Its a Small World

Did you ever go to an Italian restaurant and when you got your espresso it was about a thimble full of coffee? Jim estimates about 10 cups here adds up to one in the US. Gelato, the Italian version of ice cream is made with milk not cream, it has less calories per scoop but here you get much less of it. A double scoop here is about 1/2 the size of a single in the US. and the spoon is what we would use for a baby, so small. Soft drinks are in small bottles, no super sizing exists. There are also very small bathing suits for both men and women on mostly lean bodies. But in this small world everyone is always eating. Italians do not exercise in the same frantic and obsessive way we do, how do I know you might ask. Well... we joined the local Gym and go every day, Jim and I work out for at least an hour like Americans do, we push and are focused, the Italians work out too, in between talking and socializing. Seigallia's gym is small and opens mostly from 9-12:15 then reopens mostly from 4-9. but some days only 5-7 and not on Sundays. Of course no one told us they were closing for vacation last week and only found out when we saw a note taped to the door that could have said "gone fishin". Its August and the whole country goes on vacation. The eating part..... O.K. 3 meals and no snacking and except for lunch its small meals. Portions are small and fruit is always included at the end. After "dinner' its almost mandatory to go out and walk, everyone does. Wine is like water here. We go go to the local cubby hole of a store that's only open Saturday mornings unless the shop owner feels like working. We get a gallon of local wine for about $12.00. It seems everyone is drinking wine at every meal but I have yet to see "drinking" as a pastime or social event without food. In fact if you order a beer or wine without something to eat, they bring you small bowls of things to munch on. It just unheard of to drink without eating in Italy. Gas is expensive at almost $6.00 a gallon, Italians have very small cars to conserve on gas. Its no wonder we cannot import these cars because if your not small you just don't fit into them! We are discovering this small world and it makes sense, Jim keeps talking about doing more research on smallness so right now there is about a 50% chance he is coming home, we'll see.