Got pears with your cheese?
By now I’m sure you can imagine how important food is to Italians and their culture, so it’s only natural that many everyday sayings should involve food too. One of the more recent phrases I learned from Giordano? One year we were watching an AC Milan game on TV not long before Christmas and their manager at the time was in a bit of trouble following a string of bad results. Giordano remarked that this manager was not going to see the panettone, meaning that he would probably get the sack before Christmas – non vedrà il panettone! I remembered this saying again when we started up the blog and also got to thinking about some of the brilliant phrases I’ve read about or picked up from Italian friends and colleagues over the last ten years. Here, in my opinion, are some of the best…
1. Al contadin non far sapere quant’è buono il formaggio con le pere – Don’t tell the farmer how well cheese goes with pears
This phrase refers to something good that not many people know about, so it’s a bit of a secret! However, I can attest that the above is absolutely true. Cheese and pears are a match made in heaven. One day I’ll tell you about the first time I ever tried gorgonzola and pear pizza. It was so good I think it merits a blog post of its own at some point!
2. Nella botte piccola c’è il vino buono – In the small cask there’s good wine
Being 5’1” this saying is rather close to my heart! It’s the Italian equivalent of saying that good things come in small packages.
3. Avere il salame sugli occhi – To have salami on your eyes
This describes someone who doesn’t want to see the reality of an unpleasant situation. Being a vegetarian, I also find this phrase quite odd!
4. Avere le mani in pasta – To have your hands in dough
This saying is an excellent way of describing a multiple business-owner – Berlusconi, anyone? We would say they had their fingers in a lot of pies!
5. Essere un pezzo di pane – To be a piece of bread
To be a general, all-round good person and a pillar of society. I like to imagine him or her as a nice crusty piece of Altamura bread!
6. Cercare il pelo nell’uovo – To look for the hair in the egg
To always find fault with everything. Personally, I don’t find chickens to be THAT hairy!
7. O mangi questa minestra o salti dalla finestra – Either eat this soup or jump out of the window
This phrase describes a situation where there are no alternatives, but I think it paints a wonderful mental image of someone hurling themselves from an open kitchen window because they can’t stand the idea of eating another bowl of minestrone. It all sounds rather over-dramatic, doesn’t it?!
8. Vuole la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca – He wants a full barrel and a drunk wife
This is probably my favourite ever Italian saying. I once heard it translated very literally – and very loudly – by a lovely Italian colleague who was dealing with a rather difficult individual! It describes someone who wants more than they are entitled to – they want to have their cake and eat it!
Keep your eyes peeled – that’s quite a nice phrase in English! – for a cheese and pear themed panino, coming your way in a couple of weeks as part of our new menu!
Ciao a tutti!
Laura
Love Love Love! Grazie!