How to Learn About Other Cultures!
Christian Carrara
This past summer I spent two weeks touring most of Italy learning of the history of the country and how a country’s culture can grow around the history that has transpired. Of course, the tour taught us all about the art and architecture that had been made during the Renaissance. Alongside learning about art, the tour taught us about how deeply entrenched religion, especially Christianity for obvious reasons, is in Italian life and culture.
In the end, there’s only so much you can learn from a tour. Yes, you can learn about history and art, but what about the daily life of the average Italian? How would one possibly figure out how the average Italian lives, short of living there in Italy? That’s where the problem with tours begins. They are tours; they bring you to the places where tourists go, not where the average Italian lives. This causes a sort of stereotype culture that we already have in our mind rather than the correct image.
In the end the best way to learn about the culture of a country, region, or town is to go to the restaurants of the area. Take here in America. The most popular restaurants we have are fast food restaurants. The reason that fast food is so popular here is that we as a culture are so fast and in such a hurry to go onto the next activity, which has made fast food the most appealing option. But over in Italy their restaurants serve food very slowly, even at the fast food restaurants. They want people to enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant and enjoy the company of the people they come with. Once the food comes out, it's made with such creativity and beauty. It just shows how the people care for the art and beauty of cooking. In the end, when you finish your meal, you aren’t rushed out of the restaurant, like you may be over here. They allow you to stay at the expense of your own time. Basically, what the Italian people appreciate as that can be ascertained from their food is that they’re society puts an emphasis on personal enjoyment and beauty, while they push time aside as kind of an afterthought.
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