It is impossible to live without food. For most people, food is something more than only a mean of getting energy. Eating is related to culture and tradition. There are many habits and customs related to eating in many different countries. How we eat and what we eat depends on the culture, climate and natural environment of the place we live in.
In Poland we have eating habits similar to other central European countries. Polish people eat three times a day. Our meals consist on meat, potatoes and boiled vegetables. When we compare our food to the food eaten by people from Mediterranean countries, we may notice many differences. I have visited Italy and France few times and I really like Italian food. I noticed, how closely it is related to the way of life of Italian people.
The climate of Italy has strong influence on the way people live and eat there. During the summer, it is extremely hot there. Most people spend whole days on the beaches, sunbathing and swimming in the sea. They live actively mostly in the evenings and nights. Only then, the temperature is lower and people are able to think clearly.
Most Italians eat no breakfast. Some eat only cereals or biscuits in the morning. In the afternoon or in the evening, they eat normal meal. Most often their dinner consists on pasta, meat and lots of vegetables. They always drink wine to the dinner.
Polish and Italian people eat at very different times of the day. In Italy, it is normal to eat at night. There are many restaurants at the sea shore, were people spend long night hours on eating, drinking wine, talking and singing. Whole families visit these restaurants.
For Italians, food is a very important part of their culture. The best known Italian dish is pizza and different pastas. I think that most Polish people forgot that food might be celebrated. We should certainly follow the example of people from Italy.
