Ba da ba ba ba, We're Americans!

So the other night, some friends and I were walking around after dinner when we decided we should say goodnight with a nice gelato. We walked across the whole center of the city until we nearly decided to give up after passing every potential gelateria and not seeing a single one open. We could have decided against the gelato, but we were quite determined for a cold treat. What did we do? I am ashamed to admit it, but we went to the only place we knew was open: McDonald's.

We also could have spoken in Italian, maybe even kept quiet and attempted to blend in with the crowd eating their Big Macs and McPasta. Of course we didn't; we're loud American teenagers! The whole place knew exactly who we were and, as Italians take every opportunity to people watch as possible, stared at us place our orders. Even the cardboard cutout of Ronald McDonald was eyeing us.

I have to say the soft serve will never, ever compare to the gelato artigianale that I buy all over this country, but it sufficed. ...and then an Italian simply blurted to my friends and said "It's the Americans!"

It was interesting to note that these European McDonald's are far nicer than those in America. We witnessed the manager in knee-high boots and beautiful make-up finish her shift and slowly sip on a soda on her way out. Nobody was ashamed to be working there (or so it seemed), which I've noticed is an unfortunate trend among my peers in New Jersey. McDonalds has an enormously different connotation here than in the US. I'd say here it's far more respectable to eat a dinner at McDonald's since it's not quite "fast food" in Italy the way we have it in America. People were on there first dates in the restaurant! I even went there just to get a drink with my host family when they caught up with some friends. Going in there with our American expectations, we were definitely caught off guard.

Let's just say, I now know how it feels to feel foreign in your own territory.

He's watching me...
Shh......our American is showing!



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