Well, the week came an went and it ended up with no gift in hand (or luggage either). I needed to fix this. So as luck would have it, I finally stumbled into a toy store when it was OPEN. You have to be here to understand how often shops are closed... especially the shops that sell nonessential things like children's toys. If you want a bottle of wine or a mountain of sweet pastry, those shops are always open. A SIM card for your phone or a replacement table lamp...be prepared to wait. Here was a wonderful little toy store and it was open for business. Allah be praised!
One thing that is delightful about European toy stores is how they offer so many high quality, mind expanding choices for young people. Toys tend to be a bit expensive, but they are designed to last and to be timeless. They are also designed to encourage creativity (think Lego). In short, they are an investment rather than a distraction. They aren't intended to be thrown away after they break. They are designed NOT to break.
Delightful toy store in Lucca. 10 feet wide. 40 feet deep.
One item of everything on display. Buy it if you like it. They might not have another in stock!
So now, finally, we can start to talk about sex. I promise. The Italian word for "toy" is "giocco". According to the rules of the language, " "giocco" is Masculine. Every noun in Italian must have a sex. Oh boy, here we go. Usually the spelling tells you immediately whether a word/idea is masculine or feminine. The giveaway is normally the final letter of the word. Words that end in "o" are "masculine". Words that end in "a" are feminine. So the word for "day"..."giorno" is obviously masculine because it ends with "o". The word for "night" ..."sera" is obviously feminine because it ends with "a". Hey, this is easy. I can do this.
But wait. There is more. Any adjective that explains the word must also agree in both sex and number. Thus, we are required to say "buon giorno"..." good day/hello" as the greeting in the early part of the day. But things must change in the evening. That greeting is "buonA sera"... because "sera" is feminine and the adjective must agree with the sex of the word in front of it. Ok. For me this is like trying to maneuver through a mental mine field. Is "table" masculine or feminine? What about 2 tables?/2 days/2 weeks/2 stars/2 dogs/2 bicycles. Oh God get me out of this quagmire, NOW. Why am I condemned to always deal with sex. Maybe I should just leave.
As soon as I begin to speak, any native speaker of Italian knows I'm a foreigner. Some will just let me struggle on in Italian. Others, like the owner of the toy shop will just switch to English and save time and frustration. So I brought my purchases to the cash register and she asked me if the items were a gift. Yes they were. Did I want them gift wrapped? Yes again. Was the gift for a boy or a girl? (The sex part) One for a girl and two for boys. Here is the final result.
3 expertly wrapped gifts. 2 blue bows for boys. 1 pink for girls.
Yes, this is gender stereotyping. Chill out. I didn't invent Italian culture. I'm just buying something. But this wasn't intended to insult anyone. It was meant to celebrate the diversity of life. Sex is baked into the language and the culture. I'm not going to change the language or the culture with my purchases. I'm simply going to stuff these into my suitcase and move on to something much more important. Like..."when am I supposed to meet my friend Sergio for coffee today?" And of course... "Is coffee masculine or feminine?"
(FYI...it's masculine)
That's my story, and I'm stickin to it.
Dan
No comments:
Post a Comment