Raw in Roma

Exercise: Escalators
Food: 8 bananas, salad with leaves, avocado, sun-dried tomato, carrot, gherkins, and pesto dressing, bread, tortilla chips nibbled in Fresh and Wild, cashew nuts

I have been in Italy these past few days, first to a wedding in Pescara and then to Rome. The wedding was beautiful in a little village outside Pescara. The reception was held in a castle and on the way we passed fig trees, olive trees and apricots trees, how amazing is that! I want to live there!! I had the juiciest plumpest olives at the canape reception pre dinner. Re dietary requirements, I simply said vegan, no wheat or dairy and that am really happy with a salad. But didn't specifically mention raw.

So knew it would be okay, and also as long as my body was happy and I felt alright eating something then I would go with it. It was a classic five course meal, while everyone was complaining that they had overeaten on lots of meat, I felt just fine. My first course was vegetable soup, then a trio of boiled broad beans, courgettes and another vegetable I can't remember, then I had a plate of mushrooms and potato, then a mixed salad of leaves lightly dressed and finally a plate of seasonal fruit. I had about three conversations with people who asked me about my eating choices and it was really great to talk to them. In some ways I was slightly dreading it but then I would remind myself everything was okay, that I could eat what I wanted, and that I could just be me even if different, this wasn't about labels.

And of course when I said that it was easy! To top it off we danced the night away..

The first night before the wedding some of us went for a pizza, I really didn't want pizza or pasta or rice so one of my friends asked for them to prepare a salad for me. It was very simple, leaves, carrot and sweetcorn, lightly dressed. It was one of the best meals I have ever had.They had given me a good sized bowl but I was still hungry (probably helped by the fact that we arrived at the hotel at 7pm after setting off at 10am from London that morning!) So this time I got the italian words needed to ask for another one and they brought me a huge bowl and it was still delicious. I guess I had paid them a compliment by asking for another one and they rewarded me well!! It was in my top 10 of raw meals, hunger met simple nourishing fare.

Rome was wonderful and it was good to be back again. My hotel was perfect with a fruit stall at the end of the road that also served freshly sqeezed oj do you see why I say that I am the most blessed woman in the whole world? It's run by a charming lady called Augusta, check it out if you go on Via Della Vite off Piazza Spagna. It was quite blissful to eat when and what I wanted. To spend the whole day walking outside in the air and sunshine, feasting on the sights and poking my head into various ancient and modern nooks and crannies. I revisited an old favourite Cafe Magnolia who do about 10 different creative salads as well as pizza and pasta so a good place to bring friends. Of course it came with bread and I had some. I know I was sleepy from the dancing of the night before and all the travelling but that night I slept for 12 hours straight and could have slept more but got up at noon because I didn't come to Rome to sleep!! That's the effect on me good to have the reminder...



It's good to be home..