Italian All-in-One For Dummies (49 page)
Read Italian All-in-One For Dummies Online
Authors: Consumer Dummies
ahl
-leh
noh
-veh.
At nine.
Waiter:
A che nome?
ah keh
noh
-meh?
In whose name?
Sig. Di Leo:
Di Leo.
dee
leh
-oh.
Di Leo.
Â
Paying for your meal
You don't need to use cash in all restaurants. In many restaurants, mostly higher-end ones, you can pay with your credit card, too.
You don't have to tip in Italy, not even in an elegant restaurant, even though it can be a way to reward good service. You always pay
pane e coperto
(
pah
-neh eh koh-
pehr
-toh) (
a cover or service charge
) just to sit down.
When you want
il conto
(eel
kohn
-toh) (
the bill
), you ask the server to bring it to you. She will never bring it to you unless you ask for it. Use the verbs
portare
(pohr-
tah
-reh) (
to bring
) or
fare
(
fah-
reh) (
to prepare
) and say
Ci porta/fa il conto, per favore?
(chee
pohr
-tah/fah eel
kohn
-toh, perh fah-
voh
-reh?) (
Will you please bring/prepare us the bill?
[formal])
Or simply say
Il conto, per favore!
(eel
kohn
-toh, pehr fah-
voh
-reh!)
(
The bill, please!
)
 Save that sales slip
Be sure to keep
lo scontrino
(loh skohn-
tree
-noh)
(
the sales slip
), at least until you leave an Italian bar or any kind of shop or restaurant. This is important in Italy because
la Guardia di Finanza
(lah
gwahr
-dyah dee fee-
nahn
-tsah)
(
Financial Guard
) often checks. If you leave without a sales slip and are caught, you and the owner of the establishment have to pay a fine.
Shopping for Food
Many people do their marketing in a
supermercato
(
sooh
-pehr-mehr-
kah
-toh) (
supermarket
) even if there are other places to get food. But most Italian cities have specialty shops, starting with the
alimentari
(ah-lee-mehn-
tah
-ree) (
grocery store
), where you can get many items â everything from
latte
(
laht
-teh) (
milk
) to
carta igienica
(
kahr
-tah ee-
jeh
-nee-kah) (
toilet paper
). These shops, with their specific selection of goods, provide the personal attention often lacking in supermarkets.
Dal macellaio (butcher shop)
From the
dal macellaio
(dahl mah-chehl-
lah-
yoh) (
butcher shop
) you may select items like the following:
agnello
(ah-
nyehl
-loh) (
lamb
)
bistecca
(bee-
stehk
-kah) (
steak
)
coniglio
(koh-
nee
-lyoh) (
rabbit
)
maiale
(mah-
yah
-leh) (
pork
)
manzo
(
mahn
-zoh) (
beef
)
pollo
(
pohl
-loh) (
chicken
)
vitello
(vee-
tehl
-loh) (
veal
)
Pesce (fish)
Not all restaurants serve fresh
pesce
(
peh
-sheh) (
fish
). To be sure, the better restaurants offer fresh (not frozen) fish, and it's usually listed as a special of the day. Getting fresh fish certainly depends on the region, such as whether you're close to the sea. If you're in doubt about the fish a restaurant offers, your best bet is to ask someone local for a recommendation. Better safe than sorry!