What British People Think About Italians | Easy English 85

Hello, welcome to Easy English.

So today, we're on the beach and we wanna find out

what Brits think about Italians.

Now, this is a special episode  because ''Easy Italian''

are gonna find out what  Italians think about Brits,

which you can watch up here.

But let's get back to it,

this is what Brits think about Italians.

Tell me what's your opinion on Italians?

Er… Italians can cook and  they're very well dressed

and they’re very stylish and  they're… they're very exotic

and usually quite sexy. One of  my really good friends is Italian,

we play volleyball together and she  meets all those criteria, actually.

Oh really? - So yeah, I don't  think it's a stereotype.

So she has you over to cook quite  a lot? - She does actually, yes.

And she makes lots of pasta and pizza,

but I think that's because that's what I ask for.

I think I'm the stereotype, not her.   what do you think about Italians?

I think they're amazing, I think the…

the fact that they are so gregarious, so charming,

they love their food and they put it all out,

there… there’s very little in terms of  reserved behaviour. I think the northern  

Italians consider themselves very sophisticated,

you know? - Oh, okay. - I remember,  I was in a place called Ventimiglia,

which is just on the border as you  go from er… south of France; Nice,

that way, you just cross  over, you go through a tunnel;

you're in Italy, Ventimiglia. And… and er…

I was sitting outside a cafe one evening,

having a brandy and a cigar  or something like that,

just thoroughly enjoying being a foreigner abroad,

but no British there, which is great.

One of the reasons tha… one  of the reason I went there.

And this guy came to… very elegant sort of guy,

about six-foot-two, grey hair,  cashmere overcoat over his shoulders,

you know, just walking along and he came up to me,

with a perfect… Italian, but  perfect English accent, wonderful.

And he was the, something like, the  professor of antiquities at the…

where was it? The Torino university, right.

And he was just having a  stroll around and he said;

''I wonder'' he said, I wanted  to try and do the Italian accent;

''I wonder if er… would you like an ice cream?''

Well that’s what they do! They have an ice cream.

Or in Lake Como and they  parade around in the evening,

you know, everyone. If  you're, you know, it doesn't…

you don’t have to be an academic  or an aristocrat, everyone does.

If you drive a bus, you’re going to  be doing that in your best clothes.

They seem to work a lot tweed  as well, which is really odd.

I think they li… I think they like  the English, they like the English.

The geography teacher look. - Exactly, exactly.

But now, if you go right down south south, right.

You go into a village or a town like that;

''Hey! You have some more wine,  come in here, have some food,

it’s good, it’s good''. They  don't dress up, it's fine.

There's nothing in their homes,

because they don't spend  time in their homes. - Right.

Because it's always sunny outside. - Yeah.   

My opinion is that they're  probably really nice people.

I'm at St. Andrews university and  it's quite international, so yeah.

I mean, all sorts of people and everyone’s lovely.

Okay, so you know some Italians? -  Er… my best friends aren’t Italian,

but there are Italians at my uni, so.

They’re not in my social circle, but yeah,

everyone's lovely there, so. And  have you been to Italy before?

Yes I have, I’ve been to Rome and Venice.

Okay and so… you’ve met Italians, I guess. - Yeah.

What were they like? - Very friendly,

probably more friendly than Brits sometimes.   Well, of the Italians that I have met,  

I do find them nice, yeah.

Yeah, have you both been to  Italy? - I haven’t been to Italy.

I’ve been to Italy, but I  was like, six or something.

So I don't remember it very well.  - Okay and where did you go?

Venice. - Okay great. And how about  you, what's your opinion of Italians?

My opinion of Italians is  well, I worked for two families

that are Italian and they live here in Saltdean.

Oh really? - Yeah and they are  very, very family orientated,

extremely so. So, more so than us I would say.

I think they have like really good  food, it's quite a cool culture.   

I don't think they've got the  yobbishness that we’ve got here,

I think the children are politer and  nicer. - Okay. - Yeah. So it's funny,  

when you first off the question

I immediately thought about  food. Because I love Italian food

and I've had some really nice meals in Italy.

I think that the way that they eat as well

is a lot more relaxed and kind  of laid back than British people;

often are a bit formal and are  uptight when it comes to food.

I like the relaxed approach to cooking. - Okay.

I think they also have more  respect for their elders.

Yes! - Oh yes, that's  another thing, isn’t it, yes.

This seems to be a thing  people have mentioned as well;

family is a... - Very important  and they cherish older people

don't they? Rather than  finding them in irritation.

