Posted by memishpp on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 in Blog posts.

After living in Cefalù for the past three weeks, I’ve noticed several differences between Sicily and America. For example, most male and female public toilets do not have the top-seat attached. People here prefer espresso than any other coffee drink. Stores close from 1 to 4 in the afternoon for a lunch and nap break. The biggest difference, however, that I have seen is the way Sicilians treat food. I have observed in the past 3 weeks that people in Sicily are more connected with and proud of their food than most people in America.

Most days I walk by or stop in a little grocery store on the way to the Duomo. There are many of these little grocery stores around the town that sell fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and herbs. The one by the Duomo usually has two men working during the day. One of them is younger and fast on his feet, and the other is older, extremely helpful, and usually greets everyone with a smile. The old man spends more time at the cash register while the younger man runs around the store helping customers. What caught me off guard when I first stepped into one of these grocery stores is that they get and bag your produce for you. They do not want you handling and touching their produce. In this particular store, they make that obvious because the young man always runs to you with plastic gloves on and a brown bag and asks if you need anything. His body language gives off an almost protective vibe towards the fruit and veggies in the store. You can see that they are proud of their produce and that they get it very locally. I can also tell that this produce is grown locally because the fruits and vegetables usually do not last more than a day or two before getting moldy. In addition, very often the people that enter the market know the men behind the counter and have long conversations and share laughs with them. This is probably why the two men (and most Italian markets in general) do not want germy hands touching their food—they know and appreciate their customers and want to give them the best produce they can. This attitude is very different than that of huge supermarkets found in America where you can touch all the produce you want. There is a sense of comfort that you get here when you go to one of these markets and see the same owner(s) and the amount of effort they put into protecting and maintaining their produce.

Another example of a market was the one we walked through in Palermo. I was walking along the little stands with the tour guide as she began pointing at certain produce and telling me how she and her family used to get those ingredients from the market and prepare them. She pointed at an eggplant stating that she remembered her childhood kitchen and how her mother used to cook eggplants with mint and olive oil. She then pointed at a zucchini and reminisced fondly that her family would cook all parts of the zucchini for dinner. They would eat the zucchini and cook the leaves and flowers to make a pasta sauce. The guide stated that she used to go to one of these outside markets as a little kid and get all the produce with her parents. Once again, these small markets make the entire eating process more intimate because you know where and from whom you are getting your produce.

Farther down than the small grocery story on the way to the Duomo in Cefalù, there is a small yogurt stand called YoGo. There is a tall young man with brown hair and a beard that usually stands behind the counter; his name is Massimo. Once he makes eye contact with you, he instantly smiles, and you can see something sparks inside of him. He speaks little English and has a strong accent. He is Italian, but his accent sounds different than most Sicilians in Cefalù. Once you make eye contact with him, if you’ve never been there before, he will give you YoGo’s history and background. His spiel goes something like, “This is the only place in Italy where you can get a frozen crepe, and I know this because it was creation of my fathers…” It is obviously very rehearsed, but you can see and hear how proud he is of YoGo and his father’s invention. YoGo often has a small crowd in front of the store and you can always hear Massimo’s characteristic voice. This pride that is found with Massimo is common in Sicilian and Italian restaurants. Many of the restaurants in Cefalù are family run and this sense of pride in one’s food is often seen, especially in the nicer restaurants.

Another difference in how Americans and Italians treat food is that meals in Italy tend to last longer and have more courses. In Italy, a traditional meal would have an antipasti, pasta, a fish or meat main course, and then dessert and coffee. Just the sheer difference in courses illustrates how Italians are more invested in meals and the time spent at meals. I’ve gone to several restaurants in Cefalù and dinners can last up to three hours or more depending on how many courses you ask for. Whenever dinner is done, I’ve noticed that the waiters will never push a check on you; they will wait until conversation is done or until you ask for the check. This is starkly different than the average American restaurant that needs to get rid of the first seating of people as quickly as they an. Meals here are more respectful and focused on conversation and bringing people together. This is another reason why Sicilians and Italians in general are more connected with the food that they eat—meals are more of a social gathering than a requirement to live.

Thus, from these observations, I’ve concluded that Sicilians appreciate their food more than the average American.