Italy Declares War on The Italian Lunch break

If you really want to tick off an Italian, try messing with their food. That is precisely what Cabinet Minister Gianfranco Rotondi did in a new campaign to eliminate long Italian lunch breaks and increase productivity in Italy. His argument is that the lingering Italian lunches are bad for the waistline, bad for the economy, and should be skipped altogether in favor of a sandwich or lunch brought from home. Rotondi has also proposed that the parliament cafeteria be shut down, as it is too costly to maintain and leads to lawmakers eating too much.

Italian food organization Coldiretti states that only one in five workers bring a packed lunch from home to work. Meanwhile, 44% eat lunch in a restaurant, and 36% in a workplace cafeteria.

The response to the proposal has been tumultuous. Workers unions are rallying to keep the right to a full Italian lunch break. Nutritionists warn that without a lunch break, Italians could very well collapse in the afternoon.

Could the minister be on the right track? Would shortening lunch breaks in favor of a bagged lunch or sandwich lead to the abolition of the Italian siesta (hours from 1:00 to 4:00 PM when many shops and offices close for business) and a work day that resembles that of the U.S. or Northern Europe?

I for one would not complain. It would be nice not to have to race against the clock to buy my bread before 1:00...but I won't hold my breath. Italy is a land of bureaucracy where traditions rule and change is hard to come by! Part of the mystique of living in Italy.

Full article from Reuters here.