Before we carry on with our episode,

here's a short snippet about  what Matteo thinks about Brits

and what Katie found out on the streets.

What do I think about the Brits?

Well, they're cold, snobs, alcoholics…

Joking; my wife is British.

Erm… someone said that Brits  are like coconuts and Italians

are like peaches, that's  because It's very easy to like,

be friends with Italians,  because Italians are like; whey!

Let's be friends.

Instead, with British people, it's very difficult,

but once you managed to break the hard shell,

It's all friendship and love.

That's kind of it.

And you drink  

a bit more than us.

And erm… have you been to Italy before?

I've been to Venice, which I think is in Italy,

so I’m very confident about that, yeah.

I see. And do you have plans to return to Italy

after your experience in Venice?  - Absolutely, it's beautiful,

definitely. - Perfect I had the… the  pleasure of working with a number of Italians

and spending some visits there;  I went to Milan, went to Rome,

went to Lake Como a couple of  times and they're just absolutely,

the best hosts, I loved it. But  Rome is just amazing I had the…

the archetypal Italian experience;  I was sitting by the Coliseum,

having pasta and wine and next  to me, there was a padre there,

in his… - No. - Dog collar as a  ''Vespa'' and a ''Ferrari'' went past.

So I… I took a picture of it, just to… I mean,

it can’t get more than that, that's  your Italian overdose right there.

Wow, that’s like a sketch or something.

Yeah, it was absolutely amazing.  - Wow, okay. And would you say,

from you’re… you’ve been to a  few places in Italy then? - Yes.

And is… would you say that they… that this like,

archetype that you sort of,  said, fits to all the regions

that you’ve been? - Bits of it do and that’s just…

I suppose that’s the caricature. But the…

the fact that you can see some  things permeate all the way through.

So, the openness, the… the willingness to engage,

the… the love of food a love  of wine. Everyone loves food,

but I think they've got it  down to fine art, in Italy;

it's much more accessible than  perhaps some fine cuisines,

it’s just lovely. What do you think everyone  England kind… or Britain thinks of Italians?

Is there like, a cliché, if you know what I mean,

of what we think of them?

I think right now, some British  people might not like the Italians

as much as they may have used to a year ago or so,

as the… they also the Euro final to them, so.

Ah… I was waiting for someone to say that.

Okay, so you think, maybe we’re  a little bit sore? - Yeah.

And what’s… what’s your opinion  of Italians? - I like them.

Even though they upset you, only a month ago.

I… I thought they deserved it,  firstly. Is there like, a resounding…  

maybe you've already sort of, said it.

With the kind of, the pride  or the kind of, the yeah…

maybe the pride in the culture.

Or what’s a resounding feature  throughout the whole if Italy?

I would, it’s their enthusiasm. - Enthusiasm.

Yep, especially when it comes to…  did we mention cooking at all?

Yeah, especially when we do  that because… and quite frankly,

I am a little bit biased here;  there are no greater waiters,

in the world as than Italians. And how  does your opinion compare to the kind of,

clichéd general popula… populous  opinion of Italians in Britain?

Hey, I think that we've always  got a real soft spot for Italians,

because I think, much of… so my first  experience of all things Italian

as a Scotsman was going to  ''Visocchi's Ice Cream'' in Kirriemuir

and seeing just, this wonderful  wealth of flavours that you know,

at your home you wouldn't get. And, so that…

that Italian-ness come through in  a… in a lot of people as we grew up.

And then you take the chance to  travel and see it in Italy and it's…

it's the same again, but a thousand-fold  more. We have the same channel,  

but in Italy asking the opposite question,

what do you think Italians will say  when they’re asked the question;

what they think of Brits? - I  don't really know. - Well I guess…

I'd like to think it’ll be good but…  - But like… - I don’t really know.

I guess on the same sort of, the football;

we're not very nice in football.

Yeah, I think the football fans aren’t…

The football fans haven’t been that nice recently.

Right, because of the booing and stuff?

Yeah. So, maybe again, the wrong  perception. - Yeah. We have a team,  

called ''Easy Italian'' that're making the same,

counter-question… - About British  people, ah! - I dread to think!

What’re they saying? I don’t know,  I they think they must think…

because they seem to cherish  their heritage so much.

And we do have an awf… we’re a  very historical nation, aren’t we?

Our attitude to it is very  different, I think, to the Italians,

but they may kind of, find  that really fascinating.

Thanks for watching this week's episode,

let us know in the comments below;

what you think about Italians and if us Brits

are a bit like coconuts.

And we'll see you next week, bye.