Singing This Restaurant Some Praises

I’m a member of a choir, and we go to a festival in Italy! Four of us are eighteen and excited to be visiting Europe for the first time, helped by the fact that we’re allowed to head out in the evening while the younger members of the choir have a curfew.

The four of us go out to dinner very late one night after the festival has ended. We see a nice-looking restaurant, but it’s quiet and we don’t know when they close.

Me: “Is it okay to eat?”

Waitstaff: *Big smiles* “Si! Si! Come on in! Come eat!”

Me: “Are you sure? Are you closing?”

Waitstaff: “Are you hungry?”

Me: “Starving?”

Waitstaff: “Then we’re open! Eat!”

This is where we learn that it’s common to have dinner very late in Europe compared to the US! We also learn that the waiter taking care of us is actually the owner, and the bartender and chef is her husband. They are super nice to us, putting up with our bad Italian, and they let us sample a few wines until we find one we like without any extra charge.

After the meal, we stop by the bar, where they are cleaning up, to offer compliments on the very good food and thank them again.

Owner: “Why are you in Italy?”

Me: “We came as part of a choir.”

Owner: “Ooh, you sing something, we give you shots!”

So, of course, we burst out in four-part harmony, and they gave us a couple of shots of limoncello each, on the house. It was the first time I’d ever tasted limoncello and the first shot I’d ever done! And that’s the story of the time we didn’t sing for our supper but sang for our drinks. I’ve had a soft spot for limoncello ever since.