We are Italians

When I met this morning my working partner for the day I thought: "O my gosh!". The English guy looked an half addict, easy to the bottle too. I was sure of going towards a hard day, in company of a brute. Instead, in few minutes of conversation. he turned to be a really clever and well educated man, open to other people's ideas and honest in talking his mind. Through the day we talked about politic, history, philosophy and our own respective societies and cultures. I tried to explain to him the little he knew in first person about Italians. During a visit to Milan, especially, he had been stunned by the look of the drug addicts, all well dressed and fashionable. "The addicts I know are all dirty and ragged." Not less astonishing was to him that "all Italians" always dress very well and wear branded clothes. Well... stupidity is no one race's property, I have to admit. Not all Italians are in such a way, trust me, I said. But most Italians think they are always on the stage acting in a play. And Italian mentality is probably formed by the blend of that idea and the idea that life must be enjoyed. Even those things that you have to do, like eating, why shouldn't be done in an enjoyable way? And it's actually what drives Italians the most of the time, unfortunately drifting many times to the idea that you don't need to earn what you're going to enjoy.

The topic of our discussion, at such a point, shifted suddenly as it had happened many times during the day, and I began telling about a girl I had met at Tesco long time before. She was with the mother, I was queueing after them at the fishmonger. She turned towards me and smiled and I smiled back, taking the chance to talk to her. "She wasn't particularly beautiful", I told to my partner. "But was nicely chubby and with a big bosom. And had a naughty smile that promised a lot. She was probably what we call a good fuck."

"Yeah!" the other guy cheered. "A cheap, dirty and crazy fuck!"

"No", I answered smiling. "No cheap nor dirty: we are Italians!" I told you man: Italians are always on the stage and they want to enjoy life. Well, his expression told me that for once I've been able to make an English understand Italians. Today I'm satisfied.