May 24, 2023: A Day in Assisi

Courtney and I woke up and walked up to Corciano. She is not a huge coffee drinker but wanted to partake in a pastry from the bakery. I wanted a delicious cappuccino. Dr. Ross and some of the other students later joined and then we had breakfast at the villa. 

We then made our way to the University of Perugia. This University was a health college and looked nice and modern from the outside. We met with one of the professors and she took us into a lecture hall to give a presentation over the Mediterranean Diet. It was funny to me hearing her speak on what we should and should not be consuming because a lot of the food items she said to avoid, I have had in excess since being here. I feel like I have had a lot of alcohol and red meat. This wasn't due to my personal choice; I was simply eating what is popularized in the community here specifically in Umbria.

Back home I eat a lot of whole foods. The animal byproduct I eat the most is probably chicken and I rarely eat any processed sweets. I think that the food quality is better here, but I don't think I'm eating 'healthier' per say. I also felt a little stereotyped listening to her lecture. I am not the fast-food American that was frequently referenced. I know that with every ethnicity, race, country, etc. that there are certain stereotypes but it is important not to generalize. To me, that is a small-minded way of thinking, and truthfully, was an important reminder for myself, as well not to generalize and stereotype people. 

There were important takeaways, however, from the presentation. This professor primarily works in epidemiology for breast cancer. She said how 50% of the most common cancers are preventable and how all the reports and guidelines are updated every ten years. She highlighted eating well and participating in some form of physical activity especially for menopausal women. She also mentioned measuring the waist circumference at the smallest part of the waist near the belly button. 

She pointed out how McDonalds' bread alone contains twenty different chemicals. She advised that people eat whole grains, vegetables, and beans. Each day should contain 30 grams of fiber and 400 grams of fruits and vegetables. She stressed how using supplements is not the same as whole foods and that one can browse the WCRF recommendations for referral. What she was saying closely aligns with what is said in the United States and a lot of us already knew the majority of the information explained since it was similar to the USDA and FDA standards. 

As we were walking out, we saw so many of the college kids starring at us and gawking. I felt a little like an animal at the zoo. A girl even came up to me and asked, "where are you guys from?" It was very interesting having people examining me so closely. 

We then made our way to Assisi. Everyone was so hungry that we went to the first food place we could find by the meet-up area. I ordered a prosciutto sandwich. It looked very light and like it had very little protein so I knew I had to get something else with it, so I had to grab a bag of chips. 

Nicole was not feeling well so we began searching for the nearest Pharmacia. As we were wandering around a man standing at an embroidery shop signaled for us to come over to him. He gave us complimentary embroideries of our names which was really sweet of him. We found Nicole a Pharmacia and I was somewhat able to speak to what she needed in Italian. We then got her a nice hot tea and a cannolo for myself. It was a chocolate covered, Nutella filled pastry and it was delicious! 

We then met Catia at San Francesco Basilica. We got a walk-man sort of situation to where we had the speaker pack and a headset that went over one of our ears. Catia had a microphone and we could listen to her speak around the cathedral since they are funny about talking in the cathedral. We walked around and went into St. Francis' shrine. People were getting emotional and carrying around candle sticks in his honor. 

St Francis was a Catholic friar. Around 1202 he joined a military expedition and was kept as a captive. He developed an illness which made him reevaluate his life. While on a pilgrimage to Rome he joined the poor who were begging at St. Peter's Basilica. He had a vision from Jesus Christ who told him to repair the church. He stole some cloth from his father's store to help the priest and hid in a cave to avoid his wrath. He became the founder of the Franciscan order and the patron saint of ecologists and merchants. 

We then had some free time before dinner and came back to eat at a restaurant near the cathedral. It was so beautiful and the food was incredible. The first course had a potato soup with an egg, It was so delicious and creamy. I enjoyed it a lot. We then had two pasta dishes: 1) a tortellini dish with tomatoes, basil and ricotta cheese and 2) a paccheri pasta with an olive oil sauce and mushrooms. Our dessert tasted similar to a tiramisu with some sort of biscotti cookie on top.  It was an absolutely beautiful night. 

Hearing about St Francis' revelation and wanting to reroute his life made me realize that in my field I will be helping patients do the same. Eating patterns are a lifestyle choice and to change them can reroute someone's schedule and/or whole life. It can be a big deal for someone to give up or substantially limit the amount of a food that they are so use to eating. Coming up with great alternatives and having empathy for their situation will help them feel like they have an ally; not just someone telling them what to do.