by Steve Hertz (Spokane, WA)MY FIRST EXPERIENCE with an event of cultural dissonance on this trip happened our second day in Italy while taking a day and a half trip to Siena. As the lunch hour approached we found ourselves near the main piazza of Il Compo to dine. We picked an outside sidewalk café that gave us a spectacular view of one of Italy’s most renowned piazzas. We picked a prime spot, one that gave us a terrific perspective. It seemed like the prelude to the perfect Italian meal experience. We sat ourselves, and as our waitress approached us, we had decided on what read to be an outstanding pizza. The young lady, with hands on her hips, nose in the air, and tapping her toes, was as impatient and rude as anyone I’ve experienced in a long while. She reluctantly took our order with maybe two words and left quickly. She soon returned, served our meal, we ate very tentatively, paid our bill and left. Not sure if we had done something wrong, somehow angered her, or that she had had enough of the “American-Tourist”…whatever the case, it was very disturbing to us both. But non-the-less, an experience to learn from.
