Italian All-in-One For Dummies (49 page)

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.

 

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!
)

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 — 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!