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CLLiving in Italy, I’ve learned the art of the long lunch, the dinner that stretches well past 10pm, sitting down to drink my coffee instead of taking it to go, and saying yes to the appetizer, the dessert, the espresso, the amaro...even on a Tuesday.
Here, eating is meant to be a pause, not a task. It is meant to be enjoyed.
Of course, the reality isn’t that Italians never eat on the go or feel in a rush. Of course they do. But the default mindset is different. It’s not the sad desk salad. It’s not coffee in the car. It’s not a family dinner squeezed between activities.
The stats show it:
🇮🇹 Italians spend ~2.1 hours a day eating 🇺🇸 Americans spend ~1 hour
🇮🇹 Obesity rate: ~10% 🇺🇸 Obesity rate: ~42%
🇮🇹 Life expectancy: 83.6 years 🇺🇸 Life expectancy: 76.4 years
There are a lot of factors at play here...healthcare, physical activity, stress. But the relationship with food, both the quality of it and the way it’s consumed, is an obvious one.
Sources: OECD Time Use Survey, WHO, World Bank
#eatwell #italianfood #slowfood #americansabroad #mindfuleating
@clarainitaly_
