I Simpsons

Italy is not a large country, at least not by American standards. We have states larger than that boot, yet their culture is just as (if not more so) vibrant and brilliant as ours. I've already discussed food and the social inclinations of Italians, but there's nothing quite like the media obsessions of another country. There are some things that are completely different from what Americans like and then there are twists on our classics, like watching the Simpsons in Italian, or walking into an Italian cigar shop with Lady Gaga playing through the speakers.

When I was in Italy, I watched a bit of television. I expected for there to be American TV shows, since the entire world seems to at least partially approve of our television programs. What was surprising were the choices the Italians chose to copy. First, the Italians seem to have no pretensions about educational television for children. Mostly I watched cartoons, since they require the least amount of Italian, but almost all of them were purely for entertainment. You can forget about Sesame Street or Arthur, the dubbed shows were Johnny Bravo and Dexter's Laboratory. When it came to adult shows, the only American ones I could find were episodes that were years old; series that didn't even run anymore.

There were also odd quirks to the changes. For instance, the Pokemon theme song changed, but it was still in English. In the Simpsons, Moe's Tavern was changed to Boe's. The commercials are also different. In Italy, the commercials are fewer and farther in between, or so it seems, and they are a lot more vibrant. There always seems to be singing and dancing, whether it be for Parma ham, cereal or a home loan.

For one of my favorite commercials, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4bbZiUV4mI

As for the music in Italy, I was a bit disappointed. Everywhere I went I seemed to hear only Lady Gaga. When I took the time to peruse in one of the bookstores in Rome, the top ten CDs were all American bands or artists. Where did all the accordions go? That's certainly one misconception about Italy that should be cleared up. It's hard to find any traditional Italian music, at least in a live venue. This isn't to say that Italy has bad music, there are many great jazz shows around Rome and other local Italian bands, but it's to say that the stereotype of the Italian serenade is ill-founded.

A final note about Italian culture. They like to take it slow. Locals stroll and amble, with no particular place to go but the local bar to partake of coffee and pastries. The shops and restaurants open late and close in the afternoon for a break. The meals are long and multi-coursed. All of these things can be wonderful, but they can also be extraordinarily annoying. I found it quite charming while I was there, but sometimes, it's nice to have a 24-hour Kroger right around the corner for some midnight munchies.