Junior finance major
There are some business models that just won’t work in the U.S. Among them is the aperitivo, traditional in Milan, Italy. Aperitivo is similar to the American happy hour, except, in addition to an alcoholic beverage, there is an all-you-can-eat buffet. There are often mussels and salmon, couscous and pasta, as well as paella and assorted cheeses and desserts. Food and drink, all for about 9 euros (about 11.7 U.S. dollars). Thursday and Friday nights in Italy, I can easily spend two hours sipping a glass of wine and eating from a scrumptious and varied selection commonly self-served on small plates. It was how I spent my Thanksgiving, followed by Skyping into Thanksgiving dinner back home, of course.
I’d be the first to say I hate generalizations, but, as I grow older, I’ve come to understand the origins of some of them. Italians love food and wine. It is ingrained in their culture. The appreciation for people and food, and the combination thereof, is one of the things I love about Italy so much.
But some Americans, underlining the word “some,” are not meant to experience aperitivo, especially a Thanksgiving one. It is quite embarrassing, to be honest, to dine with some who stuff their faces with two days worth of food and then have to watch the owner of the restaurant come over and ask, “Are you done?”
Seeking a mutual understanding, I have actually asked these students why they eat so much. The answer is always the same: I need to get value from my 9 euros. They recognize that the neighboring Italians stare at them. They make fun of the Italians who “eat so little,” and they complain about the aperitivos that force customers to pay for their unfinished foods.
It is unfortunate Americans, such as myself, who were not raised with the wasteful and overexcessive inbred consumerist mentality, are grouped under the same category of “American.” It is quite ironic that a country in the world, which celebrates a holiday called Thanksgiving is universally considered, one of the greediest.
The stereotype is well-founded, however. To be frank, the original notion of an American Thanksgiving was murdered a long time ago, and it has since been corrupted with consumerism and overcome with a new “holiday.” It’s characterized by deathly stampedes and people groveling in stores for stuff they are disillusioned into thinking they can afford. The “once-in-a-lifetime” sales have extended into Thanksgiving evening.
What many don’t know is this was not the original purpose of what has now been termed Black Friday. It began as an ingenious idea in the late 1930s to combat the Great Depression and let people get an early start on Christmas shopping for others, not themselves.
I can’t understand: Where is corporate social responsibility? Why must values be sacrificed for materialism?
Hypothetically and realistically, a capitalist culture and strong values can exist hand in hand, but only if our wallets let them.
Camilla Yanushevsky is a junior finance major. She can be reached at opinionumdbk@gmail.com.
