Venice in the Moment

      After several days in Venice, one of the aspects of the city that most strikes me is the flexible and relaxed attitude towards life. This attitude is reflected predominantly in the food culture and the city layout. Eating in Venice follows a completely different set of rules than eating in the United States. Rules that reflect the cultural differences include the following: do not eat or drink while walking, do not pay until after eating or drinking (even for beverages or snacks in a café or bar), do not rush your meal and leave an establishment too soon, never imply or ask whether the food is not fresh or imported. All of these rules center around the profound importance that food quality and food experience have in Venetian culture. Food is a time to appreciate an art form and to enjoy the company of others. For that reason, it is rude to rush your meal, walk while eating, hurry the payment process, or suggest that the food is not made with top quality or local ingredients. This conflicts with the food culture in the United States, which centers around immediate payment and a brisk pace, even multitasking while eating. In the United States, eating while walking is an efficient way to fulfill a daily necessity while progressing towards the next activity. In Venice, food is not merely a necessity, but a way to stop and enjoy the moment.

 

      Just as the food culture in Venice reflects the relaxed attitude towards life, so does the city layout itself. In Venice, punctuality is evasive and firm directions are nearly impossible. It is all too easy to get lost among the narrow, twisting streets. Traveling in Venice requires a general sense of direction and a calm attitude towards the unknown, contrasting with the precision of the majority of city layout and travel. To enjoy the experience of wandering Venice, one must abandon the idea of constant bearings and allow Venice to create whatever journey it has in mind that day.

      In Venice, the beauty of the experience lies not in striving to achieve a goal or finding a set number of sites, but rather in appreciating whatever treasure the city chooses to reveal in that moment. In setting out for pizza, one can stumble upon the most delectable of triofe pasta with smoked salmon and artichoke cream sauce; in searching for a gelato shop, one can discover the charm of seeing Venetian boys kicking a soccer ball against a gothic façade in an otherwise empty campo, surrounded by their echoing laughter. The beauty of Venice ultimately lies in forgetting direction and intention, in abandoning oneself to the immediate moment and unexpected joy.