Cups and saucers rattle as the employee of the coffee shop shoves steaming mugs of freshly brewed espresso on the counter. Flaky croissants filled with custard and topped with chocolate line the bakery display window, tempting the passers-by with their sinful perfection.
Things are different in Rome, Italy, in ways that a Midwesterner would never think of, swapping fries for farfalle and Coke for a glass of bold, rich Chianti.

First, breakfast. A croissant and cup of cappuccino are the norm, a far cry from my usual bowl of Corn Flakes or scrambled eggs. Pastries and coffee go hand-in-hand in Italy even though such a sugary breakfast goes against my healthy-start ideal. In Italy, breakfast is not the most important meal of the day.

Luckily, Italians believe in good food and eat it often. This is where the famed Italian fare that Americans know and love comes into play, although it’s nothing like the spaghetti and meatballs I’ve gotten from home. If you really want to go there, spaghetti and meatballs isn’t even authentic Italian — meat and pasta are rarely served together in the same dish.

The key to Italian cuisine is the freshness of ingredients.

Although that may not come as a surprise, there is much more to the idea of freshness of food than the average American would expect.

Buy in bulk? Think again.