stranger in a strange land
pondering the small cultural differences
by James C. Mancuso
(return to Sicily)

On the first evening, our co-tourists begin to gather in the hotel lounge - refreshed by baths and relaxation. We share observations intended to overcome the small and large differences in cultural practices: the presence of that strange fixture -- the bidet - in the bathrooms; the insubstantial shower stalls; the unusual door locks; the light-blocking persiane on each of the windows; the cord hanging in the shower stall. We know that we will encounter one after another of these large and small, unfamiliar cultural artifacts; and that we will find it fascinating to explore the origins of and reasons for the local practices which differ from those with which we are familiar in The USA. Why do the Italians call their coffee shops bars? Why do they pay for their bar orders before stepping up to the counter to place their order with the bar persons? Why do they expect to have a fee paid for the use of toilet facilities? Why do men walk arm in arm? Why do people kiss both cheeks when they greet each other? How does that system of paying fares for buses, etc., function? What is the purpose of closing every enterprise from 1:00 P. M. until 3:00 P. M.? And how can one figure what an item is worth when he/she must deal with prices where a dollar is represented by 1,780 lire? Where do we find English language television programs on our hotel television?

"Why do the Italians call their coffee shops bars?"

In this way we represented a small-scale version of the constant encounter of members of diverse cultures. We certainly do not represent the kind of tragic confrontation that takes place on the large-scale, in places such as Bosnia and The Sudan. In this small-scale adventure, we can experience what the Italian immigrants experienced when they left their home to engage in their avventura in far off places -- the United States of America, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, and Canada. Like those immigrants, we can have the opportunity to feel the results of confronting novel cultural practices. On the small-scale, we could know the discomfort of needing to assess the values of our practices in contrast to the values of the practices in a different culture. Fortunately, many of us already had had the opportunity to experience some of those practices of the southern Italian culture which differ from the standard cultures which we experience in The USA.

On the evening of our arrival, the tour staff arranged for us to watch a videotape which gave a broad overview of the province of Caltanisetta, the province in which the city of Caltanisetta is located. As we watched the videotape, we could gain some perspective on how and why the city grew at this location. We could focus on the information that Caltanisetta prospered as an agricultural center as well as the center of the sulfur mining industry that once provided the area with a lucrative source of income. Noting that, we also immediately thought of the great Sicilian literary tradition in which writers -- Giovanni Verga, Luigi Pirandello, Leonardo Sciascia -- raised world-wide consciousness of the abominable conditions under which the sulfur miners worked. Our thoughts about the conditions of the sulfur miners fortified as we left the room in which the videotape presentation had been made, for in the hotel lobby we observed a very large painting of sulfur miners carrying bags of sulfiur on their backs. The narrator of the videotape had informed us that of over 100 sulfur mines had once functioned, not one now operates. With this knowledge, we can understand why so many emigrants from central Sicily made their way to Sicily's ports and their destination in far away places.

see also... * Palermo's Street Markets * Direct from Sicily * Fire of Mount Etna * Bella Sicilia! * Savor This! *Stranger in a Strange Land * Sicilian Cooking * Sicily Quiz * All About Sicily other Italian regions...

The videotape also raised our anticipation for our visits to the surrounding area, with its wealth of architectural achievements and its vigorous agricultural activity.

The conviviality accompanying a good dinner complemented by rich Sicilian wine, topped off our first evening in Sicily.