What I learnt in 3 months in the US and what I am constantly trying to explain to people, is that everything, or at least the most part of the facts that are told here about Italy is false. It is incredible that in the globalized world, globalized as it is today, people have no idea of what there is around them and how uses can be different, even between Europe and North America, that are supposed to be quite similar because are both industrialized Western countries.
When I say I’m from Italy the first reaction is always “Oh, cool!” Since Italy is one of the most famous countries in the world, almost everyone, almost, should know that it is located in Europe; even so, if they heard something like Belgium or Czech Republic, they would have no clue of what they were. But then, you understand that they don’t really have a clear image of our country in the Mediterranean Sea, when they ask if there is the sea there, or the ocean; however, if you remind them something about its shape, most likely they will associate it with the boot on the box of some food.
Food (an hot argument because Italy is rightly connected to good, healthy food) that they believe to eat whenever they concede themselves the luxury to go to a “real restaurant”, that usually is nothing more than Olive Garden, a too famous chain, that invented its own cuisine and attributed it to our country, only because of the Italian sound of the names they give to their recipes. The existence of places like that is the main reason of misunderstanding because from those takes place the legend of “spaghetti and meatball”, but also the myths of Alfredo Sauce, breadsticks, meatball subs, pepperoni pizza, macaroni and cheese, to go up to an inexplicable pasta with vodka. Dishes that, by the way, I tried and I couldn’t even eat because they were disgusting, but which are loved by Americans, that ignore that it is a kind of cuisine based on their tastes and supported by Italians that moved here to make money.
By the way, half of the people that I met steadily affirmed they were Italian just because of some great-grandparents they had who were from Italy, among them some still even remembered some curses in our language, that they used to hear from their grandma or grandpa, usually in a Southern dialect, which said with an American accent becomes hilarious; however, most of them didn’t even know from what part of Italy they came from or any word in Italian, but they still kept going around proudly saying they come from our country, for some reason.
Another legend about Italy is that everyone there owns at least one Ferrari, that there you can see expensive cars on every street, and, most of all, police officers are believed to go around on Lamborghinis; this beliefs must be due to some pictures that are popular on the internet and, of course, to the people being completely unaware of the economic crisis that we’re going through; moreover, when you explain them that what they’ve been thinking for years is not true, they seem to be deeply disappointed. We don’t drive trucks or big cars, but that we prefer cars like the 500 or Smarts, because they are easier to use around the cities and consume less.
Of course then, when someone discovers you are from Italy, he will most likely start talking to you raising his pitch, imitating your accent, characterized by very opened vowel sounds, and, the most important, using random gestures that he has probably seen in some movies, and only after some minutes, in which he’s trying to say all the words he knows that seem Italians, but that are actually in Spanish, he will realize that he is looking just crazy and that, since you are laughing so hard that you are about to cry, maybe that is not how we usually speak.
The best characteristic of Americans is, actually, their spontaneity because they will ask you the most random questions, without even thinking. For example I was asked several times if I could speak Italian fluently, only after convincing them that we don’t speak French, and if American pizza is better than our. These are only the common questions, others are more singular: Is Italy in Africa? Are you sure Rome is in Italy? Is there any black people in Italy? Do you already have smartphones over there? Is there Apple too?
They just don’t realize how absurd their questions are and those are so unexpected that always get me unprepared, you can’t even get angry at them because of the deep naivety you see on their faces; however, interrogations like those are still acceptable and can be considered funny, but when you are asked if in Italy we worship Romans Gods or if the animals there make the same noises as they do here, you don’t even know how to react or how to hide your indignation, while you are irreparably losing the hopes in your overseas peers. But once again, after taking a breath, whatever the question is, with a lot of kindness you will answer them, never tired to talk about the captivating awesomeness of your country, of your city and of your people.
Luisa Mosso (4F) – corrspondent from U.S.A