This is the second post in the series called “Our Observations….”
Disclaimer: You all know we are no sociologists and all of these comments are anecdotal. That said, we have noticed a number of differences About Products while we’ve lived here.
What you don’t see can be as important as what you do. So we have made a list of what isn’t here too.
Lots of Yogurt
Yogurt is big here.
Sicilians use yogurt as a digestive after big meals. Lots of meals, lots of yogurt.
Three Packs of Beer
Beer is packaged in mini six packs with three bottles in each pack and each bottle is smaller in volume. This reminds me of Dana’s definition of a diet…half ‘ a sandwich, or half ‘a six pack.
A Three Pack
Liquid Milk Is Scarce
Liquid milk takes up about two feet of space in the bottom of one of the refrigerated displays. The bottles are plastic, one liter size. Most milk is found in boxes on the supermarket shelves. How did all these Italian children get strong bones and good teeth? Pasta must be the milk substitute. However we did find Honey Nut Cherrios, Dana’s favorite.
A One Liter Plastic Bottle
Push Brooms
All of the brooms we have seen, in use or for sale, are push brooms. We have not seen any American sweep brooms anywhere. Seems like an odd quirk.
Pushing dirt not sweeping dirt
What you don’t see…
- Golf courses
- Airplanes
- Mailmen
- Curbside trash pick-up
- Fruit out of season
- Zip lock bags
- Old cars (except for old Fiats)/Wrecks
- Video stores/ Movie rental stores
- Motion picture theaters
Have you lived in or visited another culture and noticed differences? What were they? Do you have an observation about any products that are quintessentially American?
MedFlies 