The following article was originally posted at Babbel Blog
1. Think outside the box
When a new and
unexpected problem arises, don’t wait for some expert to fix it for you – get
creative and fix it yourself. Don’t know how? Improvise! Are you already aware
of a standard solution? Come up with ten alternatives! Even if you lack the
right tools and expertise, devising your own wonky and eccentric DIY solutions
is much more satisfying than going by the book. Perform such experiments with a
confident, winning smile and no one will even realize that you’re making it up
as you go along.
2. Drive on every road like it’s a Formula 1 track
Who are you when
you get behind the wheel of a car? Another anonymous commuter letting your life
slip away as you sit in traffic? Some timid schmuck waiting for permission to
pass? No! You are a celebrity racecar driver and everyone else on the road is
in your way. Be impatient, proud, rude and, most importantly, fast. And when
you reach your destination, don’t waste time looking for a place to park – use
rule #1 to invent your own parking spot.
3. Talk with your hands
This is probably
Italian stereotype numero uno, but guess what? This one is definitely true.
Hand gestures are such a central part of speech for us that legendary Italian
artist and designer Bruno Munari even catalogued the different gestures in a
visual dictionary, Speak Italian: The Fine Art of the Gesture. Speaking Italian
with your hands stiffly at your sides is like speaking with tape over your
mouth – let your hands join in on the conversation!
4. Don’t just speak, sing
To many
non-Italians, our spoken language sounds like music. It’s true, that along with
expressive gestures, our words are augmented with a rising and falling musical
inflection. I guess it’s no surprise that Italians invented opera.
5. Completely ignore language barriers
Did you know
that every Italian is a polyglot? OK, so that’s not completely true, but that
shouldn’t stop you from believing it’s true. The next time you are visiting a
non-Italian-speaking country, talk to the locals in Italian. If they don’t
understand at first, speak more loudly and use bigger hand gestures. In the
face of such loud, expressive Italian, every language barrier will collapse,
and you’ll be able to communicate with whomever you want. My mother uses this
technique every time she travels, and it always works!
6. Be a fashion victim
If there is one
issue on which Italians are not willing to compromise, it is style. Do as the
Italians do, and then, even at your least stylish, you will still probably look
better than everyone else. What can I say? Good taste comes naturally to us!
7. Find something new to complain about every day
We Italians tend
to complain about everything. Any topic might get our blood boiling: government
misdeeds, crooked politicians, local gossip. And when it does, we can become
passionately angry, demanding strikes and demonstrations… until the next day
when something else happens and we easily drop yesterday’s indignations for a
new cause.
8. Your mamma and nonna are the best cooks in the
world. This is not up for debate!
To be a real
Italian, you must believe – deep in your heart – that no one can cook a better
meal than your mother or grandmother. But a warning to men: don’t let this love
of good home cooking turn you into a mammone (“mama’s boy”) who never moves out
because he’s got it so good.
9. Accept any criticism about Italy, but only if it
comes from another Italian
As mentioned in
point #7, criticizing things is a national pastime, but criticizing Italy is a
right reserved for us and us alone. When a non-Italian criticizes Italy in
front of me, a strange thing happens. Even if I agree with them 100%, some
proud, patriotic impulse comes out of nowhere and compels me to vehemently
defend my quirky, imperfect country.
10. Know your food rules
There are
certain things that you should never ever do with your food:
never eat spaghetti with a spoon
never put pesto in a sandwich (use fresh basil
instead)
never drink coffee with milk after lunch
never get your coffee to go, drink it “al banco” (standing
up at the bar)
never eat seafood with cheese (does such a taboo even
need to be explained?!)
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