By Katlyn Murphy
Everyone needs to grocery shop. It seems so simple, the act of buying food for your dinners and lunches. I thought at twenty-two I would have grocery shopping down. I did not realize that culture touches every part of life, even the most basic actions like grocery shopping. How Italians buy their food stems from their values and culture informing how often they grocery shop, an emphasis on freshness, and community.
My instinct during my first grocery shopping trip was to gather everything I could possibly want in the next two weeks. Emerging with overflowing bags, eggs I had to hold in my hands, and a sense of accomplishment I walked back to my apartment. Cramming all of our groceries into the tiny fridge was a challenge, but one we managed. We all laughed at how small our fridge was compared to the ones in our homes in America. I was set, I wouldn’t have to grocery shop for another week, if not more. Or so I thought. One of the biggest cultural shocks I faced during my time in Rome was how Italians shop for groceries and the produce available to them.
Rome has small family-owned shops at every corner selling fresh fruits and vegetables, food, and snacks. There are also supermercati with a bigger selection of food and often a deli and a pescheria selling fresh fish. However, there are very few large supermarkets and nothing close to the size of American Walmarts.
How does a city with almost 3 million people eat?
I quickly learned that I could not shop only once a week. The carrots I bought had gone moldy by the third day I had them and the fresh ravioli smelled funny. This was my first cultural shock. Italians shop for groceries every 2-3 days. Where Americans love their bulk stores like Costco, Italians favor smaller quantities when shopping. You’ll struggle to find a family-sized package of anything and two liters of drinks are hard to come by unless it’s wine.
The reason Italians shop in smaller quantities is they value freshness.
Food is very important to an Italian. Cooking celebrates the simple flavors of food aiming to draw out the natural flavors of food. For example, a Margherita pizza is one the most simple foods in Italian culture with just four ingredients tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, and dough. In order to achieve the beautiful taste of a Margherita pizza, Italians need to have the freshest tomatoes and mozzarella available to draw out their natural taste. The deeper cultural roots for why Italians shop in smaller quantities is the value of whole foods in Italian cooking.
A unique thing about grocery shopping in Italy is Italians emphasis on seasonal fruits and veggies. A supermercatoI visited had a large visual to help shoppers understand which produce is the best during certain months. Along with the larger seasonality of produce, grocery stores also have daily changes. While one store may have avocados larger than your hand, the one down the street has none but they do have red onions. Return the next day, and they would switch. Every day the produce offered would change. There were also smaller quantities of each produce offered, indicating again the seasonality Italian grocery stores stick to. Italians need to go to multiple stores to get all of their food, very different than the one-stop shop of Walmart. These differences once again highlight a core value of freshness and celebration of food.
Another cultural shock of the produce was how it looked. In America produce looks identical to one another and a large amount is thrown out. Large grocery chains do not want to sell ugly or mishappen produce. From the size, shape, and color one zucchini does not differ too much from another. Americans value produce that looks pristine, even at the cost of flavor. In Italy though, the produce is unapologetically ugly.
Peppers are contorted into odd shapes and have different shades of red, green, and yellow. Cucumbers can be inches shorter than the others and crooked. Bruised apples intermingle with pristine ones. One area they are identical in is the taste. No matter how ugly a vegetable or fruit may look, they taste beautiful from the sweetest peaches to the most flavorful peppers.
These differences highlight the differing priorities of Italians and Americans. Americans value the efficiency identical produce brings. You do not have to search for the perfect peach if all of them are the same. Italians however, do not care about how food looks on a superficial level.
The produce is also incredibly fresh and can go bad within a couple of days. Italy uses very little pesticides and is ranked the greenest in European agriculture. The lack of pesticides means nothing prolongs the life of the produce, unlike in America where an apple could last nearly a month. One town in northern Italy, Mals, fought against pesticide use.
The townspeople were able to launch a referendum against the use of pesticides. Over 70% of people in the town participated in the referendum, effectively standing up against the use of pesticides in their town. The referendum was started by a group of women who wrote a letter in the local newspaper which then sparked an entire movement in their town: “The increasing use of pesticides and herbicides in the municipality of Mals has us highly concerned about our and especially the health of our children. We ask our mayor, who is responsible for the health of our citizens, to ensure that our environment and our health are not endangered.” The movement they sparked highlights the importance of health and family to Italians. This core value is reflected in the produce Italians consume and their dedication to eating fresh and unprocessed foods. Additionally, it shows how Italians value community.
One theme among Italian grocery stores is the value of loyalty and community. Many small fruit stands or butchers have been around for generations. To them, it matters less what you spend but how often you come. Support is shown through loyalty built on years of shopping at the same butcher. This mindset arises out of locally owned businesses as opposed to large corporations. These relationships have been built upon visit after visit. It stems from Italians valuing having a small circle of people they care deeply about as opposed to superficially interacting with everyone. By building up multi-generational loyalties to stores, Italians come to care deeply about who they are buying from.
With so many differences in the ways Italians shop, it took some adapting. After my first time shopping at the grocery store, I tried to shift my mindset. I challenged myself to intentionally buy food for the next two days. There is no better meal planning regime than switching to this way of shopping. I was intentional with how much and what produce I bought which led to less food waste. I walked home with just one light bag and took half the time as the first shopping trip. Did I have to go back again a couple of days later? Absolutely. But it does not really add too much to my day when the store is a two-minute walk away and I do not have to think about meals days in advance. It also allowed me to listen to what my body wanted on that specific day and listen to my needs.
When I return home, I want to bring back the Italian approach to grocery shopping. I want to go to the farmer's markets to shop for locally grown produce even if it looks ugly.
Instead of eating produce shipped from all over the world, I can eat the food grown in my community and embrace seasonal foods. I want to adopt the slow approach to shopping. Instead of spending an hour in the grocery store and leaving with a dozen bags, I want to try and shop in smaller batches. While my closest grocery store is not a two-minute walk away, I can take a bus and be there in five minutes. By shopping more frequently, I can spend less time in the store and be more intentional about what I buy.
Grocery shopping has always felt stressful and like a big journey, but here in Italy it is an act of self-care. Shopping for food is caring for your community, supporting local farmers, and ensuring you eat the freshest food. It is a social activity where you can catch up on the life of your neighbors and community.
What I will bring back to my life in America are not just actions but a completely new mindset created out of Italian culture. When I buy food I want to emulate the food culture of Italy where you celebrate simplicity and bring out the beautiful flavors of food. By shopping more locally, I can cultivate new connections with my community and a smaller circle. Who knew I would learn so much about Italian culture through grocery shopping.
About the Author
Katlyn is a senior Microbiology student who will be graduating this December. When back in Fort Collins, she enjoys taking pottery classes, hiking, and spending time with her friends. She hopes to become a middle school science teacher and share her travels around the world with her students. She would like to thank her parents, her partner, and all the friends she made during this program for supporting her during the program and making it unforgettable.
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