--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Watching Italians eat (especially men, I…" description: "\"Watching Italians eat (especially men, I have to say) is a form of tourism the books don't tell you about. They close their eyes, raise their eyebrows ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/barbara-kingsolver-200_accents_watching-italians-eat-especially-men-i-h_1574415.jpg" --- # Watching Italians eat (especially men, I have to say) is a… ![“Watching Italians eat (especially men, I have to say) is a form of tourism the books don't tell you about. They close their eyes, raise their eyebrows into accent marks, and make sounds of acute appreciation. It's fairly sexy. Of course I don't know how these men behave at home, if they help with…” quote by Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/barbara-kingsolver-200_accents_watching-italians-eat-especially-men-i-h_1574415.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/barbara-kingsolver-200_accents_watching-italians-eat-especially-men-i-h_1574415.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/barbara-kingsolver-200_accents_watching-italians-eat-especially-men-i-h_1574415.jpg) > “Watching Italians eat (especially men, I have to say) is a form of tourism the books don't tell you about. They close their eyes, raise their eyebrows into accent marks, and make sounds of acute appreciation. It's fairly sexy. Of course I don't know how these men behave at home, if they help with the cooking or are vain and boorish and mistreat their wives. I realized Mediterranean cultures have their issues. Fine, don't burst my bubble. I didn’t want to marry these guys, I just wanted to watch. (p. 247)” [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observing Italian dining reveals cultural expressions of pleasure and intimacy, yet stereotypes may overlook deeper social dynamics. **In simple terms:** Italian meals show culture and intimacy. Key Takeaway Look beyond stereotypes to understand cultural habits. Themes culture food stereotypes Mood curious thoughtful Type observational anthropological When to use this quote - travel experiences - cross‑cultural studies - relationship dynamics Key Concepts social observation culinary anthropology Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you make about foreign customs? - How can you appreciate cultural nuances without judgment? A Different Perspective Stereotypes can oversimplify complex behaviors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) [Appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Italians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/italians/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Sexy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexy/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Tourism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tourism/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [I don't feel like a lot of the men, especially men in power, stand up in their position and hold on to the women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trina/i-don-t-feel-like-a-lot-of-the-men-especially-men-in-power-stand-up/) [Trina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trina/) > [I'm going to get controversial here and say that monogamy isn't natural, especially not for men. It's a concept society birthed a few hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jameela-jamil/i-m-going-to-get-controversial-here-and-say-that-monogamy-isn-t/) [Jameela Jamil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jameela-jamil/) > [“...it was clear to everyone at the table who had any experience with men and alcohol—especially men who had won international literary prizes—that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/it-was-clear-to-everyone-at-the-table-who-had-any-experience-with-men/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [People, especially men, don't always know what they want. You try, and if it doesn't work, then you may quit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-especially-men-don-t-always-know-what-they-want-you-try-and-if-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For a long time, I lost faith in humanity, especially men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-yeon-mi/for-a-long-time-i-lost-faith-in-humanity-especially-men/) [Park Yeon-mi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-yeon-mi/) > [Many people, especially men, feel it is an admission of weakness to ask for help or to express a need. But there is absolutely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/many-people-especially-men-feel-it-is-an-admission-of-weakness-to-ask/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [From my vertical, people, especially men, don't realize what clothes can do for their self-esteem, the way they see themselves, their confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-france/from-my-vertical-people-especially-men-don-t-realize-what-clothes-can/) [Tan France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-france/) > [At 50 you're more confident, more comfortable in your skin and you don't put up with nonsense, especially from men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-donohoe/at-50-you-re-more-confident-more-comfortable-in-your-skin-and-you-don/) [Amanda Donohoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-donohoe/) > [It is but too easy to establish another durable and harmonious routine. Immediately all parts of nature consent to it. Only make something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-but-too-easy-to-establish-another-durable-and-harmonious/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A great many women can feel and behave like men. Very few of them can behave like gentlemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radclyffe-hall/a-great-many-women-can-feel-and-behave-like-men-very-few-of-them-can/) [Radclyffe Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radclyffe-hall/) > [As a rule, there is no surer way to the dislike of men than to behave well where they have behaved badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/as-a-rule-there-is-no-surer-way-to-the-dislike-of-men-than-to-behave/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [Grown men, he told himself, in flat contradiction of centuries of accumulated evidence about the way grown men behave, do not behave like this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/grown-men-he-told-himself-in-flat-contradiction-of-centuries-of/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I like men to behave like men. I like them strong and childish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-men-to-behave-like-men-i-like-them-strong-and-childish/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a certain kind of behavior in the Arab world that, to me, resembles the way young men behave when there is no significant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/there-s-a-certain-kind-of-behavior-in-the-arab-world-that-to-me/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The taste for glory can make ordinary men behave in extraordinary ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/the-taste-for-glory-can-make-ordinary-men-behave-in-extraordinary-ways/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) ## More by Barbara Kingsolver > [“Jesus was a more reliable backer, evidently, less likely to drink himself unconscious or get liver cancer. No wonder people chose Him as their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/jesus-was-a-more-reliable-backer-evidently-less-likely-to-drink/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/now-i-m-starting-to-think-he-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-my-whole-life-he/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“In Bobby Ogle's version of heaven everyone would wind up in one place, criminals and Muslims included.