Then, of course, the gastronomic…
DO try new foods (and drinks).
I arrived in the south of Spain well aware of the irony of my decision to study there. Food is my favorite way to get to know a country, and while I don’t consider myself the pickiest person, I do not eat pork or seafood. Of course, these are the two most common foods in the south of Spain. While my host mom was luckily very amused by my weird eating habits, I did eventually learn to eat pork. I can’t say I ever really fell in love with seafood, but I did devour those pork hamburgers I once avoided so rigidly. While pork definitely doesn’t make it in my list of favorite foods, I certainly feel like I would have missed a quintessential part of Spain had I insisted on holding onto my picky habits.
DO eat as much gelato in Italy as you can.
No, seriously—a small gelato in Florence was 1.50 euro. The closest gelato shop to my house in Chicago charges $4.45 for a small, and they only let you pick one flavor. So when in Florence, eat up.