Comments on: Healthy Savings in Italy http://italychronicles.com/healthy-savings-in-italy/ Life in the Living Museum Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:30:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Alex Roehttp://italychronicles.com/healthy-savings-in-italy/#comment-2347 Alex Roe Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:22:00 +0000 http://italychronicles.com/?p=2969#comment-2347 Hi Mara,Thanks for dropping in. This draft thing is certainly strange a strange phobia - which is 'ancraophobia' apparently. Although those who suffer from this phobia are afraid of the wind - whereas Italians are not so much worried by wind, more by small portions of it.I'd like to understand why Italians suffer from this. Not everyone does, but many seem to. I wonder what the origins of this phobia are.Actually, there are two schools of thought. There are those who find drafts health threatening, and then there are those who 'provoke' drafts or rather currents of fresh air. Many moons ago I was told about the 'effetto pinguino' which is a cooling effect you get when you open two or more windows that lets air blow through a house. Those who are not afraid of air currents, welcome the 'effetto pinguino' or 'penguin effect'.On the other hand Italians who fear drafts would never dream of letting in fresh air in summer, and will sit with all the windows closed in the middle of summer. I know about this from my father in law who is literally paranoid about air currents. And there is no reasoning with him. Even pointing out that everyone in windy Ireland should, on the basis of his logic, be dead by now does not work!It's a very odd fear and if anyone can enlighten us as the its origins, I'm sure we'd both be curious to know.Very odd. Very Italian.All the best,Alex Hi Mara,

Thanks for dropping in. This draft thing is certainly strange a strange phobia – which is ‘ancraophobia’ apparently. Although those who suffer from this phobia are afraid of the wind – whereas Italians are not so much worried by wind, more by small portions of it.

I’d like to understand why Italians suffer from this. Not everyone does, but many seem to. I wonder what the origins of this phobia are.

Actually, there are two schools of thought. There are those who find drafts health threatening, and then there are those who ‘provoke’ drafts or rather currents of fresh air. Many moons ago I was told about the ‘effetto pinguino’ which is a cooling effect you get when you open two or more windows that lets air blow through a house. Those who are not afraid of air currents, welcome the ‘effetto pinguino’ or ‘penguin effect’.

On the other hand Italians who fear drafts would never dream of letting in fresh air in summer, and will sit with all the windows closed in the middle of summer. I know about this from my father in law who is literally paranoid about air currents. And there is no reasoning with him. Even pointing out that everyone in windy Ireland should, on the basis of his logic, be dead by now does not work!

It’s a very odd fear and if anyone can enlighten us as the its origins, I’m sure we’d both be curious to know.

Very odd. Very Italian.

All the best,

Alex

]]> By: Marahttp://italychronicles.com/healthy-savings-in-italy/#comment-2346 Mara Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:30:11 +0000 http://italychronicles.com/?p=2969#comment-2346 I really never understood why so much of the fear of a draft. One day I was in a restaurant in nyc and there happen to be a group of italian tourists who were trying to find a place to sit. It was mid summer and as you may know air conditioners are everywhere now a days. Well they happened to be seated right below the a/c vent and they were so afraid they immediatley moved to a different table and the funny thing is that even the other table was situated below an a/c vent and they were so afraid of catching a cold and one immediately said" Ritornero' a Roma con la febbre, which to me sounded too ridiculous. For them it is like a Tabu'. What do think? I really never understood why so much of the fear of a draft. One day I was in a restaurant in nyc and there happen to be a group of italian tourists who were trying to find a place to sit. It was mid summer and as you may know air conditioners are everywhere now a days. Well they happened to be seated right below the a/c vent and they were so afraid they immediatley moved to a different table and the funny thing is that even the other table was situated below an a/c vent and they were so afraid of catching a cold and one immediately said” Ritornero’ a Roma con la febbre, which to me sounded too ridiculous. For them it is like a Tabu’. What do think?

]]> By: Auréliehttp://italychronicles.com/healthy-savings-in-italy/#comment-2345 Aurélie Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:38:30 +0000 http://italychronicles.com/?p=2969#comment-2345 Hah, my (also italian) boyfriend has the same thing with air... cold on the stomach can make him sick, as well as wind or a little draft! incredible those italians. "ho preso la febbre" is about the most common thing you can hear, here. If Im sick, the first thing people ask me is "ma hai preso la febbre?" I don't CATCH a fever, people!! Then, some air doesn't make me sick, with my belgian genes, I need more :-) Hah, my (also italian) boyfriend has the same thing with air… cold on the stomach can make him sick, as well as wind or a little draft! incredible those italians.
“ho preso la febbre” is about the most common thing you can hear, here. If Im sick, the first thing people ask me is “ma hai preso la febbre?”
I don’t CATCH a fever, people!! Then, some air doesn’t make me sick, with my belgian genes, I need more :-)

]]> By: Alex Roehttp://italychronicles.com/healthy-savings-in-italy/#comment-2344 Alex Roe Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:34:56 +0000 http://italychronicles.com/?p=2969#comment-2344 Hi Ken,Welcome to Blog from Italy!Yes, we have a house resembles a mini-pharmacy too!I tend to head for bed when I feel bad too - our bodies are very good at sorting out all but the most persistent of ailments. An aspirin usually does the job for me!As for drafts, is your other half from Liguria by any chance? It appears to me that Italians from this area seem to be particularly sensitive to air currents! No idea why the air we breathe is considered to be potentially dangerous. As you say: sigh!Kind regards,Alex Hi Ken,

Welcome to Blog from Italy!

Yes, we have a house resembles a mini-pharmacy too!

I tend to head for bed when I feel bad too – our bodies are very good at sorting out all but the most persistent of ailments. An aspirin usually does the job for me!

As for drafts, is your other half from Liguria by any chance? It appears to me that Italians from this area seem to be particularly sensitive to air currents! No idea why the air we breathe is considered to be potentially dangerous. As you say: sigh!

Kind regards,

Alex

]]> By: kenhttp://italychronicles.com/healthy-savings-in-italy/#comment-2343 ken Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:20:45 +0000 http://italychronicles.com/?p=2969#comment-2343 One of the main reasons I hate being sick is that my (Italian) boyfriend (I'm American) immediately goes to his "pharmacy drawer" and tries to get me to take any number of medications, when all I want to do is lay in bed and rest.And the fear of drafts! What is that about? Whenever we go to a restaurant, I don't even sit down. I wait for him to sit, get annoyed and say, "C'è del vento," after which we change tables. Sigh. One of the main reasons I hate being sick is that my (Italian) boyfriend (I’m American) immediately goes to his “pharmacy drawer” and tries to get me to take any number of medications, when all I want to do is lay in bed and rest.

And the fear of drafts! What is that about? Whenever we go to a restaurant, I don’t even sit down. I wait for him to sit, get annoyed and say, “C’è del vento,” after which we change tables. Sigh.

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