Milan’s big “haul”
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to go on a business trip with some colleagues to Milan, one of the fashion metropolis of the world. We started the nearly thousand-kilometre journey by car from Budapest. After a stop for petrol and lunch, we reached the beautiful city in the Po Valley in less than ten hours. The long drive took a lot out of everyone, so the first evening was spent relaxing after a quick light dinner. We went to see an exhibition, leaving plenty of free time for the four days ahead. We love culture, so we were keen to explore the historic city of Milan.
written by: Kosza
It was undeniable that we were already on our way to the Duomo, impressive and mass. Entering the church, you are greeted by soaring spaces where the city’s light filters through the paintings on the huge glass windows, shimmering in a thousand colours. The white gleam of the white is almost mesmerising as you wander through the cavalcades of marble statues. History flows through the walls. Milan’s Duomo is the citadel of Catholicism, the first great church and home to emperors who became Christians. The Duomo is a symbol of the unbroken vitality and will to live of the Italian people and of Milan. Despite being sacked and almost razed to the ground by Attila the Hun’s armies or invaded by barbarian hordes, Milan has always risen from the ashes. It worked, traded and won its freedom to shine in its present glory and wealth. Today, it is one of the economic, commercial and, of course, fashionable centres of Italy and Europe.
The cuisine
I will be honest. After admiring the Duomo and some sightseeing, we were finally on our way. I couldn’t wait to discover Italian cuisine! I love my belly – as everyone does. Most of all I could only really enjoy our home cuisine, the excellent stews and stuffed meats. The Italian food available at home felt very artificial, nothing special about it. In light of this, I was looking forward to eating a menu prepared by a real Italian chef.
We found a small restaurant not far from our hotel. There was a real Italian bustle, and it seems they like to indulge in culinary delights there too. We had to wait a while for a table to become available. The atmosphere was so cosy, the people so friendly and direct, that I felt I could immerse myself in the depths of “eating” without any restraint. The service simply left nothing to be desired, we were almost wooed around.
Starters
I decided to go with a seafood salad for starters. It had everything from squid to seafood wonders that were completely unknown to me. I had never had such fresh, professionally prepared delicacies. It was phenomenal, I had to eat it twice. The combination of the crispy fish with the fresh salad and the special seasoning made this delicacy irresistible. Of course, there were those of us who were not fans of seafood. They satisfied their hunger with either a nice minestrone soup or a real Italian pizza.
Second course
For the second course, I had a bit of a problem deciding between a pizza or penne, penne with mussels. The question was solved when a kind colleague gave me a slice of pizza as a gift, so I had the mussels. I’d never had this before and was a little worried about whether my stomach was trained enough. Later it turned out not as much as I had hoped. The clam penne was delicious. The mussels, unknown to me, almost slipped off by themselves thanks to the expert preparation. I was given such a large portion that at first, I thought it would be impossible to eat, but I was wrong, and as it turned out later, there was room for one more course.
The haul
The manager of the company came with us on the mission and as we were his guests, money was no object. So, we could eat from our hearts. We could have washed down all this deliciousness with something other than a nice, full-bodied Italian wine. Of course, we knew no moderation in this either, a bottle per head was downed. Maybe it was the goodness of the excellent Milanese wine, but I felt I could manage a Langoustine. I’ve only seen this in movies. Wonderful serving with the scissors just pointing at you to eat it. I went for it hand over foot. I think the most amazing culinary experience of my life so far was this special delicacy, deliciously served with lemon slices and arugula salad. Furthermore, I know, since we’re talking white meat, it would have been appropriate to accompany it with a nice white wine, but consider me undemanding, I stuck with the exceptional full-bodied dry red. It was still a perfect, dazzling experience. The pretty, lovely waitress thought we might like a little dessert, but her irresistible smile couldn’t force it on me.
We paid a small fortune, so to speak, and headed to the hotel. We thought a pleasant walk would be good for a night out in Milan. Not only that, but we admired the luxury and sports cars they have almost every day, parked on the street without worrying about getting stole. It’s a consumable in Milan. What struck me was that there was hardly a car without at least one minor damage. Then of course as the days went by it was no longer surprising, because judging by the driving style of Italians I’m surprised that their entire fleet isn’t totalled. They don’t have red lights. Speed limit? What’s that? Scooters and motorbikes use the pavement like it’s a motorway. They honk their horns back and forth when they feel like it.
Too much of a good thing
On our walk we stopped at a bar where our friendly boss invited us for another whisky. Neh…. that was too much. It was a total gateway and although the whisky was excellent, it was a total turn on… Be careful! You can have too much of a good thing.
Another thing I noticed is that Italians are very self-indulgent. Maybe it’s just because we were in one of the fashion metropolises, but everywhere I looked, wherever I travelled, people were as elegant as they are here during the holidays. They were kind, direct and of course loud.
I was sorry to see these four days go by so quickly and I hope that when I return to the wonderful city of Milan, I will have the same experience.
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Did you know?
Antipasti has nothing to do with pasta. Antipasto (antipasti in plural) is a type of appetizer that is served before the first course and can consist of cold meats, cheeses, bruschetta, olives, smoked fish and various vegetables. Antipasto is not an everyday thing but is instead served during a formal meal or when eating out in an Italian restaurant.
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Source(s):
Original article: Milánói nagy „zabálás” Translated by: BOGI – CONTINENT SURFER
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