Culture can mean many things such as
fashion, religion, art, food, family, relationships and many other things.
I most enjoy watching the culture of social
relationships among Italians in everyday life. In general, they are very
social. Ladies and men drop by the café to say hello to the people they know
inside. They may stop for a coffee or not, but they pop in for a visit. When
they go to a grocery store or shop, they know the people in the shop and strike
up a conversation. They can be talking for about five minutes before the store
clerk notices the next person in line, waiting to purchase something. Then the
clerk rings up the customer while still talking to the first person. I cannot
understand what they are talking about, otherwise I would also join in the
conversation. I suppose I am very similar to them in freely talking to other
people.
When families go out for dinner, I can
tell they are a close knit group. The children are watched by all of the
adults. For the most part, the children are well behaved. The families check on
their children often, and give them pats of encouragement or hold their hands.
They touch each other a lot to show their love and concern. In their eyes and
faces I see compassion, caring and love. The mothers are not over protective.
The kids are not running around or throwing tantrums. The family is closely
watching and nurturing the children.
When in a fruit and vegetable market,
a short, old man with a smiling face started to talk to us in Italian. He was
proud that he was 92 years old, and said something about how he felt about it.
He was very talkative and we just nodded, because we didn’t understand him
except when I clarified with my fingers his age. He was a social guy and part
of the Italian social scene. As usual.
