoxicated Italian in there. My shouts of “GO! GO! GO!” and “Move your ass!” were harmoniously accompanied by “Giù! Giù! Giù!”, “Vai! Vai! Vai!” and the occasional “MERDA!”. Needless to say, we (that is the Italians) won. It was the perfect ending to a very emotionally RAW day.

Words of the day: "Vai" meaning "Go", "Giù" meaning "Down" (Side note: when you are screaming your head off during a rugby match, it is not uncommon to shout "DOWN! DOWN! DOWN!". This could be interpreted in numerous ways, like: to take someone "down" or to get "down" by using your freaking legs), and "Merda!" meaning "Oh, darn!" (rated PG).

Pace, Amore e Vittoria,

Geni