I love this video. When I try to explain the particular formalities of Italian culture to Americans, they are often surprised: "But Italians seem so relaxed and friendly!" It can be difficult to convey that certain cultural conventions are simply deeply ingrained signs of respect and civility and do not diminish Italian warmth. You're providing a great public service, Manu!
I would like to add one more thing. It is not polite to invite yourself to dinner. We are very generous people, however, if we don't really care for you, we usually aren't interested in having you at our table. It is an honor for us to cook for you if we do like you, because we put our heart and soul into everything we do, especially cooking.
i love italians....and i have many friends from italy. they are all very generous and loving. your statement that italian doesn't like strangers is rediculous. it shows your mentality...io sono dagli india. buona giornata!!!
You are helpling me so much, Manu! You are a gifted teacher. Your work is clear, articulate and easy to follow. All of the material you produce is the very best I've found. Thanks for investing so much of your time and energy into teaching people like me to understand the Italian language and culture better. I would recommend your Italian language instruction and RUclips videos to everyone!
I live in Italy and usually have dinner at 8 in the summer even later, when my cousins come over from the states at 5 they expect to have dinner. WE HAVE A COFFEE BREAK AT 5! they say that eating late makes you gain weight, but after we have a meal we don't go to sleep, and we don't sit in front of the TV with cake, ice cream, bear, popcorn and chips! after dinner we are done!
in fact it is well known that Americans do not have problems with obesity. As an Italian I have always eaten after 8 pm in winter and after 9 pm in summer and none of my family or friends has ever had obesity problems. Moreover, we Italians are the people who have one of the highest life expectations, more than 4 years longer than the Americans. So eating late is not so bad.
Thanks Manu for this special episode. I actually thought of cooking my special dish and bring this to the Italian family who invited me. Meno male mi hai salvato con questo video. Grazie tante.
S. Monica Monica se conosci bene chi ti ospiterà per la cena, puoi semplicemente proporre ai padroni di casa se hanno piacere di assaggiare un piatto tipico del tuo paese. in quel caso puoi presentarti con una pietanza. se, invece, non hai molta familiarità con i tuoi ospiti, non è il caso di proporsi :)
I love your videos they really help me a lot. I've just starting teaching myself Italian 2 weeks ago & I know I'm only 2 weeks in but learning Italian is a challenge but your videos help so much it makes me feel like I've learnt something new and it stays in my brain lol. Thank you.......sorry I mean Grazie!!! 💚🇮🇹❤️
My mom is from Italy (pistoia) and this is how I was raised.... I always felt weird when I went to other friends house for dinner as I would be starving again at 9........ and I would even get embarrassed when i had a friend over..... also would get scared at other people's houses because they would get drunk at night time.
it's the almost the same in Lebanon, late dinner, awesome food, great gathering environment, coffee after meal. won't be hard for me to get invited to dinner in Italy. salute!
Sul cibo hai ragione. Ma presentarsi ad una cena in canottiera e ciabatte, eh, dimmi tu, nemmeno nel più "open-minded" dei Paesi. Forse in estate, in villeggiatura...
Bravissimo Manu, ho appena fatto un binge watching dei tuoi video e mi trovi d'accordo sul 99% delle cose, mi piace come tu sia meno propenso a generalizzare. Sono italoamericana, vivo in Veneto- padre italiano e madre americana. Bravo davvero! Unica differenza: in Veneto we are social drinkers, no hard liquor, but honestly we are Italy's drunks haha 😂
Grazie Manu again, I always enjoy your videos very much! Hey Manu, you are a great gentleman and so much fun, which I respect you 100%. I got invited by a Swiss-Italian couple, and cooked the most best Spaghetti Bolognese I have ever had, and I have had hundreds. It was many years ago in Bavaria, but I never forgot how special and welcome they made us. We brought some special chocolates and other goods from England as a mark of thanks and good will. I must state and always will... I have all the time in the world for Italian People in Italy or not.
lovely video IV been to Italy many times as a young lad with my family and loved it ! i now need to brush up on my Italian and revisit ! and found your video very informative!!!! gratzia tanto .. :)
Hello Manu . thank you for the video, it's so nice to see you and Italien food culture is very similar to ours so it's very helpfull to kno all these details about Italy. :)
I told my (American) boyfriend specifically about how I do not like people to bring their own food when I'm supposed to be the one cooking and I don't think he gets it at all 😂 I think I described it as like inserting something random into a piece of somebody else's artwork. I think Americans definitely find that one a bit extreme.
It is always a pleasure to invite people for dinner and eventhough the cooking skills of my country vary and have improved in the recent decades, it is always a pleasure to notice, that everything has been made with love and an awareness. You can learn so many things from it, even to forget about a table cloth that can get stained sometimes, as bowls are shared and children or adults don’t care, if they had a tiny accident. If you aren’t sure, which flowers you should choose, remember the color of the clothes of your host, last time you saw her/ him, think about her/ his interests of taste and find a beautiful book about it. When you choose a wine, don’t take the cheapest bottle from a supermarket. As my friends from Italy have got children, I always bring some tiny presents for them too, some toys, games or sweets. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune but their smile is priceless, when they get them.
Veramente. Quando eravamo in Italia, qualche volta mangavamo alle 23:00! Restavamo alla spiaggia fino alle 20:00 mentre prendavamo un aperitivo prima di andare a casa. Allora cenavamo tardi. E stato meraviglioso! E simile quando vado in Grecia--in particolare alle isole.
