Sunday, July 6, 2014

Grillfest

by Agnes Poliquin
I think everyone was both excited and anxious to arrive in Cagli. I was most curious about what to expect of a small town in Italy, especially since we had just toured such a large city like Florence. Grillfest turned out to be happening on our first and second nights in the city. This was both an unfortunate and fortunate event. Unfortunate, in that the event did not end until the wee hours of the morning, and fortunate that we as Americans were able to practice our meager Italian and attend a popular event in the city that drew more than just the Cagliese. I was not prepared for the drastic change in my cultural environment. 

My example of cultural dissonance came rather quickly, as I was one of the few brave enough to attempt to order food at one of the tents at Grillfest without just pointing at something. I tried to pronounce the food item and did so rather poorly; the woman at the cash register shook her head and looked confused. I tried to remedy the situation by signing the number three with my hands as it was listed as the third food item on the menu and saying the name of the food dish again. However, this time the cashier nodded her head and punched in that I ordered three plates of the food dish instead of only one. I proceeded to shake my head and fortunately two younger Italians jumped in and explained to the woman what I was trying to order. I was very grateful they were able to help me, as I don’t know how I would have been able to fix the situation if they hadn’t. Despite my lack of verbal communication, the two younger employees saw my obstacle and offered their aid.

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