What time do you eat dinner in Italy
Jun 30th, 2006 | 09:48 AM
#21
Joined: Oct 2003
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Ira -
They were a fantastic client - they just had a crisis that HAD to be fixed immediately. We worked 25 days straight at least 12/14 hours per day) to get them through it.
But the upside is the next time they came to town they took us for the newest hit show in town and a great dinner (with Crystal) afterwards. And our annual bonus (it was an employee owned company) relected the effort we had made - mine was $36,000.
They were a fantastic client - they just had a crisis that HAD to be fixed immediately. We worked 25 days straight at least 12/14 hours per day) to get them through it.
But the upside is the next time they came to town they took us for the newest hit show in town and a great dinner (with Crystal) afterwards. And our annual bonus (it was an employee owned company) relected the effort we had made - mine was $36,000.
Jun 30th, 2006 | 09:52 AM
#22
Joined: Oct 2003
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SAPS -
There's nothing weird about wanting to eat dinner with your family. My mother cooked dinner for the family every night. But my father was rarely home before 7 (leave work at 5:30 or so and 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hour commute) - and my brother and I usually had after school activities. So dinner was usually at 7 or 7:30 except for weekends.
There's nothing weird about wanting to eat dinner with your family. My mother cooked dinner for the family every night. But my father was rarely home before 7 (leave work at 5:30 or so and 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hour commute) - and my brother and I usually had after school activities. So dinner was usually at 7 or 7:30 except for weekends.
Jun 30th, 2006 | 03:34 PM
#25
Joined: Jan 2003
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We generally eat dinners in Europe at 8 pm, which seems to fit in generally with when the locals in Rome, or Venice (or wherever) are eating. I have noticed that those in Venice seemed to be filling the restaurants slightly earlier.
We like 8 pm because it gives us plenty of time to relax before dinner (possibly at a cafe with a glass of wine), and also have time after dinner to walk around (and have some gelato, if we skipped dessert at the restaurant - we usually opt for gelato!).
At home in the U.S., we usually eat (with our kids) at 8 pm as well, so dinner time in Europe works well with our habits. We do all our evening stuff (errands, working out, homework) before dinner, and that works for us. I grew up in the midwest, where lots of folks ate at 5:30 or so, but my dad worked far, far away from our home, so we ate later than most (though not as late as 8 pm). My DH's family is from Asia, where it's customary to eat at 9 pm or later, so I guess 8 is an average of our family customs while growing up!
We like 8 pm because it gives us plenty of time to relax before dinner (possibly at a cafe with a glass of wine), and also have time after dinner to walk around (and have some gelato, if we skipped dessert at the restaurant - we usually opt for gelato!).
At home in the U.S., we usually eat (with our kids) at 8 pm as well, so dinner time in Europe works well with our habits. We do all our evening stuff (errands, working out, homework) before dinner, and that works for us. I grew up in the midwest, where lots of folks ate at 5:30 or so, but my dad worked far, far away from our home, so we ate later than most (though not as late as 8 pm). My DH's family is from Asia, where it's customary to eat at 9 pm or later, so I guess 8 is an average of our family customs while growing up!
Jun 30th, 2006 | 04:19 PM
#26
Joined: Feb 2006
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Coming from Spain, we were used to eating around 10:30. We could not get used to eating as early as the Italians. In fact, I found that in many places if we went looking for a restaurant at 9, they would not be allowing more diners. It was insane! Our first night in Venice we ate at a random pizzeria because of that, and when we got to la Corte Sconta the following night, the woman said that we would be the last diners served. So, don't wait too late or you will not get any dinner, and it is a pity to miss meals in Italy.
Jun 30th, 2006 | 04:54 PM
#28
Joined: Aug 2003
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We just got back from Italy a few weeks ago, Lakes District, and Venice. We always ate at 7:30, or 7:00 if the restaurant opened that early.
In past trips to Italy, sometimes eating this "early" (for Italy) was an advantage. I'd phone for a reservation, and be told that none were available. Then I'd say, "Wait. We're Americans. We'll come in at 7:30, and by 9:30, I guarantee we'll be done." Ah, well, in that case, you have a 7:30 reservation. And indeed, we'd arrive at 7:30, and as we were leaving at 9:00, people were just starting to arrive. At home, we eat dinner at around 6:00.
This trip, in the touristy Lakes and touristy Venice, we usually had little trouble getting 7:30 reservations, but the restaurants started filling up shortly thereafter. As noted earlier in this thread, the tourists eat earlier than the Italians (and these tourists were more apt to be German than American).
