One of my favourite treats in Florence was lemon sorbet.
I’ve mentioned before that my nut allergy makes it hard for me to indulge my sweet tooth. This was especially true in Florence; pistachios are everywhere!
I was thrilled to find lemon sorbet. It was safe to eat, sweet, and—a bonus I didn’t know I needed—cold.
The sorbet comes in a frozen husk of lemon, which was not only cute, but also genius. The lemons have the tops cut off—like little hats! The lemon pulp from the hollowed out husks is the main ingredient in the sorbet. You’re charged based on the size of the lemon. Each husk is acts as the bowl, and sorbet is scooped into it.
I love so many things about this treat. It was cute—I’m eating lemon ice cream out of a lemon! It was probably cheap, not having to buy new cones and paper bowls. The husks are, of course, biodegradable, so better for the environment than plastic.
But most of all, these lemon-bowls gave me something I desperately needed: a break from the heat.
The weather in Florence was 37°C the entire time I was there. The city is set up to handle the extreme heat. But even with small, shaded city streets and constant air conditioning, it was still overwhelming to be in the heat for so long.
There are a lot of things I do when I’m travelling to keep my anxiety from spiralling, especially when it comes to heat. After having a heat stroke reaction in Portugal, I always get a bit antsy when I’m in extreme heat. So I’m always thinking—how can I cool down, if I need to?
Ice cream as a method of calming down is something I’m in two minds about. On the one hand, I don’t think it’s great for food to be my only source of comfort. Because that can lead to unhealthy habits, like overeating; or it can make life difficult when I’m in peril and I don’t have a snack.
But on the other hand, I think it would be false to say that food holds no comfort for me at all (and I’ll bet the same is true of most people). We all have things we like to indulge in, and memories surrounding warmth and familiarity often have food at their centre. If you think back to holidays, birthdays, family events—food is often present.
Food also help us slow down mentally. Chewing, savouring flavours, and taking time to enjoy a meal can force us to slow down. They can also add to feelings of anxiety if we rush our meals and gorge ourselves without checking in with our bodies.
So indulging in a little treat might not be a good thing to do too much to calm my nervous system; but I think as long as I have other tools available to me to keep from a panic attack in the heat, I’m not judging myself for indulging in ice cream on hot walking days. As they say, when life gives you lemons…
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