Italians do it better.
Eating and drinking are not just pastimes for Italians, they are ingrained in every part of the day.
It’s a way of life, and arguably, the best way.
Italian men sitting at the tables outside a tavern eating broad beans and pecorino cheese and drinking Frascati wine in Monte Porzio Catone, 1967.Mondadori via Getty Images
These are 10 rules that Italians live by and you might want to adopt for yourself.
Seasons for a reason.
While some fruits and vegetables are always in season (carrots and lemons!
), most crops are seasonal.
There are great times for certain foods, and not-so-great times for others.
You want the best tomatoes?
May through October is your window for the juiciest and most flavorful.
That’s late Autumn.
Italians know this, and they grow their crops and buy their produce accordingly.
Italians don’t really dawdle over breakfast.
But be mindful of how you order in Italian.
Acaffedoes mean a coffee, but in Italy that’s a shot of espresso.
Order acaffe latteand you’ll get the frothy, caffeinated beverage you were looking for.
Olive oil > all other oil.
Cooking with olive oil is de rigueur (ordi rigore) and can also take the place of butter.
Try making cookies with olive oil next time instead of butter, they’re magical.
Courses matter and pasta isn’t a main course.
First, there’s lunch.
Drinks are paired with food.
Italy’s drinking culture is just as structured as its eating culture, and the two are entirely intertwined.
Italians look at drinking by how it can enhance the food that it comes with.
In more romantic Italian terms, you could say they were meant for each other.
More drinking and eating.
The Italian day is wholly surrounded by food and drink.
There’s a term calledfare la scarpetta,which translates to “make the little shoe.”
Table wine is more than fine.
Food is for family.
One of the best traditions that many Italian families hold dear is the weekly family meal.
These are rules worth living by.
