In Italy, a number of chemical cleaning products are on the market for the purpose of limiting the amount of time one must spend cleaning house. Take, for example this "easy wax," a floor polish that can be spread with an ordinary damp mop, so that you don't have to go digging in your closet for the floor polishing machine and put down real melted wax (duh). You can see the picture of a floor waxing machine in the upper left corner of the label, with a red line through it. I had to ask someone what it was... In America, we know that the ultimate purpose of all chemical cleaning products is so you don't have to clean your house at all. As usual, we're a step ahead.
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Italians and Americans have wildly different feelings about doctors. Leaving due room for the exceptions, Americans in general trust the advice of medical professionals and scientists in general, and Italians in general do not. Here are two true examples that illustrate this nicely:
A) After an Italian Person I know went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a fairly serious condition we had the following conversation: Self: So, what do you have to do about it? IP: Sometimes I have to take a pill. Self: What do you mean sometimes? IP: Well they told me to take it after every meal, so I decided only to take it after dinner. Self: ... IP: Anyway, they said something about it conflicting with another medicine I have... Self (becoming alarmed): What? Isn't that serious? IP: Well I had already decided not to really take that other one all that often anymore, anyway... Self: ... B) After an American Person I know went to the doctor... Self: What's that? AP: Oh it's a nasal steroid. Self: For what? AP: My sinuses. Self: I didn't know you had sinus trouble. AP: I don't, really, but she asked if sometimes I get stuffed up and she gave me this prescription. Self: ... AP: So I'm gonna try it and see if it helps... It may be tempting sometimes to think that Italians are like us. That because they walk, talk, go to school, have jobs, fall in love, have hobbies, and do other things like us that we are the same. But Italians are not like us. They think things we do not think and they say things we do not say.
If you are ever tempted to think that American and Italian cultures are pretty much the same, just remember that Italian men normally greet one another, "Hi beautiful," and that ought to clear things up. In America, a refrigerator is a large kitchen appliance that keeps perishable foodstuffs cold.
In Italy, a refrigerator is a small kitchen appliance that keeps perishable foodstuffs cold. American baby pet names include: honey, sugar, cupcake, and sweetie pie.
Italian baby pet names include: onion and potato. E' più forte di noi!!!!!!!!!!! In America, everybody coasts on Friday.
In Italy, everybody coasts in July. If you're gonna splurge in the States, you get the brand instead of the generic.
If you're gonna splurge in Italy, you get the generic instead of the brand. In America, you may well catch cold if you, say, shake hands with someone with a cold, share fries or a drink with someone with a cold, touch a doorknob that was just touched by someone with a cold, get sneezed on by someone with a cold, or engage in any number of similar activities involving someone with a cold.
In Italy, you may well catch cold if you do any of the above activities, but you may also catch cold if you: Walk around your house barefoot. Take a "hit of air." Wear shoes without socks. Forget your umbrella in inclement weather. Experience wind. Experience any barometric changes. Have spent too long away from the sea. Have spent to long away from the mountains. It's more dangerous being Italian. Italians have a well-known expression: "Anyone who eats alone is either a thief or a spy."
In America, this expression may explain a lot. If you enter into a Google search bar the English words "cook time," Google fills in the rest of the search with the word "turkey."
If you enter into Google the equivalent Italian words "tempo cottura," Google fills in the rest of the search with the word "polipo" - octopus. Different strokes... |
AuthorI'm an American living in Italy and making gross generalizations about it. Categories
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