Finally, I communicate with the Italians
I'm ready for a good night's rest when Marcello convinces me, with great effort, to party last night at Campo de Fiori. Before leaving, we talk a couple Italian girls into coming along. But by now the busses have stopped running. We decide instead to stay around the hostel and drink some cheap wine.
The Italian girls are from a seaside village about an hour east of Florence. I ask about good food in the region, and they suggest Florentine beefsteak. Pig tripe is also a popular dish. These seem much different from my original impression of Italian food, but more like the food in Northern Spain.
I mention that pizza is very different in Chicago. They are amazed that deep dish pizza can be about 4 inches thick, with loads of tomato sauce and meat. Italian pizza, a taste I enjoy less, is thin, oily, and usually lacks meat and tomato sauce.
The Italian girl I talk with understands only a little English, nevertheless impressive for having learned it all from a university course. She is a 23 years old recent graduate from University of Pisa, majoring in art from the Middle Ages.
The tuition set her back considerably at 1,000 euros per year. It sounds like the U.S. system where student loans can last years after graduation. But this relatively cheap tuition for the U.S. is expensive because of Italy's weakening economy. This, according to her, is mostly due to Berlusconi's poor economic decisions as Prime Minister. People, particularly in the South, often work long, hard hours and earn only 1,000 euros a month. This certainly factors into the declining birth rate in Italy.
On a lighter note, she is a fan of The Simpsons, especially Mr. Burns. The show unfortunately loses much of its subtle humor in the Italian translation, but increases the resolve to immerse herself in English. Unlike me though, she watches The Griffins, what Italian TV calls Family Guy. I don't mention that, despite the show's popularity with my friends, I hate Family Guy.
As my trip through Italy ends soon, I'm especially pleased to have hung out with the Italian girls. They are the only Italians I've talked to in any depth. In fact, the majority of Italians I meet in Rome don't speak English at all.
The Italian girls are from a seaside village about an hour east of Florence. I ask about good food in the region, and they suggest Florentine beefsteak. Pig tripe is also a popular dish. These seem much different from my original impression of Italian food, but more like the food in Northern Spain.
I mention that pizza is very different in Chicago. They are amazed that deep dish pizza can be about 4 inches thick, with loads of tomato sauce and meat. Italian pizza, a taste I enjoy less, is thin, oily, and usually lacks meat and tomato sauce.
The Italian girl I talk with understands only a little English, nevertheless impressive for having learned it all from a university course. She is a 23 years old recent graduate from University of Pisa, majoring in art from the Middle Ages.
The tuition set her back considerably at 1,000 euros per year. It sounds like the U.S. system where student loans can last years after graduation. But this relatively cheap tuition for the U.S. is expensive because of Italy's weakening economy. This, according to her, is mostly due to Berlusconi's poor economic decisions as Prime Minister. People, particularly in the South, often work long, hard hours and earn only 1,000 euros a month. This certainly factors into the declining birth rate in Italy.
On a lighter note, she is a fan of The Simpsons, especially Mr. Burns. The show unfortunately loses much of its subtle humor in the Italian translation, but increases the resolve to immerse herself in English. Unlike me though, she watches The Griffins, what Italian TV calls Family Guy. I don't mention that, despite the show's popularity with my friends, I hate Family Guy.
As my trip through Italy ends soon, I'm especially pleased to have hung out with the Italian girls. They are the only Italians I've talked to in any depth. In fact, the majority of Italians I meet in Rome don't speak English at all.
posted by Mike Rainey at 12:43 PM
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