post your sexy pics here

[Dead_Lioness]

Italians are just as easy to spot due to the mannerisms, even in the north where most everyone could pass for Austrian. Just look for the nose and the hand gestures.

The hand gestures crack me up! I do them as well, on a much milder version though, when I'm among 'my peeps' only (I always say 'my Mediterranean is showing' haha!)

Chris, do you know the hand-gesture when you eat something really good and fresh, you raise your hand, and while eating you get all your fingers together almost like a cone, and do little circles in the air like saying: "bellissimo"??
haha hard to explain in writing, but Im sure you know what I mean... anyways, I do THAT all the time when I eat something really good, and among other 'Meds'

Also, just to be fair... Italians are also loud as fuck when travel overseas, not just Americans...

 

[Dead Winter]

The hand gestures crack me up! I do them as well, on a much milder version though, when I'm among 'my peeps' only (I always say 'my Mediterranean is showing' haha!)

Chris, do you know the hand-gesture when you eat something really good and fresh, you raise your hand, and while eating you get all your fingers together almost like a cone, and do little circles in the air like saying: "bellissimo"??
haha hard to explain in writing, but Im sure you know what I mean... anyways, I do THAT all the time when I eat something really good, and among other 'Meds'

Also, just to be fair... Italians are also loud as fuck when travel overseas, not just Americans...

Heh, yeah that hand gesture is used for a litany of things. It's actually closer to "I can't fucking believe this, it's so ridiculous" and it's used a lot when they're being sarcastic and exaggerating in response to something someone says.

Sometimes their hand gestures annoy me, this one in particular:



It's probably due to them getting really excited and overheated about something and then they get spastic with their hands. Being American, when someone's yelling at me in my face and they start to do hand gestures, my initial reaction is to punch them.

Another thing that annoys me is just like Americans, they have no volume knob for their voice. More so in the south of Italy but people do it here too. I don't like loud people in public places unless said place is meant to be loud, like a concert or something. I don't like people talking in movie theaters, I don't like people talking loudly while I'm eating, and I don't like people airing out their problems to the world for all to hear.

Here is actually an accurate portrayal of the hand gestures, but some of the translations are quite tame. For instance, "Che palle" isn't just "how boring"...it's more like "My balls are full of this bullshit"...I do that one all the time, along with "Ma vaffanculo!" and "Non me ne frega un cazzo!" But I really, really HATE the "che cazzo vuoi?" hand gesture for some reason, which is probably the most famous. The funniest one is "Minchia, che sfiga!!!!", which, roughly translated means "Fuck, that sucks!!!!"...it's a tradition for Italian men to touch their balls and Italian women to grab one of their tits when there's something that brings bad luck or when they hear or see something that is a bad omen or bad luck for someone else. It's always, ALWAYS done when passing a funeral procession in the car. Driving down the road in a car full of Italians and you see a hearse, you'll see every single guy in the car grab his junk.

 

[Dead_Lioness]

Another thing that annoys me is just like Americans, they have no volume knob for their voice. More so in the south of Italy but people do it here too. I don't like loud people in public places unless said place is meant to be loud, like a concert or something. I don't like people talking in movie theaters, I don't like people talking loudly while I'm eating, and I don't like people airing out their problems to the world for all to hear.

Yeah I can't stand that either... As much as I love some funny Mediterranean traits, most of them annoy me. I hate loud people that are in my face as well.
You really don't see it here in the US (thank god for that) and when I travel sometimes I have a 'culture-shock' again for the first day... lol
It's also the mentality of people to always 'be in your business' that I can not stand. ...."what are you doing? how much you're making? how many house do you own? how much did you pay for that car? "
fucking rude.


You nailed it with the hand gesture I was talking about

 

[DarkGift]

this conversation here has nothing to do with sexy pictards

 

[Dead_Lioness]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVCuyrPk7P4

wow SSSOOO true!!

I actually do the 'I dont give a fuck' to people (sometimes... if I'm really drunk)

 

[DarkGift]

that's right, ultimate metal

 

[Morbides]

this conversation here has nothing to do with sexy pictards

There is a balance you see. Too much of those will ruin the growing anticipation for new ones.
(Also I like the way this thread always seems to turn to anthropological issues.)

