Getting used to it...

There are some aspects of the Italian lifestyle which come quite naturally to me. For example, the food. I eat fresh tomatoes every single day, along with cheese and bread and basil and pizza and gelato... yesterday I had two gelati, one at lunchtime and another at dinner! Oh, and let's not forget the wine. I have grown quite fond of vino frizzante during the hot afternoons, and of course a glass of red wine with dinner is apparently a must.

The nightlife is another thing that I've quickly gotten used to. I've never been the clubbing type, and noisy bars aren't really my scene either. So I love the italian habit of mingling outside in Piazza Maggiore, chatting around the fountains and enjoying the warm night air. Last night was pretty chilly, I'd guess around 85 degrees at midnight. The weather is another thing I'm getting used to - I wasn't sure how to deal with it at first, but I've quickly adopted the strategy used by most Italians: the mid-afternoon nap. By sleeping from approximately 2:00-4:00, I miss the hottest part of the afternoon and get extra rest which makes it easier to stay up late in the piazza.


Yeah, these are things that I've learned pretty quickly. There are some things, though, that I don't think I'll ever get used to.

For example, the double-kiss. Sometimes they go left first, sometimes they go right first, sometimes there's just one kiss, sometimes there are two, sometimes there is one and then a break and then the other. I swear, it makes me dizzy and bumping noses with a stranger is definitely one of the more awkward moments that I've experienced. Also, although this has thankfully never happened to me, I've witnesssed many drunken attempts (and failures) at the double-kiss. Not something I'd like to experience.

Another thing, and this is probably the most difficult for me to accept: no tipping. Literally, people just don't tip here. The waiters don't expect it, and most of the time don't appreciate it. Now, anyone who has ever gone out to eat with me knows that I am an exorbitant tipper. Part of this comes from being a waitress, and part of it comes from being a sap. Ha! Anyway, the idea of not leaving anything is just unbearable for me. So far, I haven't been able to do it. We'll be all set to leave, and the bill will be taken care of, and suddenly I find myself throwing an extra euro on the table. I don't even consciously do it, it's like my hand has a mind of its own!

Other than the excessive double-kissing and the complete lack of tipping, I've been getting along fine. I've even found a circle of friends here in Bologna!

While searching for an apartment, my friend Molly and I became friends with a guy named Savio. Savio had a room for rent but when he was explaining the details to me over the phone, I missed the part where he said it won't be available until January. (Language barrier strikes again!) When we met and realized that there had been a misunderstanding, he was really nice about it and ended up inviting me and Molly to a dinner party that he was throwing the next night.

We accepted, of course, and had a great time getting to know Savio, his roommates, and all of their friends. There were about 15 people crammed around his tiny dining room table, and we enjoyed a feast of pasta bolognese, tomatoes, bread, cheese, mortadella, salami, potato chips and popcorn. Yes, potato chips and popcorn. We also had red wine with dinner and margaritas with dessert. Then, several people started samba dancing. By the end of the evening, I wasn't even sure which country I was in.

The next morning, I woke up to realize that the mixture of wine and margaritas had created a not-so-pleasant feeling in my tummy. After discovering that Molly was experiencing a similar unpleasant rumbling, we decided that there was only one cure to our ailment: chow mein.

So, we found a tiny Chinese food restaurant in a smelly back alley of Bologna. It was incredible. Walking into that restaurant was like walking right back into the bay area, a feeling which stuck with us until we read the menu. Wonton soup was called "soup with ravioli". Chow mein? "Spaghetti with mixed vegetables" (and it was actually spaghetti - fried, greasy, delicious spaghetti). The biggest shock, though, was when I eagerly ordered "tau fu in tre varietà", essentially "tofu three ways". Imagine my surprise when the food arrived and I discovered that the "three varieties" of tofu were actually tofu, steak, and chicken! As I mentioned before, I have decided to renounce my vegetarianism in the interest of experiencing the culinary aspect of italian culture. However, I don't think this counts! So I gobbled up one of my three varieties of tofu and enjoyed my spaghetti chow mein, and next time I think I'll order something less misleading - maybe the "tofu that is actually tofu" or the "vegetarian dish with no meat whatsoever." :)