Spain drove us nuts, because it was hard to eat before 9:00, or even later, and it was hard for us to wait that long. As a result, many of our dinners consisted of Tapas, but these tend to be very high in fat and calories (lots of fatty meats, and even the <i>gambas al ajio</i>, which you might expect to be low-fat shrimp, is drenched in butter). Perhaps as a result, we were not very happy with the food in Spain. I'll bet if we had stayed up late enough for a real dinner, we would have liked the food more. But after a long day of touring, we were just unable to eat that late.
- Larry
In past trips to Italy, sometimes eating this "early" (for Italy) was an advantage. I'd phone for a reservation, and be told that none were available. Then I'd say, "Wait. We're Americans. We'll come in at 7:30, and by 9:30, I guarantee we'll be done." Ah, well, in that case, you have a 7:30 reservation. And indeed, we'd arrive at 7:30, and as we were leaving at 9:00, people were just starting to arrive. At home, we eat dinner at around 6:00.
This trip, in the touristy Lakes and touristy Venice, we usually had little trouble getting 7:30 reservations, but the restaurants started filling up shortly thereafter. As noted earlier in this thread, the tourists eat earlier than the Italians (and these tourists were more apt to be German than American).
Spain drove us nuts, because it was hard to eat before 9:00, or even later, and it was hard for us to wait that long. As a result, many of our dinners consisted of Tapas, but these tend to be very high in fat and calories (lots of fatty meats, and even the <i>gambas al ajio</i>, which you might expect to be low-fat shrimp, is drenched in butter). Perhaps as a result, we were not very happy with the food in Spain. I'll bet if we had stayed up late enough for a real dinner, we would have liked the food more. But after a long day of touring, we were just unable to eat that late.
- Larry
Jul 1st, 2006 | 10:10 AM
#34
Joined: Oct 2003
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You're not supposed to eat dinner and go right to bed. the idea is to have a leisurely dinner (not stuff the food in as fast as possible) then have a nice walk around the flood-lit momuments and fountains - possibly having an after dinner drink at a cafe - to help with the digestion. That gives you plenty of time to either be back at the hotel by midnight - or to go on if you're planning an evening out.
The nice part is being able to get up as late as you want - and not go to bed at 12 or 12:30 and have to get up at 6:30 the next am - like when you're at home.
The nice part is being able to get up as late as you want - and not go to bed at 12 or 12:30 and have to get up at 6:30 the next am - like when you're at home.
Jul 2nd, 2006 | 04:13 PM
#35
Joined: Aug 2003
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After reading the comment by nytraveler, I've been trying to pin down in my head just what our problem is with late dinners. Why can't we just time-shift to the local schedule?
You'd think it would be EASY. If I maintain my US schedule, waking at 8 and going to bed around midnight, I need to shift six hours from Eastern time. That would leave enough time to eat dinner from 8:30 to 10:00, and still have two hours before bedtime. To wake at 9 and stay up until 1:00am is only a seven hour shift, not all that much of a difference.
But that isn't what seems to happen. In hotels, not my usual sleeping situation, I have a tendency to wake earlier, not later, even though there's nothing I NEED to do. Then, after an unusually active day, I get tired earlier, and I'm ready to sleep at 10:30 or 11:00, which then promotes waking earlier again the next day.
In Italy, you really can't start lunch much after 1:30, or 2:00 at the latest. By 2:30, it's hard to find a restaurant that will serve you (although it can be done, but with reduced choice). If I finish lunch at 2:00, to have dinner at 9:30 is seven and a half hours later - that's a very long interval. The fact is, by 7:30, we're starving. I don't know how the Italians do it.
As for Spain, even after weeks in Spain, I couldn't shift myself to the Spanish dinner schedule. Italy is easier, because dinner is not quite so late, but in Italy I still eat with the tourists, not the locals.
Perhaps in Spain, I need to take a mid-day siesta. But that would entail going back to the hotel mid-day, and besides, it's not something I'm accustomed to.
Perhaps someone could offer advice on this issue. It seems like a minor point, yet because of it, we feel like staying away from Spain. We can't eat well there, essentially because we can't stay awake long enough to have a good, real (not tapas) dinner.
Not a disaster; Italy and France can occupy us for the rest of our lives.
- Larry
You'd think it would be EASY. If I maintain my US schedule, waking at 8 and going to bed around midnight, I need to shift six hours from Eastern time. That would leave enough time to eat dinner from 8:30 to 10:00, and still have two hours before bedtime. To wake at 9 and stay up until 1:00am is only a seven hour shift, not all that much of a difference.
