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August 11, 2006

Dinner and Deception

A friend of mine recently sent me this link to an articles from the New York Times.

It's true: Tourists pay more than the locals. I like to spend the occasional afternoon at one particular bar in Campo de' Fiori. In the past, they charged me €4 for a lemon soda. Now that I'm recognized and friendly with the staff, a glass of their best red wine and an iced cappuccino costs €4 ...quite the difference!

Dealing with Romans is like attempting to belong to an exclusive club. Those who speak the dialect flawlessly are immediately accepted. Everyone else has to put in his time. Being a foreigner living here, I have discovered that the best way to avoid being cheated out of a good meal or a good price is to either go to the restaurant or bar with someone who knows the owner, or get taken advantage of enough times at the same place that they eventually recognize you and start to treat you better. It's all about being a part of the family.

I was waitressing in a restaurant that served different quality to different nationalities. At the beginning of the night, the head chef would tell me, "The fish of the day is the same fish as yesterday. If an Italian asks you, we don't have it. If a foreigner asks you, let's get rid of it."

When my 100% Roman boyfriend and I go out to eat I let him do all of the ordering. He gets very insulted if the waiter speaks to us in English.

What's my advice to the average tourist looking for a real good meal in Rome? Stay out of the center. Get away from the tourist menus and English-speaking staff. It's hard to find a bad restaurant in Italy if you're in the small towns or outskirts...and a foreigner will take them by surprise as opposed to convincing them to dilute to pasta sauce.

Side note: The article mentions Hosteria del Moro. This happens to be a favorite of mine (and the head waiter is a personal friend) and I would highly recommend it to anyone passing through Trastevere.

Posted by Kelsea  at 5:27 AM | Permalink

Comments

Posted by: Federico at August 16, 2006 5:04 AM