Just over a month in the land of pasta and pizza, and there are some things that appear commonplace in Italy. Here are a few of the things that stood out to me as an American. Things that reveal a way of life different than what I'm use to at home.
Food... Italian. It's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the States we can have sushi for lunch and Mexican for dinner. Maybe a gyro for a snack. Gelato for dessert. A wide range of options pretty much whenever we're hungry. In Italy, there are still a ton of options, but they are all Italian. How many ways can we make pasta? And protein...protein in Italy is like a salad at McDonalds. It's expensive and you just get weird looks when you ask for it. It's all about the carbs. Carbs and wine. I realized pretty quickly on arriving in Italy that it would be nearly impossible to stick to my fairly selective American diet without sacrificing a large part of the experience (and my budget). Food in Italy is more than just food. It's an experience. Each dish is prepared with detail. I made up my mind early on to embrace that Italian food experience, and I did. For those of you who know my eating habits, be proud. Be very proud. I tried it all as it was on the menu, and I really was never disappointed. Hand made pasta and bread are truly delicious. Not a way of eating that I could continue forever but totally worth every food coma. If nothing else, it made my restaurant ordering experience much simpler. I'm usually the girl, "I'll have the grilled chicken burger, gluten free bun, no mayo, no onion, no tomato, extra chicken and can I swap the fries for a salad with dressing on the side". In Italy, "spaghetti please". Lots of good times around the dinner table. But seriously, someone please send me some beef jerky.
Smoking... It's like a thing. Everyone does it. Well not everyone, but enough people for me to recognize it as being societal trend. I'm pretty sure in Naples I saw a fire truck racing down the street with sirens blaring, and both firemen in the front cab had cigarettes hanging out the window. Smoke just becomes something of the norm.
Cat calls... The Italian version of "daaamn girl". In Greece, it was a kissy face sound. In Italy, It's a whistle. In both countries though, it was like some sort of male mating call. One guy would start it and every guy in ear shot would jerk his head until there is this long trail of kissing, whistling men. There is definitely a different culture on objectifying women here. When something like that is said in the US, it's looked down on, and it's definitely not something that spreads like wildfire to all men in range. Guys say what they are thinking here. I have been told that this is a form of flattery, but I was pretty offended by it at first. I'm not typically the full fledge girl power type, but It actually made me angry. As time went on, though, I heard it less. I don't know if that's because I started to blend in a little better or if I just learned to tune it out, but it definitely made me thankful to have respectful men in my life.
Cities... Everything I've ever heard about Italy has always revolved around the romantized areas of Italy that captivated locals and guests alike in its rustic charm, and there are a lot of those places in Italy that truly take your breath away. However, there were a few places didn't fit the fairy tale picture. I actually found a lot of the main Italian cities to be dirty. Littered with trash and graffiti. I would walk down a street and compare to the cities in the US where we expect a level of cleanliness and customer service pretty much unmatched by any other country, but what price do we pay for that? Americans are viewed as money hungry workhorses, and as an economical society we 100% live up to that. Every, and I mean every European, I spoke with on the topic talked about how they worked 33-38 hour work weeks and enjoyed 6 weeks of vacation a year. I can't speak for every American, but I know the majority of us realize only a fraction of that in our careers. As a society, The Italians have a focus on family and quality of life. We have a primary focus on economic success and security. I'm not convinced that either is better than the other. The fact of the matter is that everything has a cost. We live at a high material and social standard but sacrifice a more relaxed way of life. The Italians live the opposite. I've done a lot of reflecting on this, and I honestly can't decide which one I want more. I want both. Balance. Quality of life and economic stability. Maybe it's a personal decision. Maybe it's up to the individual to decide what is worth sacrificing, or maybe it's our job as the rising generations to challenge the status quo of both and to find the right equilibrium point.
Italy is a special place. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time there, but let the adventures continue. I've made it safely to Spain.
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