-Tipping is not required in restaurants, at bars, for taxi drivers....Most of these workers are paid by salary or at least a decent hourly wage.
-Newspapers don’t get delivered...if you want a newspaper, you should buy it at a news stand on your way out in the morning
-Dates are shown in day-month-year format, i.e. today is 22/2/10. The time is indicated in 24 hour format. Everything is metric. Prices are displayed with a comma, not a period, i.e. 5,00 not 5.00.
-You have to pay to use most public restrooms, and most don’t have toilet paper!
-Everything closes from about 1pm until about 4pm for lunch, and everything is closed on Sundays as well as one other day of the week (i.e. my hairdresser is closed on Sundays and Mondays, a store down the street is closed on Sundays and Thursdays)
-You have to wear plastic gloves to pick out produce at the grocery store
-You have to pay for plastic bags and bag your own groceries at the grocery store
-Italians don’t put ice in their drinks, don't have ice-makers in their freezers, don't buy bags of ice for cookouts, etc.
-You cant order food ‘to go’ unless you’re at a pizzeria…and boxing up any food you didn’t finish to bring home and eat later is unheard of!
-APERITIVO! Italians traditionally don’t eat dinner until about 9pm, but if you go to a bar around 5pm and order a cocktail, you can help yourself to the free all-you-can-eat aperitivo buffett which can be anything from a selection of cheeses and crackers and meats to pasta and vegetables.
-Leaving bread upside down on atable is considered bad luck (I didn't realize this until I did it once and Bruno yelled at me!)
-Salad is a side dish, not a starter
-Bread does NOT get dipped in a little plate of oil and balsamic (Olive Garden…Carrabbas…WTF?)
-The only salad dressing is oil and vinegar, or nothing at all.
-Servers in restaurants are paid on salary, so they don’t care about table turnover and don’t mind if you sit there all night. Eating dinner is a sacred experience and they want to make sure you enjoy yourself and aren't rushed. On that same note, if you don’t ask for your check, you’re never going to get it!
-Alfredo sauce is not Italian and does not exist in Italy. Additionally, there is not a single pasta dish in Italian cuisine that includes chicken. Put those 2 together = there is no such thing as chicken alfredo! If you ask for 'alfredo' they might bring you the old dishwasher who's name is Alfredo :)
-Grated parmigiano cheese should only be used on pasta…not pizza or salad!
-Chicken or beef as a topping on pizza is unheard of…but any type of pork is okay (sausage, prosciutto, salame).
-The American version of ‘pepperoni’ is non-existent in Italy. In fact, the Italian word for ‘peppers’ is ‘peperoni’, so if you ask for a pepperoni pizza, you will get a pizza with peppers.
-Speaking of pizza, you should never drink wine with pizza (only beer or soda), and it is not possible to ask for a ‘split-topping’ pizza
-Furthermore, speaking of food modifications, it is unheard of to make modifications to your order in Italian restaurants. You take it as it comes, or don’t take it at all. A lot of times they don't even give you a menu, they just tell you what they have to offer that day (and it varies from day to day).
-Sunday is a holy day for soccer!
-Girl watching is the favorite past time of men, second only to soccer. Don’t be alarmed when men and boys stare at you!
-In Italy it is not acceptable to be drunk and there is no such thing as beer pong or flip cup or drinking 'games'.
-While driving in the left lane, leave your left blinker on
-If someone flashes their brights or honks behind you, it is because they want you to move to the right so they can pass you
-No right turn on red!
-‘Martini’ is a vermouth, not a drink. If you ask for a martini, you will be served white vermouth.
Hope you enjoyed :) This was adapted from the article "100+ Things To Know If You're Going To Italy"
More great reading about Italy (Naples in particular):
How I Fell in Love with Naples
Variety is the Spice of Food
Ashhpet
No comments:
Post a Comment