Monday, May 18, 2009
Italian toasting
Recently I've been hanging out with a number of Italians who were in the US to visit my Special Lady Friend Mary. While spending time with them, I've learned a bit more vocabulary, noticed a few Italian specific quirks and was clued into a particularly dangerous method of toasting your companions.
Apparently, it is traditional in Italy to toast another person, or all the people in your present company, by looking them in the eye as you toast them, tap your glass to the table and then you can take a sip. According to custom, if you fail to make eye contact or tap your glass, you will be cursed to seven years of bad sex.
Now, I drink a fair amount and ideally, I drink with other people. So, unless I observe these rules very carefully, I run the risk of cursing myself to years of bad sex. At my age (nearly 33), that could be the difference between fathering children or not. Or it could be the ruin of relationships. Or it could just be a crappy way to end my 30's.
Whatever it is, what on earth compelled the Italian race to come up with this custom? And once it was established, why on earth did anyone in Italy ever decide to toast one another and take on that risk? You're talking about serious repercussions for a minor discrepancy. I, for one, now refuse to toast anyone even remotely resembling an Italian.
Apparently, it is traditional in Italy to toast another person, or all the people in your present company, by looking them in the eye as you toast them, tap your glass to the table and then you can take a sip. According to custom, if you fail to make eye contact or tap your glass, you will be cursed to seven years of bad sex.
Now, I drink a fair amount and ideally, I drink with other people. So, unless I observe these rules very carefully, I run the risk of cursing myself to years of bad sex. At my age (nearly 33), that could be the difference between fathering children or not. Or it could be the ruin of relationships. Or it could just be a crappy way to end my 30's.
Whatever it is, what on earth compelled the Italian race to come up with this custom? And once it was established, why on earth did anyone in Italy ever decide to toast one another and take on that risk? You're talking about serious repercussions for a minor discrepancy. I, for one, now refuse to toast anyone even remotely resembling an Italian.
# posted by Yossie @ 7:43 PM 
