Hospitality
Host & guest, hote et invité, anfitrión y invitado, ospite e ospite.
Yes, that’s right, we have only one word (ospite) for both roles (host & guest) in Italy… and it is my favourite word!
Having guests feeling as they are at home is the core of hospitality and calling them with the same word works perfectly in this very way. There is a strong link between words and ideas, Orwell created Newspeak so to represent this link. In his 1984, Newspeak is used in order to limit thoughts and ability to think as consequences of a limited vocabulary and a limited grammar.
In my honest opinion, I mostly agree with Orwell, but I’d rather add as “words” also images, memes, videos, emojis, GIFs and other objects used as words. I know it can be reductive to do so, but I endorse the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words“.
Newspeak was designed not to extend but to DIMINISH the range of thought, and this purpose was indirectly assisted by cutting the choice of words down to a minimum.
George Orwell
1984
So, where am I going with this hospitality and word ballet?
Only two of the seven pictures in this page have been shot at my place, others are related to some places where I felt at home. I cannot express that feeling in words and pictures can only grasp a bit of it, of that warmth. Being with friends in friendly places. My place has been furnished with ‘ospiti’ in my mind, so they can live it as it was theirs, with ease.
Then, COVID-19 happened (you can switch “COVID-19” and “Shit”, if you prefer).
In Italy and many other places all over the world there is an enforced lockdown, with curfews, mobility limitations, shop closures, etc. I’m not even able to go at my parents’ without violating those limits since they are in another, adjacent, town and current rules in Lombardia deny the possibility of cross town mobility if not necessary (mainly for health and work related stuff). In 2020, I had few guests at my place and several recurring events at my friends’ were canceled due to the pandemic. This is what I miss the most of my old normal life, knowing that this new reality is the current normal one and hoping that the same will change as soon as possible.
What stated above must be amplified if we’d like to move on hospitality industry which includes lodging, food and drink services, mobility services, etc. For example, italian restaurants’ market went down 40% in 2020 (source in italian only), several layoffs in US for hotels and restaurants (source) and many travel restrictions (source). Hospitality industry is decisive for culture since it helps people getting in touch with others out of their usual circles, discovering new ideas, thoughts and habits, finding peculiar places and locations and so on.
Social life is not related only to health: life itself is made up by health, sanity and social life.