I just returned home to the states after visiting my family in Abruzzo and this video is “Spot On”! Wish I would have seen this Before my trip, haha! 🤣
Sì! I loved my trip to Abruzzo! It was my very first trip to Italy. I will definitely be going back. It was a “working vacation” as I was running from comune to comune, gathering official documents for my Italian Citizenship. Highlights Were: 1. Meeting my cousin who I have literally wanted to meet since I was a little girl! I stayed with her for 3 weeks and we are now like sisters. 2. Finding my Nonna’s home in Vico, in the province of Teramo! 3. Visiting Campo Imperatore and hiking to the top of Rocco Calascio! It was difficult getting on the plane and leaving, but I know this was just the first trip of many more to come! ❤️❤️❤️🇮🇹❤️❤️❤️
Wait. What? I thought it was offensive to ask for coffee after dinner (at least at a restaurant?) as coffee is seen as only a breakfast item, like cereal. I am going to Italy and Sicily for the first time this August and have been studying all your videos. Grazie!
Inzo42 nope. We drink coffee after lunch and dinner, too (not only at breakfast). Sometimes we drink coffee just beacause we need (!) coffee or beacause someone is offering (maybe during the afternoon, i dunno no). Of course, usually we don't drink SO many coffee every day (we need to sleep, too 😂). (personally, I drink coffee only after lunch and sometimes after dinner, if I don't go to sleep early). TL;DR there isn't a RIGHT time for coffee because everytime is the right time for coffee. V___V (I think you had confused coffee with cappuccino. We usually drink cappuccino only at breakfast) (argh. sorry for my english. I tried. ^^")
I believe you are right, no cappuccino after dinner. That would be weird! Black coffee after dinner in the US is not unheard of. My mom drinks black coffee after dinner every night.
We drink coffee after every meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and often in the afternoon or during the morning, specially if someone offers it to you (which is veeery common) probably what you heard about was the cappuccino: we drink it only for breakfast or as a snack during the afternoon, not after a meal 😉
We drink coffee (espresso) after every meal! Sometimes it's "corretto" which means it has some liquor in it. What you shouldn't ask for is coffee plus milk, whether it is a capuccino or a macchiato or whatever. Hope this helped!
Cappuccino is a breakfast coffee, so don't order one of those after breakfast. I believe Italians normally have an espresso after dinner. Enjoy your trip in August. :)
Hi Manu. Great video. Really useful stuff. As far as flowers go are there any types that should be avoided perhaps coz of their connection to funerals etc. And what abt being vegetsrian? Should we warn the host?
Ciao Gerarld e grazie! Always avoid chrysanthemum as they are indeed associated with funerals! Yes, do warn the host if you are a vegetarian. A huge percentage of Italian dishes are vegetarian so it won't be a problem for the host!
Italy Made Easy Thank you so much..love your video..an aquantance of mine often pops over during lunch n dinner (always empty handed), I grew up in the restaurant business n love to cook n eat w/my family..this behavior causes everyone discomfort..what do I finally say to this?? Help please😑..Cynthia
Is not difficult for italian do vegetarian dishs. Also if you are vegan you can do pasta with sugo. Worm a pan with garlic and olive oil after add tomato put on boiled pasta and add some Parsley. 8)
Thanks Manu, great tips. What if you don't drink alcohol at all and politely refuse to take it or ask for non-alcohol alternatives. Is it seen offensive by the host?
I hope to one day make friends with someone from Italy and have this opportunity presented to me. As an American in the south, we don't have many Italians to meet.
I'm italian and I don't drink alcohol, so I can say to you that if you say that you don't drink alcohol in general (btw, we say "sono astemio" to say "I don't drink alcohol"), it doesn't sound rude. Maybe they could make some friendly jokes about it or try to insist saying something like "not even a bit? come on!! It's good! It's from this region blablabla", but if you say again that you don't drink alcohol, maybe saying "I'm sorry, I'd like to taste it but I really can't drink alcohol at all..." the will stop at some point haha so don't worry, it doesn't sound rude, especially if you deny it politely and showing some sort of "ohhh that's a shame I can't taste your amazing wine :( " attitude haha (sorry for my english)
P.s. By the way, if you don't drink alcohol because of health reasons, they won't even try to insist probably because we care a lot about health in general
manu buonissimo video, come sempre. Mi piace molto che I bambini non sono isolati dal resto della gente, nonostante che sìa tardi. qui, negli EU, molta gente manda i ragazzi a dormire presto!!! Not fair!! L'altra cosa é che qui non gli danno l'alcol come un po' di vino come lo fanno in tuo paese o in Europa, in generale. Penso che questo aiuti a "demystify" bere. Non é un "taboo" . é una cosa normale. chiaro in moderazione 😉 Grazie
Cara Elena da Italiano e padre di un ragazzo che è ormai cresciuto ti posso assicurare che assaggiare un goccio di vino fa parte dell'educazione che è comune in Italia ( e a quanto ne so anche in Francia) in cui si insegna ai bambini ad avere il giusto rapporto con l'alcool e a bere durante i pasti con moderazione. Bere troppo e visto molto male in qualsiasi contesto
Great Videos thanks for the helpful inside tips.. Question though I don't drink any coffee or wines don't care for either will I be permitted to enter the county haha
and you are right about the kids, in the US they tend to have dinners or parties excluding the children. The precisely tell you no children allowed. I remember when I was a kid in the states we were left at home with a babysitter
Thanks for this it helped so much in Italy. Meals are really similar to other European countries. Everywhere I've been to it's always good to talk during meal times and socialise. I was surprised about how teenagers are allowed alcohol though 🤣😁👍.
