Food, etc.

Well, it's Italy so I figured I'd talk a little about what they're most famous for: food. Every day the entire family comes home from work and school for a big lunch around 2. It usually consists of a type of pasta or meat, vegetables, bread, and fruit for dessert. Dinner is around 10pm, and the meal is a lot smaller and less formal. The TV is usually on, it's typically just left-overs, and the whole family isn't always there.
You should see the way my host dad, Salvatore, eats. It's an art form. No matter what he's eating it's the same ritual. Slice of bread in his left hand, fork in his right, and he uses these tools to scoop and mix his plate all together. He then takes a bite of bread and pursues his meal. When he pours himself a glass of water, he downs the entire cup in one gulp. He uses a pocket knife instead of a typical kitchen knife, and treats the cheese he cuts like a sculpture. He gets up so many times throughout the meal to retrieve an assortment of things, from pepperoncini oil to tortillas. It's so entertaining to watch him.
The pepperoni we know and love in America is not the same in Italy. The name "pepperoni" is in fact used for bell peppers, so don't confuse that, or your anticipated pizza will not be the same! Also, my dad's famous pepperoni joke about a vicious little greasy animal from the Northern Italian Alps cannot be used correctly. Bummer. Another note about pizza: they put french fries on them! Whaaat? So weird.
And mayonnaise on their french fries. But that's a different story.
Gelato: delish.
Coke: alllll the time.
Water: different. :[
Nutella: heck yes.

Aaaand now that I'm hungry... it's lunch time. :]