HKEY — Italy is drastically different from the United States in multiple ways, whether it is the food and
wine aspect or how they enjoy their free time. At each restaurant there are around three or
four courses in a meal and they expect you to pick one of each, they do not like it when you just
order one item, or at least it is not customary. That being said, the restaurant takes their time
and there is no rush. Another example are the caffe’s, there is no “to go” option usually and
most of the time customers enjoy their coffee in the caffe itself. Overall, there is very little rush
and people take their time in everything they do. That is the biggest difference to the United
States. Being raised in America, and having strict parents as far as timing, I did not like this
aspect of Italy. Going in I did expect this, so it was not a surprise. When I needed to be
somewhere, it was difficult to grab food or even be efficient as far as transportation. In Italy
they have a trend called “slow food” which is supposed to be the opposite of America’s fast
food. This is the idea of taking time making food, making it high quality and worth the wait. This
is all about the health and quality of food. Compared to the United States that lacks quality in
order to have the output of food as fast as possible. At that point it is all about your preference.
In America I can count on a Chick-fil-a having an order ready in ten minutes, but In Italy it is
difficult to find a spot where you can get somewhat quality food in the same amount of time.
From Italy’s perspective, I can understand the culture behind the food and wine. It is rooted
very deep in their history, and in the United States we do not have that. The aspect of enjoying
their time and eating very well makes a ton of sense giving their history. One aspect I do not
understand is the lack of time awareness, or at least being aware but not caring. I feel as if it is
universal for things to be at a certain time, and people are aware of that and as a result make it
on time. I understand it is culture, but what is the difference between saying “I’ll be there at
1pm, and be 15 minutes late” and “I’ll be there at 1:15pm”. That I do not understand from their
perspective. I think they would understand how I feel, but at the same time, it is normal for
them to do this, and as a result they would continue to operate that way. Studying abroad has
definitely increased my understanding of other cultures all throughout Europe. I think a major
step is preparing for what you expect, and then once you are there, to see it in person. That
helps me Identify the cultural norms versus what is not true. That is true for every culture that I
encountered in my time abroad. I am more traveled and more aware of cultures globally
because of this trip
