Italians often ask me what Denmark is like,
compared to Italy. The short answer is that Denmark is pretty much the exact opposite in every way. The weather
is cold, not warm. We get drunk, you don’t. Our coffee is weak, yours can be cut
with a knife. We stand in line, you attack from all angles.We have 24 hours a day, you guys seem to have 28.
Anyway, recently
I had a Danish friend visiting and I was reminded of all the things that makes
no sense to a Dane at the first encounter with italian culture. This gives an idea of what the main differences are. Even for me, after almost three years of
visiting Italy on and off, and for the last two month living here, there are things that I still just do not understand
about italians:
Why do you worry so much about food? Italians can spend hours, days and
weeks worrying about what food to eat or what restaurant to go to. Should we eat
fish, or meat, or maybe pizza, or what about pasta? What do you think? I don’t
know - All of the stuff is good! And
it is not until two month from now – It is not possible to plan my hunger in such
advantage.
Why are you so worried about how much
people eat? I know that it is probably a thing of being polite, but the genuine
look I get from people when I am just not that hungry, is true concern. Why are
you not eating? You should eat some more. Guys – sometimes it’s okay to at
least experience hunger.
What is up with the super hard bread? Why don’t you have fresh soft bread at
the bakery’s? I feel that I am always eating yesterday’s bread.
Why do you take so long to say goodbye? Once we have agreed to split up, I just want to get on with my day and do other things. But every time we have to go through a long awkward goodbye-session. So where are you going now? Ah you are taking the bus? At the bus stop? It’s like you feel guilty for ending the meeting. Just say goodbye already!
Why do you take so long to say goodbye? Once we have agreed to split up, I just want to get on with my day and do other things. But every time we have to go through a long awkward goodbye-session. So where are you going now? Ah you are taking the bus? At the bus stop? It’s like you feel guilty for ending the meeting. Just say goodbye already!
Why do you hang all sorts of shit in your keys? The keyring is for keys.
But you guys stuff it up with all sorts of things. Guys on the streets even
make a living of selling blinking souvenirs for people’s keyrings. Why does it
not bother you to carry around five kilo heavy keyrings?
 |
| I call him Claus |
How can you be so calm? I admit that I tend to be a bit impatient. Once I
have set something in mind, I’d like to start doing it. Now! Right away! How is
it possible to get anything done when it can all, according to you be done
tomorrow?
Why are you so proud of dubbed TV? Most Italians prefer watching TV and films that are dubbed rather than the original language, because they find subtitles disturbing. That is fine when you are not used to it, but why are you so proud of the quality in which the Italian voice over is made? It still looks super weird when voice and pictures don’t match, people.
I would be interested to know what things the Italians just don't understand about the Danes..
Ok... Let's see...
SvarSlet1- I think we're so used to have good food, that we just don't like to eat the same thing all the time, so we just decide together what we should eat. And the restaurants, well, everyone has his favorite...
2- Ok, that's true. But we just want you to enjoy your meal. You should hear our grandmothers, for them not eating much would be an unforgivable sin.....
3- We're just bad in that, but not everyone :)
4- Bread here is good, and we have many kinds. You just should go and ask for a softer one, but usually we're not used to that!
5- I like long goodbyes, it just doesn't feel if I don't ask some things and do the 5 minutes chat before saying goodbye. It would feel like I don't care. Could be a good slogan: In Italy, we care!
6- It's nice to have a walk!!!
7- Ok, the key thing it's something I also can't understand. I like to have something to my keyring, but it has to be a nice thing, small, practical and, of course, just one! I'm sorry I can't explain, ask someone else!
8- Sometimes it's nice to drink without getting drunk. But I can ensure you: there are many people getting drunk!
9- I really don't know that either!
10- We grew up with dubbed tv and movies, and to us it's normal. However, the reason we are proud is because we do not know the original language. Every italian I know who started watching things in the original language just can't stand the dubbing anymore, because everyone realized that changes A LOT. Of course, this is valid for movies and tv shows with actors playing. For cartoons is different, there are no actors, so the character could have any voice...
About the Danes, I understand quite everything, it's all so reasonable. Well, really too much maybe. That's what I don't understand: why can't you put a bit of feeling in much things you do? Like eating, saying goodbye, walking and stuff... I think that's just our way to enjoy life a little bit more...
1- Usually if they ask you for the food it is because you are a guest and the Italian people want that you can eat what you want to eat (it is awkward to give, for example, spinach to people that hate that vegetable).
SvarSlet2- Because if you eat if you eat few usually can mean two things either you are sick or you don't like the food.
3- Like the Danish have strong problem with alcohol, Italian people have a strong problem to be punctual. I am sorry for this.
4- There are a lot of bread in Italy not only the very hard one. Try to ask "Arabo" or "Malto" bread.
5- Yeah! We are sorry when somebody leave and we want that it is clear that we wish that you can stay more time. The long goodbye is because we are happy to have received your visit and we are sad that you are leaving.
6- If you choose a pub or a place where to sit the people will stop to walk around randomly. Until then I think that many Italian enjoy to stay outside. In many jobs you need to work inside an office, in the evening it could be nice to take some air. I don't understand what you mean to walk in a line or in a circle. I didn't see difference between the Danish people or Italian people when they are walking in the street.
7- Some small things are memories, other are symbols, other again are beauty stuffs: Italian people are very careful with the objects and you can be sure that the things on the key-holder have almost always some stories behind. Try to ask.
8- We drink to stay together and have fun, not to become drunk. I was really disappoint to discover the alcoholic side of Denmark. I think that it is very sad. However there are drunk people in Italy too.
9- I don't think people are calm, maybe they only resigned themselves.
10- Lorenzo answered for me.