I'm happy this helped while in Italy. 😊 About teenagers and alcohol... well, actually in Italy it's forbidden to sell alcohol to youngs who are not 18! Unfortunately every teenager has always an elder friend who buys alcohol for him/her! Not only bars or restaurants cannot sell alcohol to minors, but neither can supermarkets and grocery stores. If they are reported and caught in the act they suffer serious punishment.
Ciao, I'm Portuguese living in England for 23 years and am planing to go and live in Sardegna, Olbia. I found you have many costumes similar to my country. Do you have any advise , something different for that part of the Island? Grazie. It's too late to try this in Italian.
Very nice video (vee-day-oh!). The part about the children is spot on and very telling. I grew up in Italian home but my father is Irish/Polish and I saw some contrast esp. the Irish influence. This was especially true regarding alcohol part..I mean to say that the Irish luuuuvvv to give the kiddies booze (they pretend they don't know the kids take it)...no food mind you...but the drink! ( Grazie a Dio for my mama Maria and homemade manicotti, cannoli ... etc. ) Ciao, amico mio. Michael
Maybe u can help me. My family always pronounced uncle/aunt as "Zi Federico, Zi Pappina etc. ...no difference between male/female. Yes, formerly we would say Zio/Zia for introduction but not at home. Someone said "no, that's wrong". Cosa wrong? Also, I used to love hearing my Grandma Cristinia say the word "girl" or "purple" like: 'She's a nice-a gale" and "the shirt is purpala". Oh, how I miss my grandparents, Nicola and Cristina !
Interesting video. I was wondering though, is it rude not to take the alcohol offered after dinner? As a person, who does not drink alcohol at all, I would not want to do that. I don't drink caffee either (purely because I don't like the taste AT ALL) but that I can force down on my throat in social situations if needed. But drinking alcohol I would rather avoid.
Maria L Yes, of course you can refuse, but as he was saying in the video, get ready because they're probably gonna ask you more than once if you're really don't want none of them. We don't do it because we want to bother you, we just want to be sure that you're gonna come back home full, so far away from being starving. Can you get what I'm saying? Coming back home still hungry would be a kind of "shame" for the family that has invited you. We deeply care about these stuff
Very different from my culture but as far as I'm concerned, THIS is the way it should be, and this is pretty much how I do it as well. I've always been thought of as weird. I guess I just have to move lol.
Would it be a great offense if we politely refused alcohol and coffee? If my culture does not use alcohol, and I don't drink coffee, could I politely ask for water instead and do it in a way that would not be offensive?
I am African American from the South. The only difference is that we tend to eat earlier and teenagers don't get alcohol. When we were little, we may beg, "Oh can I taste it?" & an adult MAY give you a sip (that we didn't like anyway) so we would leave. EVERYTHING else was Exactly the same in my family.
7 лет назад
Teenagers are not allowed to properly drink. It's usually ok to let them have a sip or just a smal amount of something. But really, just a small amount ;-)
My in laws who were born in Sicily are exactly like that. It's an insult to bring food. I was lucky I could bring dessert. That was my thing to bring a homemade dessert. I made a pie one time and used skim milk and my mil put her cigarette in it. I bought my sil a blank cookbook for Christmas and that was an insult. I told her it was for future generations for her family that she wrote it down. It's very hard to find gifts. Wine only for dinner or liquorice liqour for dessert in espresso. We played scupa or scoopa all night and they cheated. sometimes poker. Never wear the same outfit to anything.
Went at the restaurant at 12, got out at 16. Pretty true :P You get: salami early on, then vegetables, then an entry dish, then a first dish, a second dish and sometimes a third, then there's normally gelato/pastry/cake at the end and then there's coffea (corrected with alcohol/liquors or normal).
in souther italy (my family is originally from Napoli, but we live in Rome) we don't eat before 20.30/21. I usually go to dinner at 22 and I go to bed at 1am, waking up next morning at 7/8am for going to work (and, this is just a case, but while I'm writing down this comment there in italy is 00.58 am 🤣)
very funny , and most of these behaviors carried on the the "new country," i grew up with Neapolitans in Newark New Jersey and i saw evidence of all of this ..
That's good to know. Thank you. Personally, I guess the only rule I have for people coming over for dinner is to be clean. No body odors. Aside from that they can come as they are and I even tell my guests that if they don't like the food to please not eat it. Why? I live in a very multicultural city so you wouldn't expect everybody to have the same taste as you, so no reason to get insulted if somebody doesn't eat all of the food you served. Having said that, I have been to dinner at some people's houses that it looked like they just got the food from a can a reheated it in a micro wave. Not a pleasant experience at all. I cook from scratch like you Italians do.
I am Multi-Racial (5 Nationalities in my blood). Unfortunate for me that none of them is Italian. However, I feel that I MUST have been Italian in a Past Life, because I pretty much LIVE by ALL of these "Standards".
With my acid reflux, and sensitivity to caffeine, i would have a ROUGH night after going to an Italian house for dinner!!! Lol. Id probably not get much sleep the night after. Lol
All of these rules apply in Britain too, if you want to visit. Also what Maria Giorgio says below... don't invite yourself, nobody likes that guy ;-) Only difference in the UK is dinner is usually eaten around 8 pm and drinks and games usually concluded by midnight, unless it's the weekend, kids are usually put to bed after dinner.
