It's time to "Pranzare"

Rising for a seminary weekday at 5am before the sun has risen is a miracle in itself for anyone who has just graduated college after being your own boss and having not gone to bed til the sun had risen many a time. But as many times as I tell myself, "It'll get easier", it really doesn't. Morning prayer followed by Mass, celebrated together as a seminary community, begins at 6:15am regularly, giving me a little over an hour to become conscious by taking a shower, check the email and news, occasionally take a phone call (because it's only 11pm Eastern time at 5am in the morning), and say some prayers or devotions before we come together as a community.

Breakfast begins shortly after 7am, pending the homilist of the day (some give a short and sweet homilette, while others try to give you your 1st lecture of the day or revive those sleep-walking zombies that fell into the pew, wishing that the Church would ban masses before noon). Since it is not your IHOP special, many guys grab a bowl of cereal or slop some peanut butter and jelly on a Italian roll. Many tap the rolls with a knife to choose one that has the least chance of breaking their teeth or making the roof of their mouth bleed. Others scurry to the coffee pots hoping that the kitchen staff didn't do something drastic to the coffee, which is referred to as motor oil because it's so thick that it is rumored that Italians, if desperate enough will fill their car engines with it. Others fearful for their lives take to the streets of Rome to find their bar of choice for a coffee and cornetto (typically a croissant with sugar on top) before classes begin at 8:30am (8:45 for the guys that go to Santa Croce University--that's me). I should mention that "bar of choice" does not mean alcoholic beverages are consumed after mass at 7am at a local watering hole, but that "bar" is the Italian name for a coffee cafe.

Somehow you survive 4 hours of class and stumble back up to the NAC (North American College) Hill also referred to as the Gianicolo (In Latin Janiculum) Hill--It overlooks the 7 major hills in Rome and from our rooftop we boast the best view of Rome seeing miles in almost all directions. During the hot months of the year, many guys will take a shower after this half-hour hike across Rome that has left them drenched in sweat.

"Pranzo" served as 1:15PM daily has traditionally been the biggest meal of an Italian's day and thus is a multi-course dinner. It's so important it has received it's own verb in Italian "pranzare". The first course is typically a pasta, occasionally a zuppa (soup) or a risotto (rice dish). The favorite pasta by NACcers is spaghetti carbonara and some guys will empty the bowl quickly so that they can send their waiter (we all wait tables about once a month just for pranzo) back for any leftovers. The 2nd course is a meat and a vegetable (except for our meatless Fridays) . The salad of the day comes after this (mixed by a person at each table with olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, etc.--sometimes other favorite spices), then finally a fruit, gelato, or more substantial dolce (desert) on Wednesday is served. Wednesday lunch is one of the two meals guests can be invited and hence some local Italian desert or cake is served. Unfortunately, most Italian deserts and cookies tend to be very dry and hence wouldn't go over well with the average American, who is set on eating the cookie dough before it's even baked. I think the idea of chocolate chip cookie dough gelato would make them quite puzzled.

For all you wine connoisseurs, I forgot to mention that we will have a table wine with pranzo that some will indulge in. However, that will typically lead to a "riposo", the Italian version of a siesta that results in most stores being closed in the afternoons. I rarely make time for one of these, but for some it's an everyday ritual and may last 15 minutes or longer...