44. A Cheesy Collateral (Culture Shot)




LearnItalianPod show

Summary: Learn Italian with LearnItalianPod. VIP Member Lisa sent us one of the most entertaining email we’ve ever received. She says: “I read this article in the New York Times about an Italian bank keeping wheels of Parmesan cheese as collateral for bank loans to cheese makers. I was blown away by this but not really surprised because Italians are so resourceful! What a brilliant way to make loans available for cheese makers by allowing their aging cheese to guarantee their loans! I think this would make a great lesson as well as a cultural surprise for your listeners, Jane and Massimo!” You said it, Lisa, Italians can surely be resourceful, and what an example you brought up! So here it is, a Culture Shot about banks, loans, Parmesan cheese, and, most important, about the worldwide famous “arte di arrangiarsi italiana” (the Italian art of going with the flow). Enjoy! [Getting Around The House Vol. 1: The Kitchen & The Bedroom – LearnItalianPod VIP Members Extra Bonus!] Login to the Learning Center to find, as a special extra bonus, an audio file and PDF transcript entitled “Getting Around The House, Vol. 1: The Kitchen and the Bedroom“, composed of an audio file and PDF transcript of some of the names of things you find in the kitchen and in the bedroom that you absolutely need to know if you ever travel to Italy! Culture Shot – Episode Nr.44