by Samuel Starbuck
Buying coffee is one of the most common intercultural experiences I have engaged in since arriving in Italy. This simple exchange has afforded me the opportunity to understand cultural dissonance in a meaningful way. Purchasing my morning cup has become second nature and a sudden change to my routine brought with it all of the cultural dissonance models we have examined in our module.
Since coming to Italy evey encounter brings with it culturally significant layers of meaning, from language to gestures and from unfamiliar cultural concepts to understanding an individuals personal behavior. My first experience buying a morning cappuccino came in Rome, I knew the word and the amount forthcoming in terms of cost but little else. Like America there is a ritual involved, this ritual is know to all cffee drinkers and practiced on a daily basis.
I immediately knew I had done something wrong by reaching for my money since none of the other patron had yet paid and the barista was not coming anywhere near me to accept payment, instead he focused on the next drink. Also, since I had started the conversation in Italian, he expected me to understand the rest of the conversation in his language, I did not. I got through the morning and returned the next morning armed with my new understanding and was able to buy my coffee without making a cultural mess of things.
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