21st century delights

I bought a bottle of Belgian beer here in Rome. The guy behind the counter guessed I was from the USA (might have been my Joementum t-shirt) and said something which I now understand was “want a glass”. I said huh and he said “hai bisogna di un bichiere” so I said no.

On my one block way home I saw 4 girls very cheerful about 6 to 8 years old. another with dad was arriving. They said that the had done “dolcetto/scherzeto” that is trick or treat. In the 20th century this concept did not exist in Italy (I know I was here and, with my wife, introduced it).

One Italian innovation is to start trick or treat the 29th (they also allow mardi gras to extend into that which once was Lent).

But the true 21st century joy is that one of the 4 giggling girls was wearing a hijab. The others did not show any sign of feeling this to be at all odd.

That’s the 21st century I love.