Well, so it would seem here in Italy. I have been having arguments with my Italian other half about the sweatiness of our little one. He, like me, is prone to sweating. And being an energetic 4 year old (12 in 2015), he runs around and sweats even more. This is extremely dangerous in Italy as, apparently, it can provoke colds, catarrh, or worse.
What I don’t really understand is, if sweating is really so dangerous, why does she insist on dressing our little fellow in long and heavy trousers? Surely this will cause him to sweat even more and the heavy clothes will retain the sweat and thus lead to the dreaded sweat-related health problems. Not logical, as Mr Spock might be heard to utter.
Don’t even start me on about creating through-drafts in the house in summer to cool us all down – this is much more dangerous than sweating and is potentially fatal in Italy, as far as I can make out. Combining the two is asking for real trouble! Place a sweaty child in an air current, and hospitalization, or worse, will be around the corner!
Clash of Cultures
These are cultural things and it is not only my other half who worries about the ill effects of sweating and cooling breezes – all Italians do. Even our child’s doctor asks if our little one has been sweating when he turns up with the sniffles in winter or summer.
English people, well all the ones I have ever known, just do not get all hot and bothered about getting all hot and sweaty and opening windows to let a cooling breeze blow around the house in the height of summer. Italians, on the other hand, will close windows, especially in the sultry evenings, to stop any breeze entering their houses! Moving air really does terrify Italians.
I have Sweated and Lived!
On the sweat front, I have been hot and sweaty on plenty of occasions – such as when I regularly cycled for around 60 miles or so, but I don’t seem to have suffered any ill-effects, not as far as I am aware. On the other hand, I think my other half would just about tie our little one down in order to prevent him from doing anything which might provoke sweating. Indeed, I am told not to play with my son during the summer months, because I may cause him to sweat. This causes my Anglo-Saxon eyes to roll, but I now bite my tongue to avoid the inevitable heated discussions. I invariably lose the arguments because I don’t know what I’m talking about. Well, I ain’t a doctor but have lived though many sweat episodes to tell the tale.
I’m inclined to believe that couples from different cultures all have similar problems with silly little cultural differences, and that these differences do not make intercultural relationships particularly easy at times.
Molehills can, indeed, become mountains in terms of mixed-culture relationships. The sweating issue really does lead to heated exceptionally arguments.
Matthew Morrow says
I don’t understand it either, I come from Scotland and live in Verona, so naturally when it started to get warmer earlier in the year I resorted to short sleeved shirts. ‘No’, according to my Italian friends I should have worn a jumper and continue to wear a jacket as I will invite ‘chills of the neck’ and will not be prepared for the heat in the summer. I thought they were joking but no. Now the weather has turned a lot warmer I can quite honestly say to them that no amout of jumper and jacket acclimatisation can prepare a Scot for 38 degree heat! 🙂
Maureen says
Jeez sweating is good it ventilates your body when it gets too warm!!!! If not than you get ill. What a ridiculous nonsense that it isnt healthy! Why do you think people go to saunas you sweat all the bad stuff out!! Yoi neef to drink water though.. Aircon is different that makes you sick..
Alex Roe says
That’s what I thought, Maureen. But even the doctors here think sweating can be dangerous!
Weird. Italians do think air cond can be dangerous too.
Best,
Alex
Gabi says
Did you ever see this BBC article? LOL!
How to avoid getting ‘hit by air’ in Italy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15987082
Alex Roe says
Saw it thanks, Gabi – another little Italian curiosity!
Best,
Alex
Welshcakes Limoncello says
Haha! Written from the heart!
Alex Roe says
Yes – the subject came up yet again today. I still get in trouble if I cause our 7 year old to sweat.
My mum and dad were the opposite – sweating does you good!
Odd, these cultural differences, and I still cannot understand exactly why normal sweating can be dangerous! It’s a normal bodily function and as far as I know is not at all dangerous – unless you sweat a lot in the middle of the Italian summer heat and don’t drink any water – but that is not the same thing!
Best,
Alex
Alex says
Eddie,
Your wife must be Italian! I am a little curious to know what other cultural differences get on your goat.
Generally, from my experience, these here ‘issues’ are quite minor, but irritating, things.
As an aside, an Italian woman once told me to watch out for Italian women, because they are, not all, but plenty, she said,’rompe palle’. Alas, I have discovered that my other half, bless here little heart, is quite well versed in this romping of palles…. Although, I do quite often deserve to have my palles romped, I have to admit. 😉
Fast Eddie says
Count yourself lucky Alex – my wife also does all she can to avoid switching on the aircon. My son suffers the heat as I do…..when I come home from work at times his head feels unfeasibly hot and he looks exceptionally sweaty and bothered.
I think if we were listing the top ten cultural differences that get my goat, the whole drafts issue would definitely be in the top three!
Alex says
So that’s Turks, Belgians and Italians with this draught obsession. Gordon Bennet! For the record I had yet another argument this evening because I had created a ‘corrente’…. I accused my other half of being Medieval. Next time she switches on the air cond I shall scold her by saying that it will create a ‘corrente’. But the air current, draught or whatever will not be considered lethal, because it ia I different type of air movement!!!??
If it wasn’t for the fact that I am all hot and sweaty, and this makes me feel ‘orrible I would put up with this silliness. As it is, I reckon this cultural conflict will continue.
Glad to hear, Di, that those from the land which produced the All Blacks, don’t fear a little moving air.
Di says
The Turks were also terrified of sweating and draughts and one day I finally got ill. I was weak, I confessed to the doctor, that I had sweated and then had sat in a breeze at a nightclub … was that why I was ill? (Believe me, it was a complete moment of weakness brought on by a terrible flu),
That Turkish doctor looked at me as if I were crazy and said, ‘You can’t get sick from draughts and sweat!’ and I was torn between hitting and hugging him. Of course I know you don’t get ill from those things.
The other gem was the Turkish horror over shoes without socks or stockings … apparently this causes cysts on the ovaries. I grew up in a natural environment where bare feet in summer were simply delicious.
New Zealanders don’t get sick from these things either … we spend our whole lives in draughts and etc, without air-conditioning and our are often wooden and therefore draughty.
Then I moved to Belgium, now my Belgian partner sneezes if he sits in a breeze … and he doesn’t just sneeze once and yes, they too seem to believe in the link between sweating and breezes and etc.
Note: To be read in a tone of quiet disbelief and frustration.