I find this funny. Because it was Italy that gave the Western world their tables manners. It was the Italians that taught the West how to eat with a fork and knife. I watched a documentary on this.
In Austria teenagers also drink alcohol with the adults, but we don’t drink alcohol like we really DRINK (if you know what I mean) People start drinking and going out and drinking alcohol with like 12 or 13 and it’s totally normal (at least Pinzgau region) 😂
Ciao, vorrei sapere come rifiutare un caffe', sono colombiana ma sinceramente il caffe' mi fa schifo, nn ci riesco proprio a prenderlo, l'odore, il sapore, tutto mi fa schifo e nn vorrei fare una figuraccia. Cmq mi piacciono tantissimo i tuoi video, grazie a te finalmente ho capito la differenza tra la pronuncia delle due E.
Silvia Villamizar Io sono napoletano e non mi piace tantissimo il caffè. quando non si vuole offendere gli altri basta dire "no, l ho già preso grazie. troppo mi fa male" oppure "no, grazie ma mi fa male alla pancia il caffè ". quando si parla di salute, nessuno ti dirà niente :)
Ciao! Sul canale trovi video in inglese per i principianti e video in italiano per gli studenti di livello intermedio/avanzato! Un abbraccio - Italy Made Easy Staff -
I love this video. When I try to explain the particular formalities of Italian culture to Americans, they are often surprised: "But Italians seem so relaxed and friendly!" It can be difficult to convey that certain cultural conventions are simply deeply ingrained signs of respect and civility and do not diminish Italian warmth. You're providing a great public service, Manu!
Grazie mille, Gatto Nero! Happy to be helping!
I would like to add one more thing. It is not polite to invite yourself to dinner. We are very generous people, however, if we don't really care for you, we usually aren't interested in having you at our table. It is an honor for us to cook for you if we do like you, because we put our heart and soul into everything we do, especially cooking.
Italian don't like strangers
ben messo
That should go without saying
i love italians....and i have many friends from italy. they are all very generous and loving. your statement that italian doesn't like strangers is rediculous. it shows your mentality...io sono dagli india. buona giornata!!!
This is not true. We love strangers often more than italians. Greetings from Italy..You will be always welcome
i am usa born and raised but i love knowing my Italian roots and what do's and don't to do when my dream to visit italy some day every comes true
Michelle Dewey-Jaramillo hopefully you get to go one day!:)
You are helpling me so much, Manu! You are a gifted teacher. Your work is clear, articulate and easy to follow. All of the material you produce is the very best I've found. Thanks for investing so much of your time and energy into teaching people like me to understand the Italian language and culture better. I would recommend your Italian language instruction and RUclips videos to everyone!
Wow Renee grazie mille! Thank you so much for your words! Very happy to help you.Sei davvero adorabile! Un abbraccio
I live in Italy and usually have dinner at 8 in the summer even later, when my cousins come over from the states at 5 they expect to have dinner. WE HAVE A COFFEE BREAK AT 5! they say that eating late makes you gain weight, but after we have a meal we don't go to sleep, and we don't sit in front of the TV with cake, ice cream, bear, popcorn and chips! after dinner we are done!
in fact it is well known that Americans do not have problems with obesity. As an Italian I have always eaten after 8 pm in winter and after 9 pm in summer and none of my family or friends has ever had obesity problems. Moreover, we Italians are the people who have one of the highest life expectations, more than 4 years longer than the Americans. So eating late is not so bad.
It's called a potluck honey.
Loved the video❣️. Make more like this about Italian culture because there are so many misconceptions
Thanks to you, Michele Stout!
Thanks Manu for this special episode. I actually thought of cooking my special dish and bring this to the Italian family who invited me. Meno male mi hai salvato con questo video. Grazie tante.
Grazie mille, S. Monica Monica! Happy to be helping!
S. Monica Monica se conosci bene chi ti ospiterà per la cena, puoi semplicemente proporre ai padroni di casa se hanno piacere di assaggiare un piatto tipico del tuo paese. in quel caso puoi presentarti con una pietanza.
se, invece, non hai molta familiarità con i tuoi ospiti, non è il caso di proporsi :)
Chi e'? Ci abbiamo conosciuti prima? Buona Pasqua!
I am studying Italian but have been wanting to know more about the culture as well recently so thank you for these videos.
My parents are Italian and I'm a big eater so when I go to Italy and eat loads at the table, I basically get worshipped for my big appetite
I love your videos they really help me a lot. I've just starting teaching myself Italian 2 weeks ago & I know I'm only 2 weeks in but learning Italian is a challenge but your videos help so much it makes me feel like I've learnt something new and it stays in my brain lol. Thank you.......sorry I mean Grazie!!! 💚🇮🇹❤️
Grazie mille, Lewis Fleet! Happy to be helping!
Also, you could bring flowers. Everybody appreciates that.
great video. my grandfather moved from italy to the usa in 1929. i can see a lot of this in our family and the way we do things. very cool. thank you.
❤️Thank you! Keep up following us!
This is so accurate!!! I grew up Italian and I didn't appreciate it then but I loved hearing about it
this Video could also named "most amazing Things in Italia"
food,
people,
family
takling
Thanks to you, Literatouristin!
My mom is from Italy (pistoia) and this is how I was raised.... I always felt weird when I went to other friends house for dinner as I would be starving again at 9........ and I would even get embarrassed when i had a friend over..... also would get scared at other people's houses because they would get drunk at night time.
it's the almost the same in Lebanon, late dinner, awesome food, great gathering environment, coffee after meal. won't be hard for me to get invited to dinner in Italy. salute!
