7 ms·

As an Italian, I am profoundly offended by this statement and most of the comments in this thread :D

arcosdev 7y ago
Italian Canadian, living in Norway. You have no idea the level of mangia cake going on here. It's like no one's palate evolved past preschool.
- username90 7y ago
  Being happy eating boring food is a superpower, lets you focus on more interesting parts of life.
  - collyw 7y ago
    Eating good food is one of the interesting parts of life for me.
    - piva00 7y ago
      It definitely is for me also but I've changed from "I need to eat something good for every meal" and being enslaved by that to "I can eat my boring, cheap and quick food just for sustenance and save time and money to enjoy a proper food experience" the older I get. No idea how that happened, I used to be really really into having nice and fancy team lunches now and then, nowadays I save those times for a nice date in a pretty good restaurant.
  - darkwater 7y ago
    Eating, sex and defecating are three pillars of the human experience. Only after them it comes all the other fun.
  - mcv 7y ago
    I agree with the first part of that sentence, but good food is absolutely one of the more interesting parts of life. It's just that it can be very convenient if you can eat without it having to be an interesting meal.
eafkuor 7y ago
Me too. It's like people are forgetting to enjoy their lives.
- smcl 7y ago
  People enjoy different things - you might enjoy a long lunch, the original commenter enjoys going home early (to spend time with family, friends, dog, whatever)
  - camillomiller 7y ago
    It’s not that. In Italy people have short lunch breaks too. It’s just what’s actually entitled to be called “lunch” that baffles the average Italian
    - smcl 7y ago
      By now people are well read and well travelled enough not to be surprised or baffled by other cultures, particularly between countries that aren't completely alien to one other. I think surprise or disgust at another culture's lunch is just performative at this point.
      - louhike 7y ago
        Well, being performative can be considered a part of italian culture.
    - librish 7y ago
      These sandwiches are really tasty. Simple things made well can be really good.
- pedanticlawyer 7y ago
  > It's like people are forgetting to enjoy their lives. you mean by seating in front of a table for the most part of the day and constantly talking about food? :)
swarnie_ 7y ago
I've worked in Italy a few times and i just can't get my head around it. One sleepy little town basically shut down between 12:30 and 14:30 every day. Everyone went home for lunch but also the majority of the local shops shut too. How do you get anything done??
- gherkinnn 7y ago
  It can be bloody hot so you might as well take a nap. If everything adjusts to that schedule it’s a nice way to live. If, however, you run out of water and stumble in to such a village at 12:35 you’re in bad luck.
- yiyus 7y ago
  Two blocks of 4 hours of work with a break of 2 hours between them is not a bad division of time. You do not need much more time to refocus after a two hour break than after a half an hour break, but the two hours break and the larger meal allows you to work until longer in the evening. In many cases, you can even spend time with your family during this middle of day break, so you do not have that necessity to leave early. I have followed the two different lifestyles in the south and north of Europe. Northern people tell you how their system allows them to leave early and have more time for family or whatever, but truth is people in the south spent way more time with family and friends. Also, south people usually work more hours, but it's the north people who get the job done.
  - StavrosK 7y ago
    Unfortunately, having to commute home again basically kills any benefit the "split" work schedule can have. This really works when your house is a five minute walk from your workplace (so it worked great for my granddad), it works less well today with the half hour drives each way.
    - YeGoblynQueenne 7y ago
      That's true. It works excellent if you can work from home. We should catch up with the times and make working from home a lot more widespread in the South. Or of course we could be pragmatic and have siesta booths in every workplace etc. Finally, there's the nuclear option: air conditioning. I find that in offices where it's constantly 18°C you don't need to take a siesta (but you have to carry your coat with you in the heart of summer to avoid frostbite).
lostjohnny 7y ago
As a very adult Italian, I prefer to eat a sandwich (usually 'panino con affettati') and go home early, than waste 2 hours eating with other people, in expensive places, not so great food that barely resemble real Italian food. And I live in Italy.
marvin 7y ago
Just wait until I tell you that the Norwegian word for 'cheese' also encompasses boiled whey products that are hardened and shaped into brown blocks. I've lost count over the times this discussion has shown up with my French relatives.
- rkangel 7y ago
  Ah, but Gjetost is glorious. My family is deeply split down the middle as to whether it's fantastic or a crime against cheese.
  - marvin 7y ago
    The French have it firmly classified as a crime. Not just a crime, but a sign of a fatally flawed culture, with a language that doesn't make the discinction between this and bacterially processed cheese. We have multiple versions, Brunost ("brown cheese") in different varieties that can generally be classified as mysost ("whey cheese"), which is the closest we get to a language distinction for this product that is distinct from cheese. I think the same term can be used for geitost ("goat cheese"). But all of these terms have the word "cheese" in them :D
- Graham24 7y ago
  I love that cheese, Gjetost.
monksy 7y ago
As an American who loves Italy and Italians. I agree.
Vaskivo 7y ago
As a Portuguese, I feel you. For us meals, especially lunch, are of the utmost importance. And it's a crucial element at work. It's a moment of bonding and team-building. If you want to make a team-building activity in Portugal, forget all those annoying and stupid activities. Just gather everybody around a table with food.

