Last week, some of my friends and I attended La Cena Bianca (the White Dinner). We received an invitation through our school and decided it was right up our ally. The concept is a communal dinner where everyone wears all white, brings their own food, drinks, and eating utensils, and enjoys an evening of food, friends, fashion, and community. It took place in the middle of a street right next to the Duomo. Round, white tables adorned with candles lined the road of chattering, white-clad florentines. It was definitely a sight to behold. And of course, at an all white event, one must have a hint of color so on each table, there were three red flowers laid out without a vase: the epitome of simple elegant taste. Speaking of taste, my little group decided to have a picnic-style meal. I went to the market earlier that day and bought, two different types of bread (Toscana and foccacia), Tuscan boar salami, two cheeses, roasted peppers, marinated olives, dates, grapes, good olive oil, a good bottle of wine, and my first food related splurge: a small jar of the best, creamiest, simplest artichoke paté I have ever had (plus it came in the prettiest little jar with a terracotta sun on the front). It was a feast.
These picnics are my favorite meals. The very nature of ripping off a piece of bread, passing pieces of cheese and slices of salami, reaching across the table for the bottle of olive oil: it all exudes a social atmosphere in which you feel that you are sharing both a meal and a bit of yourself with those you are dining with. About halfway through the meal, a woman approached our table and asked if we were the “American students.” When we confirmed this statement, she was honored, and thrilled that we were there. It turns out that she was one of the people who started the event a few years ago in hopes of making the Florence community a welcome one. Our little table of five was the first group of American students to attend La Cena Bianca and for the first time, I felt like I was really living in Florence: mission accomplished. In a nutshell, the meal, the evening, the conversation was a little bit of this, and a little bit of that and in my opinion, it was a little bit of perfection.
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| my plate |
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| La cena perfetta |
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| Salami dal mercato |
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| La Cena Bianca with the duomo in the background |
Last week, some of my friends and I attended La Cena Bianca (the White Dinner). We received an invitation through our school and decided it was right up our ally. The concept is a communal dinner where everyone wears all white, brings their own food, drinks, and eating utensils, and enjoys an evening of food, friends, fashion, and community. It took place in the middle of a street right next to the Duomo. Round, white tables adorned with candles lined the road of chattering, white-clad florentines. It was definitely a sight to behold. And of course, at an all white event, one must have a hint of color so on each table, there were three red flowers laid out without a vase: the epitome of simple elegant taste. Speaking of taste, my little group decided to have a picnic-style meal. I went to the market earlier that day and bought, two different types of bread (Toscana and foccacia), Tuscan boar salami, two cheeses, roasted peppers, marinated olives, dates, grapes, good olive oil, a good bottle of wine, and my first food related splurge: a small jar of the best, creamiest, simplest artichoke paté I have ever had (plus it came in the prettiest little jar with a terracotta sun on the front). It was a feast. These picnics are my favorite meals. The very nature of ripping off a piece of bread, passing pieces of cheese and slices of salami, reaching across the table for the bottle of olive oil: it all exudes a social atmosphere in which you feel that you are sharing both a meal and a bit of yourself with those you are dining with. About halfway through the meal, a woman approached our table and asked if we were the “American students.” When we confirmed this statement, she was honored, and thrilled that we were there. It turns out that she was one of the people who started the event a few years ago in hopes of making the Florence community a welcome one. Our little table of five was the first group of American students to attend La Cena Bianca and for the first time, I felt like I was really living in Florence: mission accomplished. In a nutshell, the meal, the evening, the conversation was a little bit of this, and a little bit of that and in my opinion, it was a little bit of perfection. 
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