In Italy, buying some cold cuts at the deli is probably one of the most prosaic parts of the day: you stop at the alimentari on the way home from work, ask for a few slices of prosciutto or salame, perhaps comment that one looks better than another, and then move on.
Yet, inside this simple routine, there is a surprising amount of attention, because Italians, when it comes to cured meats, don’t like to mess around: the color, the smell, the way the fat is distributed, the appearance of the slice (is it too wet? Too compact? Too unnaturally uniform?), all make a difference. It is also common to ask where the pork comes from or how long the product has aged; others look at the casing or at the cut itself before buying.
