A few months ago I wrote an article about 11 Things Thai People Do (that we don’t) that got very popular among my readers. Since I have spent in Italy 20 times more time than in Thailand I felt that I need to share my observations about Italians too. They are quite a lot but I narrowed them down to only 13. Here they are:
- They only eat sweet breakfast – cappuccino, coffee or milk, accompanied by croissants or biscuits is a standard. Bread with cheese, eggs and sausages are seen as sacrilege to the morning routine.
- They blow their nose in public – this was once of the things that startled me during my first year at the university. I still remember how me and a friend (you, Tapsy!) were about to collapse from the hard laughing when a guy blew his nose in the middle of a Finance class. Coming from a country where it is seen as impolite to do so it really felt strange (and funny) witnessing this kind of scenes. But, between you and me, now I do it too. It is actully much easier to blow your nose right where you stand than leaving the room or looking for a place out of sight. I am so used to it that I only realize that I might not be behaving according to the etiquette when I am in another country and people turn their heads to check what’s happening 😀
- They live with their parents until they can – usually the thought “Now that I have a job I can move alone” never crosses the mind of the young Italians (read as 20-40 y.o.). There are multiple reasons for this, from the poor social politics of the country, to the low salaries and the difficult mortgage credit access, but the truth is that it’s just better to stay with La Mamma.
- They eat pasta every day – the first course (primo) is normally pasta in one if its infinite versions. The locals eat it every day unless they are on a very severe diet. It is also the very first thing they miss when out of the country.
- They dress for the season not for the weather – I realized this when, many years ago, my flatmate, visibly preoccupied, asked me how could I go out dressed like that (jeans and half-sleeved shirt) in October?! It was a hazy autumn day but the temperatures were above 20 C. I noticed that, regardless the warm weather the majority of the people were actually wearing coats and scarves just because it is supposed to do so at the end of October.
- They eat when it is time to eat not when they are hungry – in Italy is not socially acceptable to have dinner before 20:00 (ot lunch beofre 13:00). For instance, if you are hungry at 19:30 you get yourself a snack and wait for the right time to arrive. So, here is another one from my flatmate. She had invited her friends over for a dinner, they arrived around 19:30, we talked for a bit, everything was ready and someone said, ok let’s sit on the table, we are hungry. So we did and just when I was about to grab a piece of food with my fork, my flatmate screamed terrified “But guys it’s 10 to 20:00, we can not eat that early!” And that’s how we all got up and went again in the living room to have a chat..
- They pronounce the English words the Italian way – they read them as if they were written in Italian. That’s how I have a small home in Wimbledon becomes [Ai æf a zmol əʊm in Uimbledon]. And don’t forget to be more Social [Sotʃal].
My nephew’s English book. Did somebody say transcription? - They are obsessed with tan – I guess all the Westerners are but here the pro-capita index of all-year-round (hard) tanned people is much higher than in any other country.
- They are afraid of pigeons – in the collective Italian mind pigeons are seen as flying rats, whose only purpose in life is to transmit diseases. It is not uncommon at all to hear girls screaming when a pigeon flies nearby.
Tourists, on the contrary, are not afraid at all. - They don’t like the sunlight – I can understand that in summer, when the sun hits your window you might want to stay fresh and pull down the blinds. But in autumn, winter, spring, why?
- They dress well – Italians are without a shadow of doubt the best dressed people on the planet. With their “sprezzatura” (the art of looking good without trying too hard) looks, sharply cut suits and perfectly matched accessories they are an infinite source of fashion inspiration.
- They don’t know their traditional dances – it is surprising how in Italy you can go to Latin Amercan dances, Belly Dancing, Bollywood dances, Irish dances, etc., but if you want to learn the local dances it can turn into impossible task (maybe a little less in Salento region where they keep the tradition of Pizzica alive). While in most countries there is no social gathering like a wedding or a country fair without folk dancing, here I have yet to meet at least one person who can show me a step or two of a local dance.
- They have the best gelato – they just know how to do it. Going for an ice cream is also one of the favorite pastimes and excuses to meet with friends. Especially in summer, a gelato meet up after dinner is a must.
Have you noticed anything else that relates to Italians?
I just sent your article to one of my friends at work. She is Italian. I wonder what she says about it. I’m pretty sure she will like your post 😉 I at least enjoyed reading it very much!
Thank you Dennis! That was very kind of you! I am very curious about the feedback 😀
Point 6 is totally false… If you’ve met only southerners yes maybe it is, but just because the souther you go, the later they eat. It’ s like this in the whole world. Norwegians eat earlier than Egyptians. Milanesi eat earlier than sicilians. At the north you can eat at 19, at the south they don’t do it but not because it’s “illegal”, they’re just used like that. Probably your mate was shocked bc she’s not used to eat that early, but usually when you have finished your working day you go home, cook and eat. Whatever time it is.
But it s true that we eat anyway at lunch and dinner, never passing any meal.
Oh, same for the lunch. You can also have it at 12.
To conclude, let’s not try to find a rule for it, we just eat, there aren t rules about the time lol