You will die

When I first moved to Italy I was amazed by all the things I did on a regular basis that I was warned were actually dangerous. Going outside with wet hair, even if it was mid-summer. Not wearing a scarf to protect my delicate neck from any wind. Drinking coffee that was too hot. Drinking water that was too cold. Not bundling up while, or after, exercising. Eating overcooked pasta that is not properly al dente. Sweating. Sleeping with the window open when there is a breeze. Getting a chill of any kind. Walking around barefoot in the house when it’s cold. Swimming any sooner than three hours after eating. My daughter, Donella, would occasionally arrive at school with wet hair. The teachers would send her to the bathroom to blow it dry under the hand dryers so that she wouldn’t be in danger.

At the time, being a smug Californian, I knew that I had science on my side. These outdated ideas of wellness were amusing, but not anything to pay attention to. Then an expat friend from Brooklyn who was married to an Italian and had a young son and I started to notice a lot of odd coincidences. She was stacking wood one winter day in her cellar that opens out on a small street in our village. She was working hard, the sun was out, and she took off her outer jacket once she got warm, still wearing a heavy sweater and hat. A parade of grandmothers came by on their way to the market, and each warned her that if she didn’t put her jacket on she’d be sick the next day. The following morning she woke up with a bad cold.

Donella was outside one very cold and snowy winter day for hours without a scarf, then went out that night with her head uncovered. The next day, she fell feverishly sick and had to stay in bed.

I read an article that researchers have discovered that al dente pasta is easier to digest, and doesn’t release as much of a flood of sugar to the system as it does when softer. (Most Italians I know will not eat any pasta outside of Italy because it is always dangerously overcooked.) Other research reveals that your immune system is less able to protect you, and you are more likely to catch a virus, if you are cold.

What if the grandmothers are right? Stay safe out there.