Italians stereotypically talk with their hands. Well, I've found this to be true, and if they are holding something, that also becomes a part of the gesture.
At dinner the other night, my host sister was visiting from Milan (with her boyfriend). With a fork in one hand and a knife in the other, my mom, dad, sister, and boyfriend proceeded to have a lively conversation. With forks and knives tightly gripped in hand, they all makes circles, jabs, and gestures, which to an American bystander seemed at a minimum dangerous, and sometimes threatening. At one point, my host dad made a dramatic motion with a large knife in his hand, and my eyeballs almost popped out. My sister saw me and it cracked her up. I feel we had a private moment of understanding, but two moments later she turned back to the conversation, fork and knife in hand.
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2 comments:
Your story made me smile :) I remember my grandmother watching some Italian serials on tv. They really talk using hands.
I envision a nice photo of this: Italian family all around a dinner table, hands blurred and flashing cutlery while the father, standing dramatically brandishes a carving knife while telling an action-packed story. The lone American sits perfectly still, paling face waiting intently for the killing blow.
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