Italians are all Maximalists

This article was translated from the original on Bitcoin 24 ORE

It's enough to just take a plane to Turkey, Finland, Belgium, or any other country in the world. In addition to the usual sightseeing tours, getting drunk with the locals, and other various activities aimed at understanding the culture of the country, there is one thing that is practically never missing: typical cuisine.

And we can't help but fall into stereotypes and clichés here, but even those Italians who consider themselves more "open" and "citizens of the world", will inevitably always raise an eyebrow at the vision of other people's culinary traditions.

We just cannot help it. Italians have a strong closed-mindedness when it comes to all those meaningless rules which however define a great tradition renowned throughout the world. From the need to have a sweet breakfast to the rule that cappuccino can never be consumed after lunch, all the way up to the rigid order in which the various courses must be served or the fact that fruit can be put on the pizza, but only the commonly accepted fruit, like figs (not pineapple like those beasts do overseas).

Don't get me wrong. Other countries are often just as attached to their traditions. Yet those Italians who have lived in other cultures know very well that there are very few examples that reach levels.

And since we're in the mood for clichés, let's add another one: Italian cuisine is among the best in the world, if not THE best. Many will disagree on this point, but the facts speak very clearly: there are thousands of Italian restaurants from Beijing to Chicago, and every year waves of tourists flock to our cities to eat healthy, genuine Italian food. The data speaks clearly.

This long premise does not have a self-celebratory function as we Italians often do to delude ourselves that we still count for something in the world. Instead, it simply wants to highlight how that attitude for which many Bitcoiners are often condemned can be found in something that the majority of Italian people have in common. When it comes to food, Italians are almost all maximalists.

Obviously, Italians eat sushi, enchiladas, and burgers as well as pasta. But all in all, the idea that "there is no second best" is very often found in the common mentality - especially past generations, who in some cases come to eat only the food of their own region.

When we see a refusal to compromise on the quality of food and the rigor of recipes, this maximalism pushes itself to levels of toxicity similar to those seen in the Bitcoin world. Just think of the recipe for carbonara, on which every Roman could write entire manuscripts. Is using "guanciale" instead of bacon that different from having small blocks instead of having larger ones?

Now that this comparison has been made, we can get to the central point, that is, the raison d'être of maximalism and toxicity in both cases. Because perhaps it is not the Po Valley meadows, the Campania Sea, or the Tuscan hills that have made Italian cuisine so renowned throughout the world. Perhaps the secret of Italian cuisine lies in the fact that Italians are not willing to compromise. They are so closed-minded that they don't allow American investors to enter the market with their Domino's pizza. And it is no coincidence that in Italy alone there are hundreds of protected names that prevent the production of Sicilian Parmigiano or Swedish Chianti.

As mentioned above, they are often rules that seem to make no sense, yet we diligently abide by them for the simple fact that we know we are dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants, and that tradition is the result of centuries of folk knowledge. And the rules cannot be changed overnight without everyone's consensus. It takes time and small tests are needed which are first carried out by the most competent palates and then try to pass the severe popular judgement.

The next time someone makes you feel guilty or questions your maximalist Bitcoin narrow-mindedness, think of it this way. Not too different from how Italian grandparents protected Italian cuisine and passed it down from generation to generation, you are now protecting a movement, allowing it to survive for your children and grandchildren.

Not only is maximalism not harmful to Bitcoin, but it could even be said to be what makes Bitcoin so special. As with traditional cuisine, Bitcoin will have to stand the test of time for centuries. And its success will depend entirely on our willingness to compromise.

So, shall we add guanciale or bacon to the pasta?