By: Kathleen Hughes, foreign correspondent
Everyone has heard the popular stereotypes of Americans vs. Italians. Americans are in a rush, while Italians have all the time in the world. Americans are early and Italians are late. Americans place work above everything else, but Italians value food first and foremost. Americans eat processed junk and Italians eat delicious homemade dishes. Americans are stressed, while Italians are relaxed.
After living in Rome, Italy for around a month now, I can safely say that, while these stereotypes are not representative of every part of Italian culture, they do ring true to a certain extent. My first experience with this came after going to a restaurant with some friends for a quick meal, and getting scoffed at by the waiter when we said we didn’t want any appetizers. I thought this was a fair request; abstaining from an appetizer in America is not uncommon and definitely doesn’t warrant a judgment from the waiter. However, in Italian culture, I’m learning that it is just plain rude not to indulge in and enjoy a multi-course dinner that lasts hours long.
It’s taken me a little while to get used to eating dinner for 3 hours or more and being expected to order the chef’s recommendations or specials for the night, but I’m slowly realizing the beauty of an Italian dinner. Dinner is no longer a bullet on my list of things to do, it is an experience I look forward to every night. Eating dinner like an Italian is teaching me to slow down and enjoy what is right in front of me. Every bite of gnocchi, every taste of wine is meant to be taken slowly, with conscious pleasure and enjoyment. It is impossible to sit for three hours at a restaurant, surrounded by friends, and not find happiness in the clink of glasses and laughter that echoes in the restaurant.
This revelation, however, hasn’t completely changed my “American” instincts. I still find myself in a rush sometimes, wanting to grab a quick meal to-go as I move on to the next activity, but I’ve started reminding myself to slow down when this happens and remember the important lesson that that Italian dinners have taught me.
