Since all the restaurants are now closed I've been spending lots of time day-dreaming about various delicious foods I can no longer have. Ordering-in just isn't the same. At that point I figure I might as well cook for myself.
There was one restaurant in the Italian town I lived in that severed buffet-style options, and I was kind of surprised that it even existed. You could also order pizzas made-to-order or get them by the slice.
Italy
McDonalds is about the only fast food restaurant they have, and there aren't many of them
Teens treat McDonalds like it's some kind of exotic, delicious destination (it's a popular destination for dates)Â
Starbucks is nowhere to be found (despite its Americanized Italian terms, like grande for medium) though it's rumored that one is being built in Milan
Food is meant to be enjoyed and savored, not shoved down your esophagus as you run between errands like a chicken with your head cut offÂ
It's hard to find restaurants that offer other types of cuisine (their are some sushi places, but those tend to be fancier)
What's most common is grabbing something between meals like a piece of pizza (pizza al taglio) or a small sandwich (panino or piadina-looks like pita) that come with various types of toppings-so don't be afraid to try something new
Some wonderful examples of all the toppings that can be put on your pizza! Mine has olives, eggs and anchovies on it! The back right one has mayonnaise on it. They offer a lot of pizzas without tomato sauce as well (pizza bianca), such as back left.
Italians love pizza with french fries and hot dogs on top of it (pizza con patatine fritte e wurstel). It's one of the young people's favorites. Some people call it "the American-style pizza" and my friends were very surprised we don't eat it here. I thought they were joking when they first told me about it.
America
So many choices! All kinds of cuisine are available as well (Tacobell=Mexican, Chickfila=so much chicken, subway=sandwiches)
In my tiny town of 1,800 there are two Subways and a McDonalds
Drive-throughs are convenient for people of all ages: from those who just don't like to cook, to those that don't have the time to spare or are teens with nothing better to do
Completely normal part of daily life here in the states
The other day my roommate and I did an online order, called scoop-n-swoop, from our favorite ice cream shop. After you order the site tells you when it'll be ready and they'll bring it out to your car. My roommate felt weird sitting in the parking lot as we ate, so we went to the main street instead. No one was around, barely any cars passed, but every building was still brightly lit. It felt kind of apocalyptic, and sad.
Speaking of memories, some of which are less noteworthy than others, my class once went on a trip in Italy to Ferrara and Mantua (every grade in Italian high schools takes their own weekend-long trip once a year). My friend was so excited to go to McDonalds. She wouldn't stop talking about it all day. I honestly think it was the most thrilling part for her. I refused to order anything, though it was interesting to see what the menu looked like in another country. Is it possible that the food appeared even grosser? If there's one thing America does well, it's fast food.