And I Thought It Was Me…
…She was looking straight ahead with a blank stare as she was sliding the products across the scanner. “Puoi darmi un sacco per favore”. Without looking she was able to put her hand on a plastic bag and with a “Steph Curry without looking behind the back pass” she threw a plastic bag at me. This woman seriously hates her job. Without any acknowledgement of my existence as a human or a customer she moved the few items I was purchasing through the scanner and then to me to bag.. I thought this was treatment saved for me or perhaps other people who looked like me. Contrary to this mistaken belief—- in Italy this is normal behavior. No “buongiorno” , no “prego”, no “thanks for bagging”, no have a nice day. Now I was going to be a little more cheeky about this unique behavior until I had lunch yesterday with some friends and I brought this topic up. Suggesting that in other interactions with people in the service industry there was a warmer exchange of polite greetings. The amount of warmth and human interaction depends in large part on how much you wish to extend yourself and how big an effort you make to speak the language of the country. It was suggested that I might hate my job too if I was only making 1,000 Euro a month. I found that hard to believe. Not that I would hate the job, but that she was only making 1000 euro/ month. So I did a little statistical research. Now as a caveat, I am not a statistical genius by any stretch but I can grasp the hi-lights. A few comparisons: California is 34% larger than Italy in terms of land mass. However there are 25 million fewer people living in California (and you thought the largest state in the Union was crowded). Average wage in Italy is about 1,900/month or around 24,000 a year. The poverty line for the US is approximately 13,000/year for 1 person, 17,000 for two. Middle class is defined as 46,000/ year. Now I can hear the chirping about the government health care and the socialized this and that available in the EU, but that cannot approach the financial requirements to live in a G-8 country in the 21st century —- no wonder she hates her job. The wealth gap is everywhere and like it or not those that have it had better get used to sharing.
On a more uplifting note…presentation. Milano and all of the Italy that I have seen is incredibly well presented. The simplest things are presented in the most pleasing fashion. The packaging of all things Italian are beyond pleasing. You would buy things just to see how they are packaged and then presented to you. Take a morning cappuccino…the barista places the saucer with a napkin and small spoon on the counter, turns the espresso maker on to drip the coffee, once in the cup the milk is steamed and poured into the cup — then the cup is placed on the saucer with the handle in the proper direction. It is a combination of ritual and presentation. I bought a panino at Marchesi a famous pasticceria started in 1824. I would buy a panino there just to watch the meticulous nature of the proper wrapping, closing sticker and placing in the handled bag. All of this so it can be presented to me.
Speaking of ritual…. I went into one of the many Catholic churches yesterday — Sunday. I was walking on a quiet street after having a caffè. When I went in, this grand church was virtually empty.. I watched people scurrying around in tennis shoes and working attire as they prepared for the service. All things secular - microphone adjustment, final singing and organ practice, adjustments to the alter and placing of chairs. I was struck by the secular transformation to the religious ritual as the opening procession with priest and attendants proceeded to the alter with the organ announcing their arrival. It was this morphing of the mundanities of the secular with the uplifting nature of the ritual that I was attentive. As if the ritual had called for attendance, I turned around and the church was full. Regardless of beliefs I think we humans love a good ritual.
From the streets of Milano….”Alla prossima”