But that isn't what seems to happen. In hotels, not my usual sleeping situation, I have a tendency to wake earlier, not later, even though there's nothing I NEED to do. Then, after an unusually active day, I get tired earlier, and I'm ready to sleep at 10:30 or 11:00, which then promotes waking earlier again the next day.
In Italy, you really can't start lunch much after 1:30, or 2:00 at the latest. By 2:30, it's hard to find a restaurant that will serve you (although it can be done, but with reduced choice). If I finish lunch at 2:00, to have dinner at 9:30 is seven and a half hours later - that's a very long interval. The fact is, by 7:30, we're starving. I don't know how the Italians do it.
As for Spain, even after weeks in Spain, I couldn't shift myself to the Spanish dinner schedule. Italy is easier, because dinner is not quite so late, but in Italy I still eat with the tourists, not the locals.
Perhaps in Spain, I need to take a mid-day siesta. But that would entail going back to the hotel mid-day, and besides, it's not something I'm accustomed to.
Perhaps someone could offer advice on this issue. It seems like a minor point, yet because of it, we feel like staying away from Spain. We can't eat well there, essentially because we can't stay awake long enough to have a good, real (not tapas) dinner.
Not a disaster; Italy and France can occupy us for the rest of our lives.
- Larry
Jul 2nd, 2006 | 04:23 PM
#36
Joined: Sep 2004
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Hi Larry, I understand your problem.
But I think it is what one is use to.
I never ate breakfast, just coffee.
Ate lunch around 1:00pm and dinner around 8:30pm. That was my schedule with my business. So eating in Italy works for me as it is the same schedule.
Since I have been retired I tend to have my coffee when I wake up and I eat around 10:00am. And then I eat again around 8:00pm or so. I have always just eaten two meals a day.
So those that have a complete different eating schedule at home would have a hard time adjusting to the eating times in Italy I would imagine.
I have not been to Spain but I "think" I could adjust to their very late dinner hour as actually the later I eat dinner the better I like it. But I know I am the exception to the rule in the US.
But I think it is what one is use to.
I never ate breakfast, just coffee.
Ate lunch around 1:00pm and dinner around 8:30pm. That was my schedule with my business. So eating in Italy works for me as it is the same schedule.
Since I have been retired I tend to have my coffee when I wake up and I eat around 10:00am. And then I eat again around 8:00pm or so. I have always just eaten two meals a day.
So those that have a complete different eating schedule at home would have a hard time adjusting to the eating times in Italy I would imagine.
I have not been to Spain but I "think" I could adjust to their very late dinner hour as actually the later I eat dinner the better I like it. But I know I am the exception to the rule in the US.
Jul 3rd, 2006 | 08:35 PM
#38
Joined: Jan 2003
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Larry - On your question about eating in Spain, what about having a "snack" at 4 or 5 pm? Would that then allow you to hold out until a late Spanish dinner time? By snack, I'm thinking of a glass of wine, maybe with some bread, etc., at a cafe. Or ice cream (you are on vacation), or something interesting from a Spanish bakery? I haven't been to Spain (yet), but that's probably what I would do. And that's what we do in Italy, though it's more for the enjoyment of sitting at a cafe (or having a gelato) than to fill our stomachs until dinner.
Jul 4th, 2006 | 09:16 AM
#39
Joined: Aug 2003
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Lexma90,
An afternoon snack would probably allow me to hold out until a late dinner as far as getting hungry is concerned. But I still couldn't stay up late enough. That is, if I ate dinner from 9:30 until 11:00, I'd go back to my hotel, and fall asleep instantly. It's not a good idea for me to go to sleep immediately after dinner.
Another approach: I could rent an apartment in Spain, and cook dinner whenever I want.
Looking at your screen name and taking a guess, are you by any chance in Lexington, MA? (I'm in Wayland).
- Larry
An afternoon snack would probably allow me to hold out until a late dinner as far as getting hungry is concerned. But I still couldn't stay up late enough. That is, if I ate dinner from 9:30 until 11:00, I'd go back to my hotel, and fall asleep instantly. It's not a good idea for me to go to sleep immediately after dinner.
Another approach: I could rent an apartment in Spain, and cook dinner whenever I want.
Looking at your screen name and taking a guess, are you by any chance in Lexington, MA? (I'm in Wayland).
- Larry
