Food, Gastroparesis, and Scicli
A reflection on food, fear, and unexpected joy.
We are very obviously tourists, and photographers. I’m not exactly sure how to communicate that I am absolutely not the person they want photographing and reviewing their incredible food, but when locals see the camera, some either try to decline payment in exchange for tagging them in a post, or they make sure what they serve us is picture perfect (the first time lol).
To be honest, it hasn’t mattered for five years how delicious the food looked, how minimally processed it was, or what it tasted like — it hurt. A lot of my time was spent figuring out how to get nutrients into my body without it becoming painful or simply just making me sick. I knew I seemed to be developing allergies to certain foods, but didn’t realize with time I wouldn’t be able to digest them at all.
I was nervous. Genuine Italian food typically contains mostly non “Jess-safe” ingredients. I knew I would be able to find food — I just figured it would be boring.
There is nothing boring about the food here.
Not even a panino al pollo, which is a chicken sandwich — but I would eat at the first shop we went to every day if I could just figure out the schedule. I don’t often eat chicken that wasn’t prepared by myself or Brooks; one unexpected texture and my stomach flops. I also don’t really try new foods. It typically isn’t worth the risk.
The people of Scicli are kind, and patient. They do not want you taking risks on the food they so lovingly prepared. They want you to love it — but they also want to make sure you know what it is.
Most of our meals have been something on the smaller side, but we recently went to a market to try a new place and left with at least four meals worth of food. We saw familiar dishes on the menu outside and went in to order. It was nearing the end of the evening, and they were out of all things we knew we would love.
We started communicating with broken phrases and gestures, eventually being handed some fried pumpkin to verify that we did in fact want that. After that shocked us in the best way possible, they had three other Sicilian recommendations.
He was insistent upon us trying the dish with trippa in it. She was a little hesitant and made sure to gesture to her stomach and say “calf.” I had my “ooooohh it’s tripe” moment — and then had to decide if I was going to be brave.
Why not? I’ve already eaten more tomato than I have been able to eat in five years combined without issue. Let’s try a texture I haven’t been brave enough to try since learning what it was almost two decades ago.
We also left with lasagna, caponata (sweet and sour vegetable stew), zucca fritta (fried pumpkin), arancini (deep fried rice balls with meat, cheese, and peas), and of course — bread.
The lasagna was very much the best lasagna I’ve ever eaten, and arancini was added to the list of things I could eat every single day. We were happy and full, so we saved the rest for today.
We had the trippa con patate e pomodoro (tripe, potato, tomato) for lunch and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I truly did enjoy it. The only thing that caused any hesitation was the texture — but I went in expecting that, and it was absolutely delicious.
Later, for dinner, we reheated the lasagna with the pumpkin and had the stew — eaten cold or room temperature — on the side with bread.
I cannot even begin to describe the way I was able to taste every part of the stew with familiar flavors in a whole different way. It literally gave me goosebumps.
Food — something that has been causing me pain for five years — gave my tastebuds and body so much joy that my nervous system said “woah” in the most wonderful way.
I have no idea how to express my gratitude and excitement to the couple who were too kind, had no cares about presentation, and filled a bag to the brim with love — but I’ve got about two weeks left here, and I’m going to figure it out.