I think all over the mediterenean sea we have similar habbit
non mi ero mai resa conto di quanto siamo formali😱 e soprattutto competitivi sul cibo😂
Sul cibo hai ragione. Ma presentarsi ad una cena in canottiera e ciabatte, eh, dimmi tu, nemmeno nel più "open-minded" dei Paesi. Forse in estate, in villeggiatura...
forse solo in villeggiatura....eppure anche lì noi cercavamo di "farci belli" per la sera dopo la giornata di mare ahahah :)
thank you so much for your videos!!! i gonna live in Italy for 6 months with 3 italian guys😍 and this helps me do much
Thanks to you, Amber Juch!
You're amazing! Thank you so much for the excellent information.
Grazie mille!
Credo che serva anche come memo per molti italiani, complimenti!
This is so informative. Thank you Manu. Kind regards. x.
Grazie mille, patricia bennett! Happy to be helping!
Manu, please keep doing these cultural videos. I love them. They are so informative and very helpful. Grazie mille! :)
Grazie mille, Elizabeth Berman! Happy to be helping!
Bravissimo Manu, ho appena fatto un binge watching dei tuoi video e mi trovi d'accordo sul 99% delle cose, mi piace come tu sia meno propenso a generalizzare. Sono italoamericana, vivo in Veneto- padre italiano e madre americana. Bravo davvero! Unica differenza: in Veneto we are social drinkers, no hard liquor, but honestly we are Italy's drunks haha 😂
Grazie Manu again, I always enjoy your videos very much! Hey Manu, you are a great gentleman and so much fun, which I respect you 100%. I got invited by a Swiss-Italian couple, and cooked the most best Spaghetti Bolognese I have ever had, and I have had hundreds. It was many years ago in Bavaria, but I never forgot how special and welcome they made us. We brought some special chocolates and other goods from England as a mark of thanks and good will. I must state and always will... I have all the time in the world for Italian People in Italy or not.
Manu, you nailed this! You are spot on!
lovely video IV been to Italy many times as a young lad with my family and loved it ! i now need to brush up on my Italian and revisit ! and found your video very informative!!!! gratzia tanto ..
:)
Grazie mille, tonyholt90! Happy to be helping!
Wish we had more of that culture here in Holland
Hello Manu . thank you for the video, it's so nice to see you and Italien food culture is very similar to ours so it's very helpfull to kno all these details about Italy. :)
Grazie mille, KHEROUF meriem! Happy to be helping!
Grazie Manu. Dovrò affrontare questa situazione a settembre.
so accurate from my experiences
I told my (American) boyfriend specifically about how I do not like people to bring their own food when I'm supposed to be the one cooking and I don't think he gets it at all 😂 I think I described it as like inserting something random into a piece of somebody else's artwork. I think Americans definitely find that one a bit extreme.
It is always a pleasure to invite people for dinner and eventhough the cooking skills of my country vary and have improved in the recent decades, it is always a pleasure to notice, that everything has been made with love and an awareness. You can learn so many things from it, even to forget about a table cloth that can get stained sometimes, as bowls are shared and children or adults don’t care, if they had a tiny accident. If you aren’t sure, which flowers you should choose, remember the color of the clothes of your host, last time you saw her/ him, think about her/ his interests of taste
and find a beautiful book about it. When you choose a wine, don’t take the cheapest bottle from a supermarket. As my friends from Italy have got children, I always bring some tiny presents for them too, some toys, games or sweets. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune but their smile is priceless, when they get them.
So kind! 😚
Learn Italian with Italy Made Easy Grazie mille! 😉
Bel video! Grazie!
Grazie a te, pj1390!
Wonderful! Thank you!
Thanks to you, Cathie Wilson!
Veramente. Quando eravamo in Italia, qualche volta mangavamo alle 23:00! Restavamo alla spiaggia fino alle 20:00 mentre prendavamo un aperitivo prima di andare a casa. Allora cenavamo tardi. E stato meraviglioso! E simile quando vado in Grecia--in particolare alle isole.
Questo è molto utile Manu! Grazie a te.
Grazie mille, joee balestrieri! Happy to be helping!
Grazie Manu.
Excellent video. Grazie.
Grazie a te!
I just returned home to the states after visiting my family in Abruzzo and this video is “Spot On”! Wish I would have seen this Before my trip, haha! 🤣
Tell us something about your trip in Abruzzo!!! 😍 Did you enjoy it?
Sì! I loved my trip to Abruzzo! It was my very first trip to Italy. I will definitely be going back. It was a “working vacation” as I was running from comune to comune, gathering official documents for my Italian Citizenship. Highlights Were:
1. Meeting my cousin who I have literally wanted to meet since I was a little girl! I stayed with her for 3 weeks and we are now like sisters.
2. Finding my Nonna’s home in Vico, in the province of Teramo!
3. Visiting Campo Imperatore and hiking to the top of Rocco Calascio!
It was difficult getting on the plane and leaving, but I know this was just the first trip of many more to come!
❤️❤️❤️🇮🇹❤️❤️❤️
Great! So it was an exciting vacation!!! 😍
You're back :D
Thank you!
Grazie per il video
Grazie a te, Souad Achouri!
I feel as if I should have been born as an Italian.
Even your etiquette resembles my own peraonal mannerisms.
