2. Cyclops

On his journey back home, Odysseus and his men came across an island where a Cyclops named Polyphemus lived. Cyclopes are known as uncivilized shepherds who have one single round eye. When Odysseus landed on this inhabited island, he saw a cave filled with loot like sheep, milk, and cheese. His men advised him to take the loot and leave, but as the arrogant and prideful man that he was, he decided to stay and wait for Polyphemus. The Cyclops ended up eating quite of few of his men. However, they eventually escaped by blinding the Cyclops. Since Odysseus told Polyphemus his identity for glory, the Cyclops put a curse on him so that he couldn't return to Ithaka (his home) after a long time. 

First of all, I would rate this experience a 1 out of 10 because I am not trying to be eaten by a giant Cyclops. I only put 1 point for the food and resources there. 

However, the place where Cyclops lived is actually a wonderful island near Italy called Sicily. It even rhymes! 

The most mesmerizing part about this island was the views of the clear aquamarine waters. I also recommend taking a boat tour and looking at the beautiful green mountains from afar. How I felt about Sicily was quite the opposite of what I felt about the Cyclops's island in the Odyssey.


It's always important to try street food when visiting a place to find the true authenticity of the cuisine. One of my new favorite foods I tried in Palermo, the capital of Sicily, was arancini, which is a fried ball of rice stuff with a variety of meat and vegetables. I also had to get some fresh seafood since I was on an island. I tried polpo bolito, which was boiled octopus and seafood. Although seafood isn't my favorite, the flavor was too good to be true. 

Since the polpo bolito place didn't offer any food challenges, my goal was to finish 8 platters of polpo bolito. When I asked the man at the stand for 8 plates, he was quite shocked, which I laughed at. I was enjoying my food three platters in, but then I started to feel a little sick since seafood and my stomach don't work well together. I had 2 more platters but had to drop the challenge. I gave the last 3 plates to this homeless family at the end of the street, so I guess it was meant to happen! Although this challenge was a failure, it felt like a win to me. 

Overall, I would rate this place a 10 out of 10. The place, the food, and the people were absolutely amazing, and I would definitely come again. 


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