 

[DarkGift]

fuck balance

 

[Dead Winter]

Yeah I can't stand that either... As much as I love some funny Mediterranean traits, most of them annoy me. I hate loud people that are in my face as well.
You really don't see it here in the US (thank god for that) and when I travel sometimes I have a 'culture-shock' again for the first day... lol
It's also the mentality of people to always 'be in your business' that I can not stand. ...."what are you doing? how much you're making? how many house do you own? how much did you pay for that car? "
fucking rude.


You nailed it with the hand gesture I was talking about

Yeah sometimes I miss how standoffish people are in the states...where I live it's similar and people respect your space and privacy. Some cultures look at it as cold and unfeeling but I see it as respect, that's all. When you get to know someone they're usually very warm and like extended family. In Rome, EVERYONE is your friend and it's actually considered rude to be somewhat of a recluse. I still prefer my privacy, though.

I can't stand nosy people...absolutely can't stand them. It's not a cultural thing, it's lack of upbringing and class. My parents always taught me that you never say the word "rich", you say the word "wealthy". "Rich" is crass and low-brow and makes one sound poor. You never, NEVER EVER ask how much money someone makes or how much they spent on something. NEVER. Here, it's actually similar with asking about what someone does for a living. That's actually considered somewhat rude if you don't know them well. It's considered low class and rude because, for one thing, if you're at a dinner party you shouldn't be so boring as to talk about work, and for another you shouldn't be sticking your nose in someone else's business.

 

[Dead_Lioness]

Sometimes their hand gestures annoy me, this one in particular:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOl9I87bru4

The video cracked me up!

Also: this is exactly why one must be careful with not doing the hand movements right. the Bellisimo gesture I was talking about is *kinda* similar to the fuck-you (i completely forgot about the fuck you) If not done right, and in the right 'movement- people might mistake what you're saying

Oh, and I have a funny story about this little Italian store in Bethesda, MD called Cornucopia. It's like 'the real deal' for Italian food, and the guy who runs it, is this 'soup-nazi' style Italian guy who never smiles. My friend Ana lives in the area and she always told me how mean he is etc... anyways:
I used to work in Bethesda, and I went there with my co-workers for lunch. They had a sample of olives and cheeses, and I grabbed one of the sample food and it was soooo good, I did the 'hand movement' for "AWESOME' right? That Italian guy, who never smiles, run to me in the middle of the store: "where are you from??? where are you from?? I know you're not American with this hand thing yeah???"
hahaha I thought it was funny. He then gave me free olives just for being 'Med'

 

[Morbides]

that's right, ultimate metal

Haha you're one of those people who look metal even when they're cutting their fingernails aren't you? Not that there would be anything wrong with that.

 

[DarkGift]

no i'm just incapable of not doing cheesy metal poses when i'm aware of having my picture taken

 

[Dead_Lioness]

Yeah sometimes I miss how standoffish people are in the states...where I live it's similar and people respect your space and privacy. Some cultures look at it as cold and unfeeling but I see it as respect, that's all. When you get to know someone they're usually very warm and like extended family. In Rome, EVERYONE is your friend and it's actually considered rude to be somewhat of a recluse. I still prefer my privacy, though.

I can't stand nosy people...absolutely can't stand them. It's not a cultural thing, it's lack of upbringing and class. My parents always taught me that you never say the word "rich", you say the word "wealthy". "Rich" is crass and low-brow and makes one sound poor. You never, NEVER EVER ask how much money someone makes or how much they spent on something. NEVER. Here, it's actually similar with asking about what someone does for a living. That's actually considered somewhat rude if you don't know them well. It's considered low class and rude because, for one thing, if you're at a dinner party you shouldn't be so boring as to talk about work, and for another you shouldn't be sticking your nose in someone else's business.

Totally!!!
We are so similar in our upbringing, Chris. Our parents must have been reading the same books

I think for the most part, this was my biggest issue with living in that area, and why I love the US so much. I never thought I 'fit' in in the Med area, and as much as I love it, and I love to go visit- people can be so overwhelming and 'in your face' sometimes, and much like you, I need my privacy!

 

[Dead Winter]

The video cracked me up!

