Italy: please, say it isn't so!

[phoebe]

According to a story in today's L.A. Times, Italians are going to the gym, getting plastic surgery and-- --eating BOILED vegetables IIICCCKKK!!!! (I grew up with boiled vegetables so I know whereof I speak.)

I don't want Italy to be like this. I want Italy to be plump, wear loose clothing, and eat and drink wonderful, fresh foods and wines. If I wanted gyms and surgery and diet food I could stay home!

OK. Deep breath. Thank you all for letting me briefly rant. Here's a link to the article:

"Italy's Beautiful Obsession"

[Pongi]

Phoebe, I got that link, but since it apparently asked me for money I gave up reading the article
Anyway, if it says what I can imagine, of course it's partially true!
Many Italians go to the gym. Many italian women (and only few men , thanks God) get plastic surgery. Almost ALL Italians make diets, of course...although this is an easier job for us, as we tend to be thinner than you Americans

So, it's likely that your Italian Dream is destined to vanish!

But, I have at least an objection...we DO eat boiled vegetables. We have always eaten boiled vegetables. BUT, Italian boiled vegetables are something else than Anglo-saxon boiled vegetables...like our pasta, they're "al dente", and in most cases nicely seasoned

So, please don't be afraid to come to Italy! If you'll be disgusted (like I am) by all those plastic faces and sausage-like lips and balloon-like boobs, anyway you'll have the opportunity to comfort yourself with our vegetables

Pongi

[phoebe]

Pongi, sorry about the trouble with the link. I'll try to find a link that doesn't demand money, passwords, or first-born children
Actually, I have been to Italy, but, as elsewhere, I prefer the country to the city. Even there, people do dress better than Californians . And you're right, there are fewer overweight people, but they didn't seem to have anxiety attacks over a little cream or a nice cheese.

[chefboy2160]

Actually, I have been to Italy, but, as elsewhere, I prefer the country to the city. Even there, people do dress better than Californians . And you're right, there are fewer overweight people, but they didn't seem to have anxiety attacks over a little cream or a nice cheese.


Then you are saying that Italy is the trend for dress ? Just because California is way out west do not count us out ! California is a trend setter . What has Italy offered the world but maybe the Pope on a rope soap ? And please visit LA ,
San Francisco ,
Monteray , San Diego as well as some of our other in house places such as Nappa valley . To much to post , and as far as how we dress , well watch the Oscars sometime and then tell me .
Yeah , I love California and will match it to anything from the old world . Its like another sunny day , I love LA , We love it .
Doug..............................................

[phoebe]

Well Doug, I know what you're saying, however, I not only live in Los Angeles, I was born here . And while California does indeed set a lot of trends, not all of them are so wonderful. (botox injections at home spring to mind ).
I also remember entering the old city of Sienna in my jeans and t-shirt and being confronted by legions of Siennans (Siennians?) in the most gorgeous, impeccably tailored clothes I had ever seen this side of a fashion runway! Don't get me wrong; I hate taking too much time to dress unless I'm going to an especially nice restaurant or the theatre. I am a Californian through and through when it comes to opting for casual. But Italians--many Italians--in Italy are awfully nice to look at!
And, unless I have my food history and influences wrong, many of our top Californian chefs took their initial cues from the Italian use of fresh, seasonal products, with simple, straightforward preparation. Pongi, help me out here.

[phoebe]

This website link "should" work. And if it asks for any info, the registration looks like it's free anyway. The article begins thus:

"ROME — In this land where beauty is an obligation and a time-consuming chore, it's difficult to be ugly.

"Italians are overwhelmed by narcissism," complains an exasperated Telesforo Iacobelli, who organized the Ugly Club — Club dei Brutti — to give, as he puts it, a voice to the unattractive.

They are a distinct minority.

It is here, after all, where female garbage collectors sweep Rome's cobblestoned streets wearing immaculate makeup and chic hairstyles worthy of fashion models, and where your plumber arrives dressed better than many American business executives"

The link here is the title and the article was published August 4th.

"Italy's Beautiful Obsession"

[chefboy2160]

Hey Phoebe , Im not tring to diss Italy or Italians ( my first wife was Italian ) but I think Im trying to say that its just not about the old world any more . I think that Americans from NY to California are the major trend setters of this new century . In what other country can you find so much ethnic diversity ? Also the majority of our entertainment industry is followed by the whole world ! Our food rivals that of any other nation because of our influx of immigrants including your family and mine as well . I think it is these things that shall keep us Americans as the trend setters for years to come . We might not all be the thinnest or the most beautiful but we are for sure very real people and with our diversity how can 1 nation be better than that ?
Doug...................

[Pongi]

Thanks phoebe!
Although I had no time to answer back, I read your second post before you edited it (maybe due to copyright violation?) so I already know that article
I think that " fare bella figura" are just the italian words to define an attitude which isn't only Italian, but there is something true in what the article says.
Compared to most other peoples, we Italians are very formal regarding appearance. We care a lot of look and are devoted to status symbols. If you're not a poor, here you're supposed to dress smartly, drive a brand new car, live in a nice home full of expensive furniture, otherwise you'll be considered eccentric. I'm not saying this is a good quality... when we care more of appearance then substance, it's narcisism, and sometimes a nonsense if you spend all the money you get in status symbols as many Italians do. More, it's also true that we tend to hide anything which doesn't fit those aesthetic ideals...for example you never see here handicapped people going around in their wheelchairs as they feel ashamed of theirselves, which is really something WE ALL should be ashamed of.
But it's likely that those defects make us the most elegant people in the world, just because also plumbers, salesgirls and garbage collectors dress nicely, not only the rich as it happens everywhere in the world (BTW, this is probably the reason why here there is no clear cut between formal and everyday dressing. I can dress the same way at work, going to the disco or shopping in a supermarket, and this will be considered perfectly normal...gym shoes included as they can be terribly expensive here )
On the other side, apart from dress fashion (all considered, you Californians dress Armani and Versace ) I agree with Chefboy2160 that we Italians are not trend setters! YOU Americans are the world trend setters, and we follow. Even Italian cooking has become a fashion thanks to you Americans
But I must say a thing more about that. We are slim because we eat Mediterranean - lots of fresh food, few junk food. You're trying to do the same, apparently. But this is a diet for you, while it's natural for us. This is the food we are grown up with. So, we are favoured, I think

As for Berlusconi, his flamboyance is an exception - an American-style exception, I could say. Italian politicians are generally rather dull and anonymous...

Pongi

[Nick.Shu]

ahhah *snort* the plastic surgeon who got it wrong - silicon'ed my wrinkles and botoxed my lips

heh

[Devotay]

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