Wait. What? I thought it was offensive to ask for coffee after dinner (at least at a restaurant?) as coffee is seen as only a breakfast item, like cereal. I am going to Italy and Sicily for the first time this August and have been studying all your videos. Grazie!
Inzo42 nope. We drink coffee after lunch and dinner, too (not only at breakfast). Sometimes we drink coffee just beacause we need (!) coffee or beacause someone is offering (maybe during the afternoon, i dunno no).
Of course, usually we don't drink SO many coffee every day (we need to sleep, too 😂).
(personally, I drink coffee only after lunch and sometimes after dinner, if I don't go to sleep early).
TL;DR there isn't a RIGHT time for coffee because everytime is the right time for coffee. V___V
(I think you had confused coffee with cappuccino. We usually drink cappuccino only at breakfast)
(argh. sorry for my english. I tried. ^^")
I believe you are right, no cappuccino after dinner. That would be weird! Black coffee after dinner in the US is not unheard of. My mom drinks black coffee after dinner every night.
We drink coffee after every meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and often in the afternoon or during the morning, specially if someone offers it to you (which is veeery common) probably what you heard about was the cappuccino: we drink it only for breakfast or as a snack during the afternoon, not after a meal 😉
We drink coffee (espresso) after every meal! Sometimes it's "corretto" which means it has some liquor in it.
What you shouldn't ask for is coffee plus milk, whether it is a capuccino or a macchiato or whatever. Hope this helped!
Cappuccino is a breakfast coffee, so don't order one of those after breakfast. I believe Italians normally have an espresso after dinner. Enjoy your trip in August. :)
grazie
Grazie a te, Veronica Martinez!
Hi Manu. Great video. Really useful stuff. As far as flowers go are there any types that should be avoided perhaps coz of their connection to funerals etc. And what abt being vegetsrian? Should we warn the host?
About flowers, you must avoid chrysanthemums. You could bring a little plant too. If you are vegetarian you should warn the host
Ciao Gerarld e grazie! Always avoid chrysanthemum as they are indeed associated with funerals! Yes, do warn the host if you are a vegetarian. A huge percentage of Italian dishes are vegetarian so it won't be a problem for the host!
Italy Made Easy Thank you so much..love your video..an aquantance of mine often pops over during lunch n dinner (always empty handed), I grew up in the restaurant business n love to cook n eat w/my family..this behavior causes everyone discomfort..what do I finally say to this?? Help please😑..Cynthia
Is not difficult for italian do vegetarian dishs. Also if you are vegan you can do pasta with sugo. Worm a pan with garlic and olive oil after add tomato put on boiled pasta and add some Parsley. 8)
grazie mille
😊
Thanks Manu, great tips. What if you don't drink alcohol at all and politely refuse to take it or ask for non-alcohol alternatives. Is it seen offensive by the host?
Not offensive 😉
I hope to one day make friends with someone from Italy and have this opportunity presented to me. As an American in the south, we don't have many Italians to meet.
Hi Thomas! You can try our platform Italy Made Easy Academy where you can speak italian with native Italians every day!
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Saving up to make the payment now!
Great video!
One question though: what if you don't drink alcohol?
Would it be seen as rude to not drink wine if offered?
absolutely not, you can easily refuse, i'm italian and i don't drink alcohol because i don't like it
I'm italian and I don't drink alcohol, so I can say to you that if you say that you don't drink alcohol in general (btw, we say "sono astemio" to say "I don't drink alcohol"), it doesn't sound rude. Maybe they could make some friendly jokes about it or try to insist saying something like "not even a bit? come on!! It's good! It's from this region blablabla", but if you say again that you don't drink alcohol, maybe saying "I'm sorry, I'd like to taste it but I really can't drink alcohol at all..." the will stop at some point haha so don't worry, it doesn't sound rude, especially if you deny it politely and showing some sort of "ohhh that's a shame I can't taste your amazing wine :( " attitude haha
(sorry for my english)
P.s. By the way, if you don't drink alcohol because of health reasons, they won't even try to insist probably because we care a lot about health in general
rustymcnally not at all, lots of Italians don't drink alcohol, it' s not rude to say no :)
Many Italians don't drink alcohol, we aren't a nation of heavy drinkers, so there is no problem.
manu buonissimo video, come sempre. Mi piace molto che I bambini non sono isolati dal resto della gente, nonostante che sìa tardi. qui, negli EU, molta gente manda i ragazzi a dormire presto!!! Not fair!! L'altra cosa é che qui non gli danno l'alcol come un po' di vino come lo fanno in tuo paese o in Europa, in generale. Penso che questo aiuti a "demystify" bere. Non é un "taboo" . é una cosa normale. chiaro in moderazione 😉 Grazie
Cara Elena da Italiano e padre di un ragazzo che è ormai cresciuto ti posso assicurare che assaggiare un goccio di vino fa parte dell'educazione che è comune in Italia ( e a quanto ne so anche in Francia) in cui si insegna ai bambini ad avere il giusto rapporto con l'alcool e a bere durante i pasti con moderazione. Bere troppo e visto molto male in qualsiasi contesto
Great Videos thanks for the helpful inside tips.. Question though I don't drink any coffee or wines don't care for either will I be permitted to enter the county haha
ahah no problem Scott, your will be welcome!
- Italy Made Easy Staff -
and you are right about the kids, in the US they tend to have dinners or parties excluding the children. The precisely tell you no children allowed. I remember when I was a kid in the states we were left at home with a babysitter
It's the same in France.
