"Yes, mum, I've eaten": the daily call Symbol photo: stock.adobe.com/Vulp
From our editorial team
Italy is the land of pasta, amore - and mum. Anyone who has ever spent more than a weekend there knows that the Italian mum is not a figure in the background, but the fixed star in the family universe.
Daily phone calls with mum are not a quirk in Italy, but a cultural statement. They say: family is important. Closeness is not a disgrace. And: nobody cooks better than them. This doesn't just apply to children who still live at home. No, in Italy it applies for as long as La Mamma lives. Why this is so - a search for clues with a twinkle in the eye:
1. the Italian mother has a built-in GPS
Growing up in Italy, you learn early on that mum always knows where you are. Not because you tell her, but because she feels it. Are you sad? She calls you. Do you have a cough? She'll call. Did you eat your pasta ten minutes later than usual? She's calling. So to get ahead of the call, you call yourself. Out of pure self-defence.
2. cooking is communication
A conversation with mum is not small talk, but a culinary briefing. What have you eaten? Have you eaten enough? Why did you the and not yesterday's leftovers that you should freeze? In Italy, food is not a private matter, but a family project. The daily phone calls are therefore used for ongoing meal coordination and culinary quality assurance.
3. an expression of respect (and fear)
The Italian mother is holy. Her opinion is law. And even if you haven't lived in your child's room for decades, you still have a little fear of her inside. Not out of fear, but out of respect. If you don't call, you have to expect a passive-aggressive "Oh, you must have more important things to do..." - and nobody really wants that.
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4. the neighbours are listening
Anyone who lives in Italy knows that there are no secrets, only pauses between two rounds of gossip. If a son doesn't call his mum, the neighbourhood will know before he does. So to avoid becoming the number one topic of conversation in the piazza, they talk on the phone every day. Also for reputational reasons.
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5. because it is beautiful
Between all the humour, however, there is also a kernel of truth: the daily phone calls are an expression of a deep family bond that is hardly known in many other countries. It is a gesture of love, interest and continuity. And somehow also a little touching when the 70-year-old son tells his 90-year-old mother: "Mum, I've already eaten. Yes, with vegetables. Yes, salad too. Yes, I'll put something warm on tonight."
The next time you see an elderly Italian mumbling "Mamma" lovingly into their mobile phone, you shouldn't laugh, but perhaps call your own mother again. Better safe than sorry
