i grew up with ice cream. literally.
my family owns ice cream factories in manila. in fact, one is just right behind the house in makati where i was raised. according to my parents, the family business really started to kick off when i was born. i supposedly brought the luck, hence, they named it after me. ish. its called 'sunshine' and my real name means something like 'first rays of sunshine.' its a stretch, i know but it makes for a good story.
no, i don't get to eat ice cream everyday if that's what you're thinking next. i do get to eat it often enough though. i don't know how to do it the factory way, but i've had several attempts in making my own ice cream with the homemade machines available now. i make awesome ice cream if i may say so myself (pats self on the back) :P
it has always been something that i'm proud of. it started with my grandfather who worked his way from an ice cream vendor to practically monopolizing the ice cream industry. i use the word loosely, but i'm referring to the 'dirty ice cream' or what we call the 'sorbetes' which is the filipinized version of the italian gelato. everyone in manila knows what dirty ice cream is. its part of everyone's childhood and it's a pop culture icon.
but like any kind of business, the sorbetes may have run its course already. its been around since the 1920's i think. its now just a novelty that people look back on or crave for sometimes. they're more interested in sophisticated, complex flavours now.
which is where i step in. well, that's the plan anyway.
i've had this idea of taking a gelato course a few years ago. back then, it seemed like such a farfetched idea. fastforward to now -> i just paid for a four-week course in italy this september!
the full course will be in bologna, italy at the carpigiani gelato university. they've sent me the letter of invitation to process the student visa. i'm working out the other requirements like travel insurance, accommodations, flights, etc.
i'm also learning italian - io parlo poco italiano. as in very very little. i started just last week so i have about under three months to go. i can sort of understand what i've read though i'm not very sure if i will be able to follow conversations, especially since italians can talk very fast haha i'm pretty sure it'll be hilarious trying to make sense of what the other person is saying. one of my future posts will definitely be about language and communication barriers. but still, even if i don't get to speak it fluently, i'm working on building up my vocabulary in italian words so i don't get lost, so to speak.
i'm still finalizing the dates but it looks like i'll be spending 6 weeks there. the course takes 4 weeks so i have two weeks to go around, maybe travel to nearby places, get to know the city. i am soooo excited! this is definitely going to be an adventure! one of those potentially life-changing events. i can't wait!
