I’ll be the first one to admit it – I haven’t got an ounce of Martha Stewart in me. Mostly my menu consists of macaroni and cheese and hamburgers. So when I walked into my flat in Florence and saw a nicely sized kitchen, the first words out of my mouth certainly weren’t, “Clear a path to the stove.”

It’s simply that the extent of my culinary abilities is very limited. After holding the esteemed title of Subway Sandwich Artist for nearly four years, I make one mean Cold Cut Trio.

But since I don’t have the vast array of meats, cheeses, and breads at my disposal here in Italy, I have to find a way to circumvent the problem of feeding myself. Luckily I live in a country that is known for its delectable cuisines. Think Olive Garden, only 10 times better.

Needless to say, I’ve spent quite a large amount of my time and money experiencing the joys of Florentine cookery. Florence is home to hundreds of restaurants of different sizes, types, and atmospheres. Many are family-owned and serve millions of tourists year-round. Although I haven’t patronized all of them, due to my dilemma concerning cooking, I have become well acquainted with the concept of dining out, Italian style.

Contrary to popular belief, Italians create and enjoy a plethora of dishes other than pizza and pasta. Although these two are especially tasty here, my friends and I have tried many other exotic dishes such as swordfish, squid and octopus. And it stretches far beyond the seafood I just mentioned. Gnocci – which translates to something like potato dumplings in English – is pretty popular. As is bistecca di Fiorentina, a choice of more wealthy steak lovers.

The atmosphere and overall ambiance of Italian eateries is also enticing. The restaurants look small from the street, but once inside, I’ve found the candlelit tables, artwork, and lively Italian melodies playing softly in the background make for a very charming atmosphere. But the true beauty of the Italian dining experience lies not only in the fantastic food and quaint atmosphere, but also in the structure of the meal itself.

Italian meals are made up of four courses: Antipasto or primo (appetizers or first course), Secondo (main entree), Contorno (side dishes), and Dolce (dessert). And when dining out at a sit down restaurant it is considered the mark of a tourist to order only one course.

On most occasions the waiter will seat you and within minutes of presenting the menu he will take the order for drinks and food. Wine and bread are staples of the Italian meal and provide a nice snack before your food is ready. The bread is certainly not your average Hy-Vee loaf quality. It is tough on the outside but once you break it apart and take a bite, it melts in your mouth.

Since Florence is nestled in the middle of Tuscany, near the village of Chianti, red wine is the wine of choice. It is served at all times of the day and if I choose (which I usually do) I can have it with every meal. Shortly after ordering, the waiter is back with the first course. Apparently Florentines are extremely speedy cooks.

To this day I haven’t had to wait longer than seven minutes to get my first course. And herein lies my only gripe about dining out in Florence.

Waiters and waitresses don’t interact a lot with patrons. I’m sometimes tempted to think I’d have better rapport with a cashier at McDonalds during the middle of a noon rush when one burger fryer is on the fritz than I develop here with any of the wait staff. In general the European mentality is that people go to restaurants to interact with the people they came with and don’t wish to be interrupted.

Personally I miss the, “Hey, my name is Paul and I’ll be your server tonight here at Perkins.”

But what they lack in customer relations skills, they make up for in efficiency. After completing one course, the next is brought almost immediately and the patron is left to enjoy the food. When the Secondo and Contorno courses are finished, dessert is served. The choices for desserts range from plain old gelato (Italian equivalent of ice cream) to tiramisu. Most of the places I’ve been also offer excellent cakes and truffles as well. And once the meal is finished, my favorite perk of eating out Italian style is there is no rushing through a meal to be slapped with the check right away.

The Italian philosophy is that once given a table at a restaurant, it is yours for the evening. In fact sometimes I think it is harder to get the check here in Italy than it is to find a table at Cy’s on Buck Burger Nite.

Overall, however, the pluses of dining out in Italy definitely dwarf the minuses and I am only a bit disappointed that no one will be mistaking me for Martha anytime soon.

Christy Steffen is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Ruthven. She is studying abroad in Florence, Italy for a semester.