(and I love limoncello !!)
😉
"Buonasera, buonasera"
*BOOM*
Ahahah Is Michael Bay the director of this video? xD
molto bene
Thanks for this it helped so much in Italy. Meals are really similar to other European countries. Everywhere I've been to it's always good to talk during meal times and socialise. I was surprised about how teenagers are allowed alcohol though 🤣😁👍.
I'm happy this helped while in Italy. 😊 About teenagers and alcohol... well, actually in Italy it's forbidden to sell alcohol to youngs who are not 18! Unfortunately every teenager has always an elder friend who buys alcohol for him/her! Not only bars or restaurants cannot sell alcohol to minors, but neither can supermarkets and grocery stores. If they are reported and caught in the act they suffer serious punishment.
@@italymadeeasy ohh okay, thank you for clearing that up. :-)
I always bring whatever seasonal fruit when im invited. Oh the digestivo, first time I had no idea and had too much and it got me wasted
Ciao, I'm Portuguese living in England for 23 years and am planing to go and live in Sardegna, Olbia. I found you have many costumes similar to my country. Do you have any advise , something different for that part of the Island?
Grazie. It's too late to try this in Italian.
Very nice video (vee-day-oh!). The part about the children is spot on and very telling. I grew up in Italian home but my father is Irish/Polish and I saw some contrast esp. the Irish influence. This was especially true regarding alcohol part..I mean to say that the Irish luuuuvvv to give the kiddies booze (they pretend they don't know the kids take it)...no food mind you...but the drink! ( Grazie a Dio for my mama Maria and homemade manicotti, cannoli ... etc. ) Ciao, amico mio. Michael
W la mamma for manicotti and cannoli homemade! Fantastico!
Maybe u can help me. My family always pronounced uncle/aunt as "Zi Federico, Zi Pappina etc. ...no difference between male/female. Yes, formerly we would say Zio/Zia for introduction but not at home. Someone said "no, that's wrong". Cosa wrong? Also, I used to love hearing my Grandma Cristinia say the word "girl" or "purple" like:
'She's a nice-a gale" and "the shirt is purpala". Oh, how I miss my grandparents, Nicola and Cristina !
Sometimes words are reduced in some dialects, so ZIO/ZIA become ZI' ;)
- Italy Made Easy Staff -
you sound so much like Armenians :))))) we have a lot in common !!!
love it
Thanks to you, danzorena1!
Interesting video. I was wondering though, is it rude not to take the alcohol offered after dinner? As a person, who does not drink alcohol at all, I would not want to do that. I don't drink caffee either (purely because I don't like the taste AT ALL) but that I can force down on my throat in social situations if needed. But drinking alcohol I would rather avoid.
Maria L Yes, of course you can refuse, but as he was saying in the video, get ready because they're probably gonna ask you more than once if you're really don't want none of them. We don't do it because we want to bother you, we just want to be sure that you're gonna come back home full, so far away from being starving. Can you get what I'm saying? Coming back home still hungry would be a kind of "shame" for the family that has invited you. We deeply care about these stuff
Very different from my culture but as far as I'm concerned, THIS is the way it should be, and this is pretty much how I do it as well. I've always been thought of as weird. I guess I just have to move lol.
Would it be a great offense if we politely refused alcohol and coffee? If my culture does not use alcohol, and I don't drink coffee, could I politely ask for water instead and do it in a way that would not be offensive?
I am African American from the South. The only difference is that we tend to eat earlier and teenagers don't get alcohol. When we were little, we may beg, "Oh can I taste it?" & an adult MAY give you a sip (that we didn't like anyway) so we would leave.
EVERYTHING else was Exactly the same in my family.
Teenagers are not allowed to properly drink. It's usually ok to let them have a sip or just a smal amount of something. But really, just a small amount ;-)
My in laws who were born in Sicily are exactly like that. It's an insult to bring food. I was lucky I could bring dessert. That was my thing to bring a homemade dessert. I made a pie one time and used skim milk and my mil put her cigarette in it. I bought my sil a blank cookbook for Christmas and that was an insult. I told her it was for future generations for her family that she wrote it down. It's very hard to find gifts. Wine only for dinner or liquorice liqour for dessert in espresso. We played scupa or scoopa all night and they cheated. sometimes poker. Never wear the same outfit to anything.
Don't eat before 7:00, finish after midnight, wow
That's not really true. I mean, it often happens during special events, but in normal days we start at 7 and finish at 8:30
well I never have dinner before 8 and usually in my family dinner is around 9 to 9:30 so... it depends I guess
Went at the restaurant at 12, got out at 16. Pretty true :P
You get: salami early on, then vegetables, then an entry dish, then a first dish, a second dish and sometimes a third, then there's normally gelato/pastry/cake at the end and then there's coffea (corrected with alcohol/liquors or normal).
in souther italy (my family is originally from Napoli, but we live in Rome) we don't eat before 20.30/21. I usually go to dinner at 22 and I go to bed at 1am, waking up next morning at 7/8am for going to work (and, this is just a case, but while I'm writing down this comment there in italy is 00.58 am 🤣)
In my family it's realy strange to start the dinner before 8 :30
very funny , and most of these behaviors carried on the the "new country," i grew up with Neapolitans in Newark New Jersey and i saw evidence of all of this ..
