Little in Italy

One interesting theme I've noticed here in Rome is the Italians' fondness for all things miniature. Maybe it's me, coming from the "Land of Excess," where everything is oversized and produced in ridiculously large quantities, but I've been amused time and again these past few weeks at how small some every-day items are. Want a coffee? Sure, step into a coffeeshop and order "un caffe." You shall recieve a tiny shot of espresso in an itty bitty cup, with a miniature little spoon to match if you'd like to add sugar. (Note - I am not complaining about this! I have truly grown to love espresso since I've been here. Talk about efficiency...one sip and you're on your way!) If you'd prefer an actual full dized (read: diluted) cup of coffee, interestingly enough, you have to ask for a "caffe americana."

Exhibit B, the most obvious of examples, is of course vehicles. Italians love their little scooters and their tiny cars! I know this is common throughout Europe, but there are a few I've seen here in Rome that I'm certain have taken their design elements from childrens' toy cars. Take this one, for example:

I'm pretty sure that, back in Chicago, there is a toddler who's received this exact model for Christmas and is driving it in his backyard as we speak.

The most interesting example of this phenomenon comes in the form of "birra," or beer. In the past, at home in Chicago, if I wanted to buy some beer, I'd head over to the store and pick up a package in one of the standard quantities: 30, 24, 12, or...if I'm really not feeling very thirsty or sociable, a 6 pack. Here in Rome, we've visited several shops, and I've yet to find beer sold in quantities other than 1 or, if you really feel like letting loose and getting crazy, a 3 pack:

A 3 pack of our new favorite birra

In the grocery store the other day, an ederly woman asked me to help her find on the shelf a "bolognese piccolo," or a small jar of meat sauce for pasta. She either couldn't read, or couldn't see. I grabbed the smallest I could find - a little jar that barely looked big enough to cover a single, child's-sized plate of pasta - and handed it to her. She looked at me for a moment like I was crazy, and repeated "No! No, PICCOLO!" while waving her hands around to indicate something small. After a moment of reminding myself of the Italian standards of large vs. small, I scoured the shelves again and found at the bottom an itty bitty little jar of bolognese sauce - similar in size to a jar of baby food, and handed it over, much to her delight. Lesson learned. I hope the sweet little old lady went home and enjoyed the worlds smallest pasta dinner.

I'll be on the lookout for more good examples of "Little in Italy"...stay tuned. Ciao!