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Italy's longest-serving barista reflects on six decades behind the counter

reuters.com

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Re: Italy's longest-serving barista reflects on six decades behind the counter

#81

Post by bojan »

Copenjin wrote: post #49
amarant wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Russia seems poised to invade Europe in the near future. If they do, and succeed, Rome could become part of the new Soviet Union(which Putin has explicitly said he wants to bring back) Once that happens, it's likely to lead to poverty. At least that's what happened in the last USSR

Invade with what? Refugees running away from a poor and failing country? Man...

Russia is neither poor nor failing, and saying that is underestimating the real actual danger they present.

Russia has vast natural resources and enough buyers for those resources even if the EU manages to completely stop (at significant cost). Their industry turned to wartime mode, resulting in the fact that they now have more armored vehicles than in February 2022.

Will they actually physically reach Italy? Probably not. Will they try to buy it out and bring a (even more) fascist autocratic regime there? Probably yes.

Re: Italy's longest-serving barista reflects on six decades behind the counter

#82

Post by pastage »

inglor_cz wrote: post #65
lqet wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Today, [young people] like to spend time with the smartphone; they even take it to bed when they go to sleep. Recently my parents (in their mid-60ies) were visiting us. At some point I realized that both of them had been quietly sitting at our dinner table for over on hour, eyes glued on their smartphones. They are massively addicted. I have noticed that they get nervous as soon as the smartphone is out of reach, o…

I agree with you, the infection hit quite a lot of older people very hard as well. I have problem getting some 40somethings to meet in person, even in professional contexts, they are just so soaked in a WhatsApp maelström of utterly irrelevant messages that they are conditioned to answer NOW! That said, the core of the message should not be judgments between the young and the old, but the problem that we have introdu…

> maelström

Good use of that word.

English has ae in Maelstrom but the contemporary word in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian is Malstrøm/Malström. I wonder when it lost it's ae, I see Mahlströmn from 1698, reading the etymology it says dutch but I wonder if they just wrote it down first. Everything about the sea is always filled with mythology.

I think social media needs a less poetic word though.

Re: Italy's longest-serving barista reflects on six decades behind the counter

#83

Post by darkwater »

isoprophlex wrote: post #67
inglor_cz wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you, the infection hit quite a lot of older people very hard as well. I have problem getting some 40somethings to meet in person, even in professional contexts, they are just so soaked in a WhatsApp maelström of utterly irrelevant messages that they are conditioned to answer NOW! That said, the core of the message should not be judgments between the young and the old, but the problem that we have introdu…

You're right, as is your parent comment, in saying that this isn't something only the young suffer from. In fact it's everywhere; the people with the worst smartphone addictions near me personally are an 11 year old and a 70 year old... That said the message, when taken as a general progression between how life was then and how it is now, stands.

The same thing happened with TV in the 80s/90s. It will eventually fix itself, Gen Alfa will grow tired of smartphones when they will be in their thirties, I'm pretty sure. (that doesn't mean that there should not be active campaigning to point out the risks of smartphone addiction)

Re: Italy's longest-serving barista reflects on six decades behind the counter

#84

Post by bojan »

nalnq wrote: post #77
brendoelfrendo wrote: post #6

I always think that I would hate to work into my old age, but it's different for some. I can't speak to what Anna's financial situation is like, but the way she talks about her work as part of the community and a way to stay active and independent makes me think that she's content, and that's great. She certainly seems like she's doing well for 101!

If the pensions in Italy are anything like in Spain, she’s making more money off it than young people are making working. Plus she’s probably defrauding the pension system by both collecting her pension and working.

Is it defrauding it if you contributed to it all your working life?

Re: Italy's longest-serving barista reflects on six decades behind the counter

#85

Post by AdamN »

darkwater wrote: post #83
isoprophlex wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're right, as is your parent comment, in saying that this isn't something only the young suffer from. In fact it's everywhere; the people with the worst smartphone addictions near me personally are an 11 year old and a 70 year old... That said the message, when taken as a general progression between how life was then and how it is now, stands.

The same thing happened with TV in the 80s/90s. It will eventually fix itself, Gen Alfa will grow tired of smartphones when they will be in their thirties, I'm pretty sure. (that doesn't mean that there should not be active campaigning to point out the risks of smartphone addiction)

A friend of mine's kid (maybe 10 years ago) started crying when he watched regular TV for the first time. He literally thought the TV was broken when the commercials came on with the volume cranked up.

It's the same now with fb and these other old format social media sites. People just stop doing it. With that said I literally think fb will be with us for another 50 years as the people who are still on there are great marks and they won't be leaving until they 'age out'.

Re: Italy's longest-serving barista reflects on six decades behind the counter

#86

Post by Cthulhu_ »

isoprophlex wrote: post #50

> I’ve seen generations grow up. Some grandparents come in with their grandkids and say, “Anna, remember the jukebox?” > Today, however, young people no longer come to the bar. They came when we had the dance floor and the music. Today, they like to spend time with the smartphone; they even take it to bed when they go to sleep. What are we losing, what are we taking away from life, now that we ourselves have become a…

To expand, I wonder whether people will wistfully look back on their days browsing tiktok and shitposting on HN compared to whatever they and their kids / parents will be doing in 20 years.

Re: Italy's longest-serving barista reflects on six decades behind the counter

#87

Post by Cthulhu_ »

AmbroseBierce wrote: post #72

I talked with a barista that had worked 10 years at Starbucks and he still made minimum wage after all that time, it was specially worrying since minimum wage in this country it's equivalent to 420 usd a month.

If they worked for a decade and never got a pay rise (other than minimum wage increases), why are they still working there? In an ideal world, you get wage and career progression over time, or move on to a different career otherwise.

Re: Italy's longest-serving barista reflects on six decades behind the counter

#88

Post by Cthulhu_ »

silcoon wrote: post #30

She's vividly awaken with an active mind at 101 yo, it's not a thing for everyone. We try to fix the body decadence problem with technology while ancient seems already discovered it. You can see it in her words and her lifestyle; a simple life, a helpful work, a community that makes you feel appreciated for what you do. All the rest doesn't really matter for longevity. Btw, the woman is addressing the interviewer usi…

I think in her case, she kept working, kept interacting with people on a daily basis. A lot of elderly people see mental / physical decline in part due to inactivity, and doing your daily crosswords or brain trainer isn't enough I think.

Re: Italy's longest-serving barista reflects on six decades behind the counter

#89

Post by Cthulhu_ »

bix6 wrote: post #9

I was thinking about robotic baristas the other day and how you might save on costs but you give up so much; If I’m going out for coffee I prefer places where I know the baristas so I get to feel like a part of my community.

Those already exist though, coffee machines have been around for decades. Granted, most of them won't make you a neat milk leaf or tree or whatever, but how important is that to you?

Re: Italy's longest-serving barista reflects on six decades behind the counter

#90

Post by pezezin »

anthk wrote: post #73
pezezin wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am also Spanish, living in Japan, and our bars is one the things I miss the most. Seriously, you don't realize how amazing Spanish bars are until you don't have them. Here I just stop by a konbini, grab a can coffee and a plastic-wrapped sandwich, and off I go. There is no social nexus, and no neighbourhood for that matter. It's depressing.

Weren't the Izakaya's close to a Spanish bar?

Izakaya usually only open for dinner, maybe lunch, but definitely not breakfast. Many of them also offer private rooms, which is the complete opposite of the social aspect of Spanish bars...
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