Italian Canadian, living in Norway. You have no idea the level of mangia cake going on here. It's like no one's palate evolved past preschool.

username90 7y ago
Being happy eating boring food is a superpower, lets you focus on more interesting parts of life.
- collyw 7y ago
  Eating good food is one of the interesting parts of life for me.
  - piva00 7y ago
    It definitely is for me also but I've changed from "I need to eat something good for every meal" and being enslaved by that to "I can eat my boring, cheap and quick food just for sustenance and save time and money to enjoy a proper food experience" the older I get. No idea how that happened, I used to be really really into having nice and fancy team lunches now and then, nowadays I save those times for a nice date in a pretty good restaurant.
- darkwater 7y ago
  Eating, sex and defecating are three pillars of the human experience. Only after them it comes all the other fun.
- mcv 7y ago
  I agree with the first part of that sentence, but good food is absolutely one of the more interesting parts of life. It's just that it can be very convenient if you can eat without it having to be an interesting meal.

eafkuor 7y ago

Me too. It's like people are forgetting to enjoy their lives.

smcl 7y ago
People enjoy different things - you might enjoy a long lunch, the original commenter enjoys going home early (to spend time with family, friends, dog, whatever)
- camillomiller 7y ago
  It’s not that. In Italy people have short lunch breaks too. It’s just what’s actually entitled to be called “lunch” that baffles the average Italian
  - smcl 7y ago
    By now people are well read and well travelled enough not to be surprised or baffled by other cultures, particularly between countries that aren't completely alien to one other. I think surprise or disgust at another culture's lunch is just performative at this point.
    - louhike 7y ago
      Well, being performative can be considered a part of italian culture.
  - librish 7y ago
    These sandwiches are really tasty. Simple things made well can be really good.
pedanticlawyer 7y ago
> It's like people are forgetting to enjoy their lives. you mean by seating in front of a table for the most part of the day and constantly talking about food? :)

swarnie_ 7y ago

I've worked in Italy a few times and i just can't get my head around it. One sleepy little town basically shut down between 12:30 and 14:30 every day. Everyone went home for lunch but also the majority of the local shops shut too. How do you get anything done??

gherkinnn 7y ago
It can be bloody hot so you might as well take a nap. If everything adjusts to that schedule it’s a nice way to live. If, however, you run out of water and stumble in to such a village at 12:35 you’re in bad luck.
yiyus 7y ago
Two blocks of 4 hours of work with a break of 2 hours between them is not a bad division of time. You do not need much more time to refocus after a two hour break than after a half an hour break, but the two hours break and the larger meal allows you to work until longer in the evening. In many cases, you can even spend time with your family during this middle of day break, so you do not have that necessity to leave early. I have followed the two different lifestyles in the south and north of Europe. Northern people tell you how their system allows them to leave early and have more time for family or whatever, but truth is people in the south spent way more time with family and friends. Also, south people usually work more hours, but it's the north people who get the job done.
- StavrosK 7y ago
  Unfortunately, having to commute home again basically kills any benefit the "split" work schedule can have. This really works when your house is a five minute walk from your workplace (so it worked great for my granddad), it works less well today with the half hour drives each way.
  - YeGoblynQueenne 7y ago
    That's true. It works excellent if you can work from home. We should catch up with the times and make working from home a lot more widespread in the South. Or of course we could be pragmatic and have siesta booths in every workplace etc. Finally, there's the nuclear option: air conditioning. I find that in offices where it's constantly 18°C you don't need to take a siesta (but you have to carry your coat with you in the heart of summer to avoid frostbite).

lostjohnny 7y ago

As a very adult Italian, I prefer to eat a sandwich (usually 'panino con affettati') and go home early, than waste 2 hours eating with other people, in expensive places, not so great food that barely resemble real Italian food. And I live in Italy.

marvin 7y ago

Just wait until I tell you that the Norwegian word for 'cheese' also encompasses boiled whey products that are hardened and shaped into brown blocks. I've lost count over the times this discussion has shown up with my French relatives.

rkangel 7y ago
Ah, but Gjetost is glorious. My family is deeply split down the middle as to whether it's fantastic or a crime against cheese.
- marvin 7y ago
  The French have it firmly classified as a crime. Not just a crime, but a sign of a fatally flawed culture, with a language that doesn't make the discinction between this and bacterially processed cheese. We have multiple versions, Brunost ("brown cheese") in different varieties that can generally be classified as mysost ("whey cheese"), which is the closest we get to a language distinction for this product that is distinct from cheese. I think the same term can be used for geitost ("goat cheese"). But all of these terms have the word "cheese" in them :D
Graham24 7y ago
I love that cheese, Gjetost.

monksy 7y ago

As an American who loves Italy and Italians. I agree.

Vaskivo 7y ago

As a Portuguese, I feel you. For us meals, especially lunch, are of the utmost importance. And it's a crucial element at work. It's a moment of bonding and team-building. If you want to make a team-building activity in Portugal, forget all those annoying and stupid activities. Just gather everybody around a table with food.