Saving the Environment By Eating Tomatoes

I had two more of my classes today at Florence University of the Arts. I had Environmental Conservation this morning and Italian for Beginners this afternoon.

I love my Environmental Conservation class. It is everything I want in a class and more. I am taking this class because it applies to a part of my college career but also to see if this is something I want to pursue professionally. I really want to pursue it professionally as of now. The way biology, ethics, and business all collide into one class is fascinating. I will keep you updated on my thoughts about the class and some cool stuff I learn.

My Italian class was, in a word, interesting. I have a very energetic, 20-something as a professor, who walked in and started speaking very rapid Italian. I felt like a deer in the headlights. For the first time in a while, I was speechless. I was very vocal in my morning class, explaining the differences between biotic and abiotic factors (living and non-living entities), but I was totally out of my element. Thankfully, she slowed down after awhile. When she asked me my name (Come ti chiame?), I answered correctly (Sono Catherine). I even spelt my name out in Italian letters. As the class moved on, I realized that I was understanding a lot and if I slowed down and thought before I spoke, I could get the right answer. I was deathly afraid that she would get impatient if I spoke slowly, but she was very encouraging, like the mother/daughter pair at the food market. Next time I am at the market, I can be more confident in asking for my food. I am very excited!

One of my roommates and I went to find a bookstore that sold my Italian textbooks and spiral notebooks. As we walked about our neighborhood, we were stopped by a group of tourists from America. They were thrilled to find people who spoke English, and when we said that we lived in the area and we could help them get to where they were going, they looked at us like my roommate was the Tooth Fairy and I was the Easter Bunny – pure joy. After getting them off to where they needed to go, we realized that WE were hopelessly lost as well. We found a pharmacy (a sure-fire bet that someone speaks English there) and waited for a pharmacist to become available (we are not that desperate to take one of them away from a sick customer). As I am joking around with my roommate about why anyone would pay €5 for cotton swabs, a really gorgeous pharmacist walked out of the back. I think I fell over. My grandmother’s dream man for any of her granddaughters just appeared in front of me – about mid-20s, tall, dark, handsome, perfect English, and did I mention he was a pharmacist. As my roommate asked for directions, I just stood there and smiled. Sadly there was a ring on his right ring finger. Oh well, we all can dream…. He kindly gave us the directions and we were on our way to the bookstore.

At the bookstore, I got all of my things, debated the difference between two spiral notebooks (leaves or waterfalls on the cover?), and we wandered back to our apartment. I made myself a sandwich of chicken, pesto and farm fresh tomatoes. As I chowed down and admired my sandwich-making skills, I realized something. I am becoming a locavore. It is a term I learned when I read a book on sustainable eating practices. You become a locavore when you eat only locally produced foods. I looked at my sandwich and smiled. The bread is made in a shop down the street using local ingredients. The tomatoes are from the Tuscan countryside. The chicken is from a local farm. Florence is turning me into a more environmentally friendly person and I love it. I am living some of the practices we are going to be learning about in my Environmental Conservation class. I could not have been more happy in my life.

So my three-a-day tomato habit is great because I am doing my part to help the environment by eating local. Who knew eating veggies could be this good for you.

Ciao!