That's good to know. Thank you. Personally, I guess the only rule I have for people coming over for dinner is to be clean. No body odors. Aside from that they can come as they are and I even tell my guests that if they don't like the food to please not eat it. Why? I live in a very multicultural city so you wouldn't expect everybody to have the same taste as you, so no reason to get insulted if somebody doesn't eat all of the food you served.
Having said that, I have been to dinner at some people's houses that it looked like they just got the food from a can a reheated it in a micro wave. Not a pleasant experience at all.
I cook from scratch like you Italians do.
I am Multi-Racial (5 Nationalities in my blood). Unfortunate for me that none of them is Italian. However, I feel that I MUST have been Italian in a Past Life, because I pretty much LIVE by ALL of these "Standards".
Amber Hayes I'm 6 ethnicities and mostly Italian.
With my acid reflux, and sensitivity to caffeine, i would have a ROUGH night after going to an Italian house for dinner!!! Lol. Id probably not get much sleep the night after. Lol
All of these rules apply in Britain too, if you want to visit. Also what Maria Giorgio says below... don't invite yourself, nobody likes that guy ;-) Only difference in the UK is dinner is usually eaten around 8 pm and drinks and games usually concluded by midnight, unless it's the weekend, kids are usually put to bed after dinner.
i primi 3 secondi sono scoppiato a ridere
I find this funny. Because it was Italy that gave the Western world their tables manners. It was the Italians that taught the West how to eat with a fork and knife. I watched a documentary on this.
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In Austria teenagers also drink alcohol with the adults, but we don’t drink alcohol like we really DRINK (if you know what I mean) People start drinking and going out and drinking alcohol with like 12 or 13 and it’s totally normal (at least Pinzgau region) 😂
ciao! di quale citta sei? :)
First thing you need to know... the food will KICK ASS
È uguale in l'Argentina, noi siamo italiani che parlano spagnolo. Adesso abito negli Stati Uniti e tutto è diverso.
It’s very similar to our Iraqi Arabic culture a lot in common but no alcohol lol 😂
😊
di dove sei?
Where in the center are you from? I have cousins in Umbria so I am curious.
Manu mentioned in another video that he has lived in Nettuno.
it’s very similar to kurdish culture!!
we have the hats and wine thing for dinner
at least in canada
yeah that's what we do we take off our hats or atleast that's what I was taught
Same
Ciao, vorrei sapere come rifiutare un caffe', sono colombiana ma sinceramente il caffe' mi fa schifo, nn ci riesco proprio a prenderlo, l'odore, il sapore, tutto mi fa schifo e nn vorrei fare una figuraccia.
Cmq mi piacciono tantissimo i tuoi video, grazie a te finalmente ho capito la differenza tra la pronuncia delle due E.
Silvia Villamizar puoi dire "no grazie", nessuno ne sarà offeso
Penso che al 99% delle persone basti un "No, grazie, gentilissimo ma non mi piace!"
sí, ma alcune persone si possono offendere ed altri cominciano a chiedere il xke' e tante altre cazzate hehehehe
Silvia Villamizar Io sono napoletano e non mi piace tantissimo il caffè. quando non si vuole offendere gli altri basta dire "no, l ho già preso grazie. troppo mi fa male" oppure "no, grazie ma mi fa male alla pancia il caffè ". quando si parla di salute, nessuno ti dirà niente :)
Silvia Villamizar puoi semplicemente dire che non bevi caffè, nessuno si arrabbierà, tranquilla :)
Ok everything but "digestivo"? sounds like an alka seltzer :-)
we drinks coffee (of course) and then (who wants) the classic Amaro, Grappa etc.
Sarebbe un problema se non bevo caffè? Per esempio, come un insulto per l'oste se rifiuto la bevanda?
no, non c'è assolutamente nessun problema. Di solito a fine pasto viene chiesto "quanti caffè?" e chi non lo vuole non lo richiede.
Ah, meno male! Mi solleva saperlo, grazie!
No no
RobertEssence no, assolutamente non è un problema rifiutare il caffè. Basta declinare l'offerta con un semplice "no, grazie"
tranquillo non tutti gli italiani bevono caffè, c'è anche chi non lo beve, quindi puoi rifiutarti senza problemi.
Ti correggi in differita😆
ma queste cose devono assere spiegate? non sono innate nell'essere umano? :V
No, non lo sono.
purtroppo il mondo non smette mai di stupirci non dare per scontato niente
Nope. Each culture is very peculiar. What is obvious for Italians, is not that clear for the rest of the world.
I think everything you said except of barefoot is in common with what we do in Greece
is it nice to be bareffot at dinner in Greece?
Tante lieta di viderla!
Italy has slowed down a bit, but in 2000 you were hitting the sauce HARD! (And I do not mean gravy)
What if I don't consume alcohol 😁.
Ahah a plant will be fine 😁
Quant'è vero hahaha
Posso dirle che sono vegano in anticipo? May I tell them I'm vegan beforehand?
if an italian bloke ivites you "home" for dinner expect to be eaten out...
What about vegan people? Haha
Carlos Campos when they invite you, just tell your hosts you don't eat animal products
Carlos Campos it is easy to be vegan in Italy as many dishes are incidentally without animal products
They can have an hard life in some place
I would be a bad guest! I don't eat meat, or drink coffee or alcohol. Ever.
Perché in Inglese??
Ciao! Sul canale trovi video in inglese per i principianti e video in italiano per gli studenti di livello intermedio/avanzato! Un abbraccio
- Italy Made Easy Staff -
Asking for small serving? Really? Try doing that before any Mamma or Nonna from the South of Italy.
😂