Italy, lobster rolls and a “light” case of pneumonia
Navigating a whirlwind trip from Venice to New England while struggling to breathe
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The signature Alidoro sandwich layered both sweet and hot peppers for a flavorful lunchtime treat. Photo by Lauren J. Mapp |
When I prepared to leave for Italy to attend Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in September, I laid out a plan for continuing to regularly post content.
I had my story ideas mapped out and drafted so that even though I was traveling to six cities in Italy and New England over the course of a month, I could carve out time here and there to continue posting on a regular basis.
Enter bronchitis, followed by pneumonia.
After arriving in Italy, I developed a persistent cough, which escalated about four weeks later when I was diagnosed with pneumonia.
Despite having an allegedly “light” case, I spent many tortuous nights over the course of two months coughing my guts out — including during a late night visit to the emergency room. During especially aggressive coughing bouts, it felt like I had been doing a thousand crunches a day for weeks.
Meanwhile my days were spent managing an ever-changing ensemble of pharmaceutical drugs and force-feeding myself Rao’s Italian Wedding Soup, orange juice and saltines — the only three items I consistently found appetizing.
Until very recently, I neither had the energy to write, nor the desire to think about all the delicious foods I would otherwise crave and scribble my thoughts about.
Now that I finally have my energy back, it’s time for an unceremonious return to Tides & Tacos.
I will resume posting my review of fish tacos starting next week, but for now, here are five of my favorite dishes from my time traveling in Italy, Connecticut, New York City, Philadelphia and Maryland.
Can’t make it away from San Diego anytime soon? Don’t worry, I have included some of my favorite local options for each dish covered below
This is an excerpt from my newest food writing project, San Diego Tides & Tacos. Visit this article on Substack to read about my favorite dishes I tried during my trip, and please consider subscribing to receive the newsletter when it's published each week.
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