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/in-bobby-ogle-s-version-of-heaven-everyone-would-wind-up-in-one-place/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Weeds are job security for the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/weeds-are-job-security-for-the-gardener/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/it-s-what-you-do-that-makes-your-soul-not-the-other-way-around/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Lusa turned to Crys, her eyes shining. "That was a luna." Crys shrugged. "So?" "So? So what? You want it should sing, too?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/lusa-turned-to-crys-her-eyes-shining-that-was-a-luna-crys-shrugged-so/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [The strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-strength-of-motherhood-is-greater-than-natural-laws/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“An imperfectly remembered life is a useless treachery. Every day, more fragments of the past roll around heavily in the chambers of an empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/an-imperfectly-remembered-life-is-a-useless-treachery-every-day-more/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Respecting the dignity of a spectacular food means enjoying it at its best. Europeans celebrate the short season of abundant asparagus as a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/respecting-the-dignity-of-a-spectacular-food-means-enjoying-it-at-its/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Somehow it had come to pass that this man was her whole world, and she had failed to take his measure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/somehow-it-had-come-to-pass-that-this-man-was-her-whole-world-and-she/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [After 'The Poisonwood Bible' was published, several people believed that my parents were missionaries, which could not be further from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/after-the-poisonwood-bible-was-published-several-people-believed-that/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-can-count-all-the-ways-in-which-being-a-mother-has-enriched-my/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [If the Lord hasn't got a boyfriend lined up for me to marry, that's his business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/if-the-lord-hasn-t-got-a-boyfriend-lined-up-for-me-to-marry-that-s/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) [Explore all 939 Barbara Kingsolver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## More Accents quotes > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [“It's not my accent, but my brevity makes me stylish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/it-s-not-my-accent-but-my-brevity-makes-me-stylish/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [You can't live in a dialect without tremendous work. Like any muscle, accents and voices and languages are all formed out of the muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lake-bell/you-can-t-live-in-a-dialect-without-tremendous-work-like-any-muscle/) [Lake Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lake-bell/) > [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I don't think you see a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder, for example. And even with the accents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stevenson/i-don-t-think-you-see-a-pirate-with-a-parrot-on-his-shoulder-for/) [Ray Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stevenson/) > [I'm a Yente and I have a terrible accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/i-m-a-yente-and-i-have-a-terrible-accent/) [Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/) > [In bed watching Family Guy. Love this show.! So hilarious! Stewie is my favorite :) love his accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/in-bed-watching-family-guy-love-this-show-so-hilarious-stewie-is-my/) [Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/) > [American accents often sound much more confident than British ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/american-accents-often-sound-much-more-confident-than-british-ones/) [Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/) > [At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/at-this-point-two-elderly-security-guards-in-parkas-the-guys-who/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Much of my playing is rhythmic and choppy; I use a lot of double stops. The wah just accents all those stops and chops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-hammett/much-of-my-playing-is-rhythmic-and-choppy-i-use-a-lot-of-double-stops/) [Kirk Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-hammett/) > [“The accent of one's birthplace persists in the mind and heart as much as in speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-rouchefoucauld/the-accent-of-one-s-birthplace-persists-in-the-mind-and-heart-as-much/) La Rouchefoucauld > [Years later, when I was working as a trolley wally in a supermarket, I tackled the boredom by talking to the customers in as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/years-later-when-i-was-working-as-a-trolley-wally-in-a-supermarket-i/) [Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/) > [I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I live in L.A. so I worry my kids aren't that connected to Britain, I suppose I don't want them to become American kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mckidd/i-live-in-l-a-so-i-worry-my-kids-aren-t-that-connected-to-britain-i/) [Kevin McKidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mckidd/) [Browse all 749 Accents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Watching Italians eat (especially men, I have to say) is a form of tourism the books don't tell you about. They close their eyes, raise their eyebrows into accent marks, and make sounds of acute appreciation. It's fairly sexy. Of course I don't know how these men behave at home, if they help with the cooking or are vain and boorish and mistreat their wives. I realized Mediterranean cultures have their issues. Fine, don't burst my bubble. I didn’t want to marry these guys, I just wanted to watch. (p. 247)", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barbara Kingsolver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/watching-italians-eat-especially-men-i-have-to-say-is-a-form-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accents" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/watching-italians-eat-especially-men-i-have-to-say-is-a-form-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/barbara-kingsolver-200_accents_watching-italians-eat-especially-men-i-h_1574415.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/barbara-kingsolver-200_accents_watching-italians-eat-especially-men-i-h_1574415.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/barbara-kingsolver-200_accents_watching-italians-eat-especially-men-i-h_1574415.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Watching Italians eat (especially men, I have to say) is a form of tourism the books don't tell you about…” — Barbara Kingsolver", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Barbara Kingsolver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Watching Italians eat (especially men, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/watching-italians-eat-especially-men-i-have-to-say-is-a-form-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/watching-italians-eat-especially-men-i-have-to-say-is-a-form-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```