Also: this is exactly why one must be careful with not doing the hand movements right. the Bellisimo gesture I was talking about is *kinda* similar to the fuck-you (i completely forgot about the fuck you) If not done right, and in the right 'movement- people might mistake what you're saying

Oh, and I have a funny story about this little Italian store in Bethesda, MD called Cornucopia. It's like 'the real deal' for Italian food, and the guy who runs it, is this 'soup-nazi' style Italian guy who never smiles. My friend Ana lives in the area and she always told me how mean he is etc... anyways:
I used to work in Bethesda, and I went there with my co-workers for lunch. They had a sample of olives and cheeses, and I grabbed one of the sample food and it was soooo good, I did the 'hand movement' for "AWESOME' right? That Italian guy, who never smiles, run to me in the middle of the store: "where are you from??? where are you from?? I know you're not American with this hand thing yeah???"
hahaha I thought it was funny. He then gave me free olives just for being 'Med'

Haha, yep. It's a fraternal culture, and people who make an effort to learn even the smallest things about it will be rewarded tenfold with the admiration of its people. When I was still in the military on base, one day I went to Taco Bell for lunch, and the people working there were Italian. I was still a bit new to the Italian language at the time and I know I butchered some things by trying to order in Italian, but she understood everything and smiled at me and gave me an extra chicken soft taco supreme for free because she was impressed that I had taken an interest in learning the language.

 

[Dead_Lioness]

^ hahaha nice

 

[Dead_Lioness]

Also, I am still laughing over " Indiano??? NOOO Indiano!" hahaha that's so true !!!

 

[Morbides]

Haha, yep. It's a fraternal culture

Unless you're Romanian.

 

[Dead Winter]

Totally!!!
We are so similar in our upbringing, Chris. Our parents must have been reading the same books

I think for the most part, this was my biggest issue with living in that area, and why I love the US so much. I never thought I 'fit' in in the Med area, and as much as I love it, and I love to go visit- people can be so overwhelming and 'in your face' sometimes, and much like you, I need my privacy!

Absolutely. Here in Friuli people don't really want to be associated with the rest of Italy and, in fact, that's why it's an autonomous region. As much as I love Rome and love other places in Italy, I really couldn't live anywhere else in Italy but here. It's organized and people are cultured enough to have manners and respect other people's privacy. But then again, it's not really a Med climate or culture...it's a mountainous farming region that once belonged to Austria. There are tons of French people here because they emigrated to France in the early 20th century for work and their families spread out from there...it's strange because we're the far northeastern side of Italy. Most people here would like to go back to Austria and send Trieste back to Slovenia/Yugoslavia.

 

[Dead Winter]

Unless you're Romanian.

Not true. I know tons of Romanians and Albanians who are well-liked in the community. The problem is that all the cool Romanians are in Romania, while all your criminals and gypsies are here because they can literally get away with murder here, or used to be able to get away with it. Romanians aren't a problem in Italy; gypsies are. But even so, Berlusconi brought it on himself by opening the floodgates to all of Romania for workers, and sadly, more criminals are here than honest, hard-working, normal Romanians.

They're cracking down on that shit now, finally. If you're found to be illegally here, you are immediately deported. No trial, no nothing. If you don't have the proper papers to prove you entered the country legally, your ass is outta here. I fully support it. It will allow more decent people from the east to emigrate here and weed out all the trash.

Also, Italians are stereotypically xenophobic, but not necessarily in a mean or hateful way. They dislike Americans just as much as anyone else unless you show them you can conform to their lifestyle and not try to change them. They're scared to death of change and they don't want any part of it. Well, I should say they want their cake and wanna eat it too, rather. They want the best of everything, most stylish of everything, best tech gear, best infrastructure and for the most part the north has all of that. However, they don't want to give up certain things to get it. They want lower taxes, but they don't like the idea of buying health insurance. They want more money from their jobs, but they don't want to give up their safe, guaranteed work contracts. In typical fashion, Italians want change but don't want to do anything to bring it about.

 

[Dead Winter]

Also, I am still laughing over " Indiano??? NOOO Indiano!" hahaha that's so true !!!

Haha I still laugh at it too. Especially when he goes, "To them, all the Indians are all like 'der der der derderder!'" It's funny because it's true.

I've had a guy actually call me a liar because he didn't believe I was American. He said, "No dude...stop lying...you're either Austrian or Slavic or something because you speak Italian way too well to be American. You even roll your r's and know all the bestemmia and dialect as well." I had to show him an old ID card to prove to him I was American.

Actually, the "wtf" hand gesture actually comes from something else. It's signalling that if you don't knock it off whatever you're doing and act decently, that person is going to grab you by the balls. The "cup" is basically his hand around your balls and pulling back and forth.