Food in Italy

As an Uruguayan, I feel like I am home in Italy. Uruguay is made of 50% Italian immigrants and 50% Spanish immigrants, therefore there is a great Mediterranean influence in my country. Italy has reminded me of the great tastes that I have not experience for so long. The sauces, the pasta, the meat, even the water, have been tastes that I have forgotten about. Even though I still eat these kinds of foods in the United States, the ingredients are not as fresh, therefore there is a great lost of taste. I love the fact that the meat is so fresh. The meat tastes incredible exquisite, and the only factor that changes it is the freshness of i. I am not a vegetable eater, but I can see the difference in color of the vegetables as well. Also, I was told by my classmates that the fruits and vegetables are super delicious.
One thing that really caught my attention was the use of wine. Italians drink as much wine as they do water, and they drink lots of water. I was very surprised to find wine as part of the drink selection in the cafeteria of the university. I guess that wine is very healthy for people and it seems that is wine of the many contributors to the healthy lifestyle that Italians lead.
I would have to say that my favorite dish so far has been the Kabab. Even though is not an Italian dish, it shows the great influence of spices and flavors that have reached the peninsula, specially from India.
Another thing that I have forgotten about was the portions sizes of the meals. In the United States, the portions of the meals are double the size of the meals in Italy (and Uruguay as well). Even though Italians have two dishes for their meals (primo e secondo piatti), these portions are not very big. Again, I think that this is another factor of the success of the Mediterranean diet.
These are some of the the influences and distinctions that I have encountered so far in my travels through the peninsula of Italy. As a go along, more experiences will come.