lunedì, giugno 18, 2007

Free Drinks

MY THIRD WEEK IN THE GRAND CITY of Cagli, Italy has seen a great deal of “bonding” with the locals[…]. Twice now, I have been offered multiple free glasses of beer and wine from one particular ocal who I now know as Roberto. Roberto, in his broken English and heavy accent, tells me the reason why he buys myself and others so many drinks is that “USA and Italy are like this” (he says that of course while putting his two index fingers alongside each other).

The generosity of the locals… can also be seen at the “wine bar”, where Seven, [the bartender] and I are on a first-name basis. Twice now I have been offered free shots by Seven at points in the night where I very much wished I was back home and in bed. The first time, a shot of absinthe was taken between myself, Seven, and the rest of the guys in the program. Knowing the illegalty of absinthe in the United States, I was hesitant at first about enjoying such a pleasure. My hesitation was thwarted however when Seven threw his arms around us and said, “You are my friends now, we all drink!”

The second occasion happened just a few days ago[…]. We were all tired and planned on having only a “few” drinks before retiring home to our beds. Seven was playing some sort of dice game with one of the locals, which piqued my interest. My interest was not ignored, as Seven soon after came over with a shot for me to take. I asked to see the bottle so I would know what I was ingesting. Seven maintained that I could after the shot. I did so, to find that I had drank a 95% alcohol shot with a drop of strawberry.

The point of recounting my drunken tales is to prove a point about the locals here in Cagli. The best part about living in a city such as Cagli is the fact that everyone knows each other, and even if they don’t, they are open and welcoming enough to make an effort to know you. Never in the United States would you run into a random guy outside of a bar who would not only buy you a couple of glasses of free wine, but take the time to get to know you as well. If that did happen in the States, I would imagine certain perhaps immoral actions would be expected on the part of the receiver of the free drinks. I myself would want nothing to do with that.
-Reid Johnson

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