There are certain food items my family would be unhappy to do without: eggs, milk, peanut butter, and basil. Only one of these items is not a regular part of the Italian diet.
I had heard that the big, fancy gourmet food store near the Vatican, Castroni, was the place to find peanut butter. This store is amazing for its glittering array of precious victuals. The pleasure is in gazing at the novelties, and not in purchasing. There is one high shelf in particular that had me staring in dumbstruck awe. Call it a shrine to American cravings.
For the sorry traveler who feels deprived and disappointed by what Rome has to offer in the edible realm, here is his Skippy, her Betty Crocker. See the size of the Skippy jar? See the price tag, in euros, above it (3.90)? The cravings must be strong, indeed. This was not the place for me to buy peanut butter.
I asked my friend Jeannie where to get it. She told me about Canestra, a health food store in Trastevere, not far from the cheese shop where I got the ricotta. This is what I’ve been looking for:
It’s organic (biologico) but not local; it’s made in Germany.
The other items on my list of essentials are very local. The milk and eggs are from the immediate region of Rome. We buy them from the Rome Sustainable Food Project. The milk is whole, unpasteurized, and delicious—especially frothed up in the form of a cappuccino made by Alessandro at the Academy bar.
The basil, in a picture here by Jack, is in our window basket.
The Roving Locavore 
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