What's in that drawer?

Waiting and wondering about my apartment...

Let me introduce you to my kitchen in Italy.

To be sure, my Italian Kitchen and I haven’t actually met in person, only virtually by way of Giovanni, the agent who helped me secure the apartment.

You may notice a few things about this kitchen. I saw right away that while there is plenty of cupboard storage, there is precious little — sorry, not any — counter space. There’s a cooktop (gas, which is wonderful!), and a sink, and a drainboard for the sink. I could and probably will use the drainboard as a counter if I get a cutting board to fit it.

That means the round table is going to serve as my main counter for cooking prep. And also as a dining room. In addition to being a desk where I’ll work and write. That’s a lot to expect from a table, don’t you think?

You might also notice there’s no oven.

Make no mistake, I’m really happy about this place — the size, the location, the natural light, the gas range, even the smallish fridge — but I’m still working through the challenges I’ll face without an oven.

No cookies or brownies. No frittata. No roasted meat or veggies. No fresh-baked bread.

No pizza.

Now this is a Very Serious Problem, I will have to address this VSP, because I must be able to make pizza. So maybe a large toaster oven, or small convection oven, something like that.

Which will have to go on the multipurpose table…

But also, what is in the cabinets, and those drawers? This is a furnished apartment, but it’s not an AirBnB, so you can see the table and chairs, but it might not have any utensils or plates or cups or mixing bowls or a can opener. The cupboards could be bare, and I might have to buy all those things as I need them, hopefully with a little bit of forethought so it’s not an emergency.

Or they might be full of all manner of surprises.

Of course, I could call Giovanni, but knowing the answer now really won’t help me, because it’s not like I’m going to plates and flatware and measuring cups with me. I’ll be on the lookout for a thrift store, or whatever they call it in Italy. (Any help out there?)

Also missing from the picture, but possibly in one of the cupboards, is any type of coffee maker. This is more important than even an oven! It’s one of the first things I do when I check into a hotel or rental — determine what kind of coffee or filter or pod is required to have good coffee in the morning. (To be sure, you’ll hear me rant about coffee and coffee makers and coffee pods in future posts.)

I did a small bit of research on Italian coffee makers, and learned from that, and from my travels, that Italians greatly favor pod machines over drip coffee, although the Moka stovetop pots are still quite popular. So, depending on what’s in those cupboards, I may have to get a coffee maker, and if I do, I have some ideas about what to look for. I’ll keep you posted.

But whether I have to buy one, or there’s a coffee maker in one of the cupboards, it will probably have to go on that table…