Thursday, October 30, 2008

Life for Italians is so Different from Ours in US

The ANNOTICO Report

 

How do Italians seem to live such healthy lives so effortlessly when Americans have to battle our bulges by working out, dieting, carrying water bottles everywhere and eating energy and protein bars by the ton?

Part of it has to do with Italians love for walking, small breakfasts, less stressed lifestyles; most days lots of salads, fruit is served with the evening meal instead of desert, etc , etc.

Life for Italians is so Different from Ours

Vineland Daily Journal - Vineland,NJ,USA

 By Carolyn Vinci 

October 29, 2008

When I became a member of The Daily Journal's Food Advisory Board, I agreed to write articles about food and most times I try to include an interesting recipe.

After returning from a two-week tour of Italy, I'll tell you that writing a recipe about a great new dish certainly would not be hard to do.

I have new ideas for future columns about ways to prepare food based on what was served to us in various cities. But I hope you will forgive me if I write about another kind of recipe that I learned in my short time there -- one for good health.

I did a lot of people-watching in Italy. As I walked the streets of cities such as Rome, Florence, Venice, Sorrento and Capri, as well as Milan, Como and Lake Lugano in Switzerland, I never spotted a gym or fitness center.

In fact, I only saw one jogger and he looked like he was training for a marathon. People there are trim and fit. They wear form-fitting clothes and beautiful shoes. I didn't see anyone in sweats or sneakers, except for tourists -- myself included at times.

How do Italians seem to live such healthy lives so effortlessly when Americans have to battle our bulges by working out, dieting, carrying water bottles everywhere and eating energy and protein bars by the ton?

Our tour guide, Irene, patiently answered my many questions about the Italian lifestyle and their way of cooking and eating. We had lots of time to chat as our group of 46 people traveled to each city by bus.

Italians do a lot of walking. The streets are crowded with cars and those cute scooters, so it is sometimes quicker (and safer!) to walk places.

They eat a small breakfast and enjoy a late morning snack. Lunch in the late afternoon is the big meal and dinner starts about 8 p.m. and lasts for perhaps two hours.

The lifestyles there are slower, too; they seem much less stressed than Americans. One of the few things I saw them do quickly was drink their coffee or espresso.

Coffee, whether ordered at a street side cafi or in what they call self-serve, comes in a real cup and saucer. It is enjoyed standing up near small tables in stores that are their version of a Wawa.

Our guide said it's like a quick shot -- no lingering with a cup of coffee or lugging it in a big cup onto the bus. You drink it down and are on your way.

After dinner, the natives have what is called a "Cafi Correcto," which is espresso with a shot of liquor, usually Sambucca or Grappa, which is distilled grape juice.

Gelato is big in Italy. In the cities, it's not unusual to see three or four "Gelaterias" in one block.

But even that is healthier than our ice cream because gelato contains much less butterfat.

Dessert is mostly enjoyed on weekends, our guide Irene explained. Most days, fruit is served with the evening meal.

And forget what you heard about cheesecakes, cannoli and biscotti. I only saw one place selling cannolis and after a week of not seeing any cheesecake, I learned they don't have what we think of as cheesecake, but rather a "Torta di Ricotta." This is a mixture of ricotta and dried fruit served in a pastry crust. Biscotti is any kind of hard cookie, not what we think it is. They dip their hard cookies in wine, also popular here in the states.

Italians also eat a lot of olives and have olive oil in most savory dishes. They love their fruit (they grow a lot of kiwi) and eat their salads as a last course to help the digestion. Wine is everywhere and there is no minimum drinking age. Irene said kids don't have that curiosity about drinking but they do smoke at an early age. Whatever they are doing, it seems to be working for them and everyone is having a good time in the process.

 

The ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (With Archives*) on:

Italia USA: www.ItaliaUSA.com * [Formerly Italy at St Louis]

Italia Mia: www.ItaliaMia.com *

Annotico Email: annotico@earthlink.net