by Tracy Ging“Non piace?” I am asked again and again by waiters who shake their head and tsk, tsk as they take away my half-eaten pizza. It’s not that I don’t like it; I just can’t eat a pizza double the size of my head. Sadly, I often waste food when I eat out. That’s not something I’m proud of, but I am also not a fan of eating five times what my body can comfortably hold. Yet in the U.S., no one gives it a second thought. I have never registered scorn from a waiter for not cleaning my plate. My impression of Italians is that in general, they consider it foolish to waste. From their careful use of electricity, to bikes or smaller and more fuel-efficient cars, or craftsman industries like shoe repair, there seems to be a concerted effort to conserve. As I hang my clothes out to line-dry, I think about how on earth I would find the time to do my laundry this way at home. But I am also reminded that productivity doesn’t necessarily mean efficiency.
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