In my Italian course, we did an activity where we went to a local market to learn about its prevalence in Italian culture. On the walk to the market and while walking through the market, I had a variety of conversations with my instructor, who is a local. 

One topic we discussed was fast food in Italian culture. Florence had very few fast-food restaurants that are commonly found in America; some of the only popular ones I noticed were McDonald’s and Subway. My instructor explained to me that fast food is not as popular in Italy because locals believe that if they are going to spend money eating out, they would rather pay for quality food, even if it costs a little more. This contrasts with the perspectives of many Americans, who often choose fast food because it is a more time-efficient way to eat. As I noticed in restaurants, my instructor mentioned that Italians like to take their time while dining, which is why waiters give customers more time to look at the menu and do not bring the check until it is requested.

Another conversation we had involved an activity she assigned throughout the market: we had to find foods or drinks that cannot be found in the United States. My instructor was able to help us with most of the tasks she assigned, such as figuring out the market’s hours and learning what each vendor sells. However, because she is not from America, this task required more knowledge from me and my classmates. As we learned about unique foods in Italy, my instructor learned about foods that she did not realize were not sold in America. One example of a food not sold in America is culatello, a meat made from the choicest part of a pig’s back thigh.

This experience taught me the importance of communicating cultural differences to create more informative conversations. My instructor was able to clear up some of my questions about Italian food culture, and simultaneously, I was able to enlighten her with American food culture. I was able to use what I learned from these conversations to make more sense of Italian customs that stand out to me while exploring the city.