"Growing up in a military family generally means a couple of things: lots of moving around and exposure to many different cultures. Some families get luckier than others with these moves and in 1988 my family hit the jackpot. Just as I was finishing junior high (as we called it back then), my dad got his orders for a permanent change of station (PCS) to Northern Italy."
"As a teenager with very strict parents, I noticed the ubiquitous ceramic pitchers of wine on the table at restaurants and in every kitchen. Wine, wine, wine. There was almost as much wine as there was water to drink! There was no American candy and all of the snacks were totally different. No Cheetos or Twinkies. There were hazelnuts or real fruit in most of their snacks. The cars were different and much smaller."
I grew up in a military family, which meant frequent relocations and exposure to other cultures. In 1988 my family moved to Northern Italy. I taught myself Italian phrases using 3" by 5" cards and chose Italy for a World Geography final project, finding images of mountains, beaches, sports cars, and abundant food. After arriving, I noticed wine served with meals, different snacks featuring hazelnuts and real fruit, smaller cars, and a slower pace. Neighborhoods lacked supermarkets; people used small grocers and shopped daily at outdoor produce markets, including a bearded vendor who called out his fruits and vegetables from a cart.
Read at Apartment Therapy
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]