EU after 12 years (19): Food Experience in Genova; Cacio e Pepe

I walked down a lot of stairs when I was returning from the roof of Genova and wanted to have some lunch. I found this place called Cacio e Pepe, e meaning and in Italian, a small delicatessen-restaurant in the old part of the city and despite language barrier which was the first impression, I was directed to the second floor which is small dining area exists. You need to understand that unlike Canada and the US, Italy is considered a small country and space is limited. So eating a small place with tables close to each other and waitresses running around, is normal. It is normal but it might not feel comfortable but you need to accept it, focus on your food and enjoy it. Otherwise the best way to do that is just simply having take out and in your hotel room. 

With that said, I sat as a two-person table and a waitress, a young girl came to me. Here's the good thing about Italy. Most of the young people know enough English to be able to serve you. Some pretend they don't, simply because they either don't like you for who you are, they way you look or they simply hate their job so much that they prefer to act in a way that everything becomes miserable for you! I hardly had the second experience but I have had some encounters like that. However, I have to mention everywhere I went in Italy, from museums to store and from cafes to restaurants they treated me like an Italian first as apparently I look like an Italian! Their behaviour, mostly didn't change much and I got good services. I think it would not be a bad idea to study some Italian and simply make my next foreign trip to Italy to see how it might go! 

You go up and down many sets of stairs between private properties and beautiful areas in the City of Genova when you go deep in different communities

I think bread is served to you in most Italian restaurants and bistros when you sit. At least that was my experience in two, out of four places that I ate but that is as long as you're not having pitza. The food arrived fast, considering the place is more of a delicatessen than a restaurant, meaning the food is made and they probably heating it up. I'm not sure. This only is my guess and here is another problem I've had in all four restaurants I ate in Italy: The food was never hot. It was lukewarm at best. I ordered some Ligurian Pasta and some Olives. The Olives were excellent. I truly loved them. The Pasta, with Pesto and no meat, I would say, was good, different from everything I had tried before and quite filling. I should've ordered some dessert but I didn't. I think it cost something like €16 which equals to CAN $24.5 but I think the machine showed CAN $27 but it doesn't matter now.

Some of the food on display in Cacio e Pepe Delicatessen

I thanks the old gentlemen whom I assume was the owner and he was very pleased. We communicated through Google Translate, of course. I also bumped to two Italian young fellas from the south, from Calabria or Campania, I think, don't remember exactly, who were there obviously for work as many southern Italians do and one of them who spoke a little English said they would go there for take-out almost every day. 

Will I go there again, the next time I'm in Liguria? Certainly and simply because I'd like to try all the other sorts of foods.

(Photo, top: My meal at Casio e Pepe)