Gelato Culture

Dear SOON(ER) to be traveler,

I am here to educate you on one of my personal favorite topics, gelato! At home I am an avid dessert eater, being in Italy only boosts these habits! If you read my last article, you have now learned a few things about my personality and my cultural background. But if not, here's a recap.

I come from a long-line of Greek heritage which is still a prevalent aspect in my daily life, especially in my food consumption habits. Being Greek is something I am very passionate about. I am also a logic-based thinker (thank the Greeks for that too), which tends to make me come off as a harsh critic. In my last article, I also briefly discussed the attachment both the Greeks and Italians have to their food and their culture.

While I could talk about Greek culture and food all day today I’m going to be discussing daily Italian food habits. Coming from America, I have grown accustomed to not only having three large meals a day but snacking. Snacking in between breakfast and lunch, snacking whenever I'm bored, snacking as a means of a reward for accomplishing a task. American culture has taught me not only to eat as quickly as I can, but as much as I can. This is not the case in Italy.

With cafe culture, minimal snacking, smaller portioned meals and hourly cappuccinos, the appetite is often more suppressed. The food consumption habits in Italy were the biggest culture shock for me. In Italy the meal portions tend to go as follows: small breakfast limited to a cappuccino and possibly a pistachio croissant, a larger lunch consisting of a savory crepe, a daily afternoon gelato, and of course pasta for dinner. I am a creature of habit, so being thrown off of my schedule from what I am used to sent me into a panic. I thought I was doomed, UNTIL I discovered gelato culture.

Gelato culture in Italy means anything you want it to mean, which is exactly why I have become ardent towards gelato as a whole. Gelato can be consumed in so many differing circumstances. Including a refreshing treat from the scorching heat, a reward for the many miles walked throughout the town and what I recently came to learn, a snack. As I mentioned before, snacks are rare and are not a big part of Italian culture. Which is why when I discovered gelato is socially acceptable to eat as a midday snack and not solely as a dessert, I was ecstatic.

While in America, we view ice cream as an unhealthy dessert. In Italy, they do not see it this way. It is not shameful to eat a midday, double scoop cone. Not to mention, when stores shut down in town for their mid-day break, gelataria’s stay open making gelato more accessible and socially acceptable. This has been so comforting to me in the midst of homesickness and culture shock.

As I mentioned before, I am a creature of habit. When I am pushed to try a new schedule or alter my way of things, I become uncomfortable. For me, as cheesy as it may sound, gelato has become a way for me to adjust to the new cultural surroundings. I have been so paranoid about standing out as an American because of my daily habits, but being able to quench my mid-afternoon hunger with a large scoop of refreshing gelato has made all the difference.

Who doesn’t like a sweet treat mid afternoon!

BOOMER,

Olivia Jolas