Eating Habits
English and Italians are very different when it comes to food. Where the English generally eat and go, Italians spend time preparing several courses, followed by at least a couple of hours if not longer, eating! In the beginning my poor stomach wasn't sure what was happening and needless to say it got stretched to bursting point!
Not only do Italians spend hours eating, but they are also very particular about what they eat. For example, on one occasion after I had told Felice that I'd had a pasta salad for lunch, he was quite horrified, how could I mix salad with pasta, he asked! Well you eat pasta with vegetables and that is strange to me, I responded! I should point out that since then Felice has eaten pasta salad several times and now actually likes it!
On another occasion I was peeling potatoes but had left some skin on several of them. His expression said it all. What is it, I asked fearing I'd done something quite inexplicable? The reply was that I hadn't taken the all of the skin off. No, I explained, but baked potatoes are eaten rather a lot in England without (as far as I'm aware) any serious consequences!
The good news is we have now learned to adapt to each others strange eating habits and I for one feel I am becoming quite cultural where food is concerned!