La Dolce Vita
A former associate editor with the Times of India, Jug Suraiya writes two regular columns for the print edition, Jugular Vein, which appears every Friday, and Second Opinion, which appears on Wednesdays. His blog takes a contrarian view of topical and timeless issues, political, social, economic and speculative. LESS ... MORE
Among the many things Indians and Italians have in common is a taste for the sweet life
In Torino, Italy, with its panoramic piazzas and its graciously galleried porticos, Bunny and I are once again struck by the many affinities shared between Indians and Italians.
Both are given to voicing their opinions, loudly and at length, on a wide variety of subjects, from the shenanigans of politicians, to the latest scandal, from what show is trending on TV, to the shocking price of everything, all this given expression to with eloquent gesticulation as much as verbalisation.
In Italy, as in India, family is the axis around which daily life revolves in a social intermingling that often involves the participation of three generations.
There is however, one thing in common where Italians outdo Indians, and that is in their shared love of La Dolce Vita, the sweet life.
Everywhere we go, Bunny and I find ourselves surrounded by sweetness, manifested in myriad avatars. The showcase windows of cafes, bars, restaurants, display in seductive array, a mountainous munificence of cakes, pastries, tarts, confections oozing jam, chocolate, cream, and other sugary allurements.
And, of course, there are the ubiquitous gelaterias, specialising in the Italian version of ice cream, with their towering, multicoloured, multi-flavoured, Alpine peaks of irresistible temptation.As a popular saying goes, a day without gelato is a day wasted.
Typically, Italians begin the day with a breakfast of coffee, accompanied by a sweet croissant. Other meals, particularly la cena, or dinner, are incomplete without Dolci, the dessert course.
Despite its sweet tooth, Italy doesn't seem to have an obesity problem, unlike US or UK. This might be because the civic authorities have taken pains to ensure an almost total lack of public transport, even in Rome, the capital. This necessitates people having to walk or cycle everywhere to burn off excess calories.
Trading on the Italian passion for the sugary, India should promote the export of its own wide range of confectionery – jalebis, barfis, laddoos, gulab jamuns, et al – to a welcoming Bella Italia.
For both parties, it would be a sweet deal, which more than mithais the aye.
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