General tips #6

#9 Be prepared not to find non-fat milk. The least fat we could find was 1.6%. #10 One experience in Venice may have been an aberration, but if (as Rick says) it's becoming a theme park for adults, our experience is likely to be more common in the future. We were in a non-touristy area and wanted to get lunch. I was set on re-enacting the experience we'd had in 2005 in which we came across a neighborhood deli (essentially) where we got great panini, which we ate sitting on the edge of a canal. So when we saw a small deli/grocery store, I went in and asked (in halting tourist Italian) for a panino, expecting to get a sandwich. The old man behind he counter understandably thought I wanted a sandwich roll which is the alternate translation of panino. He was none too happy when my partner, who speaks fluent Italian, made it clear we wanted sandwiches, even though he had the cutting board, knives, meat cutter, meats, cheeses, etc. right there in front of him. After much grumbling, he gave us each a roll with some prosciutto and cheese on it (no mayo or oil, no mustard). When an old woman obviously a resident came in and asked for something, his demeanor changed markedly. My guess was that he resents the fact that tourists have taken over his city, but understands that they spend money, some of which is spent in his shop. It seemed to me that his attitude stemmed from that ambivalence and resentment.