{"id":266,"date":"2010-03-30T10:30:13","date_gmt":"2010-03-30T14:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/tuscany-umbria-cooking-vacation-blog\/?p=266"},"modified":"2019-07-13T20:20:43","modified_gmt":"2019-07-13T18:20:43","slug":"man-dies-caught-cold-stomach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/","title":{"rendered":"Man Dies:  Caught Cold in Stomach"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 7<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p>Traveling to Italy, some visitors notice various oddities about Italian culture that seem to defy explanation. \u00a0Some are rooted in the socio-political history of the country, some are rooted in\u00a0religious\u00a0tradition, and others&#8230; the ones that are often the most seemingly\u00a0nonsensical, \u00a0grew out of old wives tales.<\/p>\n<p>One that has frustrated me for years is how Italians fear the dreaded &#8216;cold in your stomach&#8217; and the\u00a0almost-as-tragic\u00a0&#8216;draft&#8217; (colpo d&#8217;aria). \u00a0It can kill you, and the causes are many.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Did he swim too soon after having eaten?<\/li>\n<li>Did he have a cold beverage on a hot day?<\/li>\n<li>Did she leave the house with wet hair?<\/li>\n<li>Did he sleep in an air conditioned room?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All of these things are sufficient for most self-respecting Italians to shrug and utter the word &#8216;Beh&#8217;\u00a0while\u00a0hearing your fate,\u00a0signaling\u00a0to all within earshot that everyone is in agreement: \u00a0Whatever happened to you, you were asking for it!<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#A_Californian_Might_Cramp_Up\" >A\u00a0Californian\u00a0Might Cramp Up<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#Sound_The_Alarm_They_Are_Swimming_At_2PM\" >Sound The Alarm! \u00a0They Are Swimming At 2PM!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#Learning_of_the_Deception\" >Learning of the Deception<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#Five_Out_of_Five_Doctors_Agree\" >Five Out of Five Doctors Agree<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#And_Then_It_Hit_Her%E2%80%A6_She_Had_Been_Living_a_Lie\" >And Then It Hit Her&#8230; She Had Been Living a Lie<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#All_of_these_people_will_surely_die\" >All of these people will surely die!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#The_Trth_Shall_Set_You_Free\" >The Trth Shall Set You Free<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#There_Are_Easier_Ways_To_Get_Killed_By_The_Cold\" >There Are Easier Ways To Get Killed By The Cold<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#Beware_of_Ice\" >Beware of Ice<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#Cover_Your_Children\" >Cover Your Children<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#Air_Conditioning_%E2%80%9CFa_Male%E2%80%9D\" >Air Conditioning &#8220;Fa Male&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#2019_Update_Air_Conditiong_No_Longer_Will_Kill_You\" >2019 Update: Air Conditiong No Longer Will Kill You!<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/man-dies-caught-cold-stomach\/#Wet_Hair_At_The_Beach_OK_Wet_Hair_At_Home_Beware\" >Wet Hair At The Beach: OK! \u00a0Wet Hair At Home: Beware!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Californian_Might_Cramp_Up\"><\/span>A\u00a0Californian\u00a0Might Cramp Up<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When I was growing up in Los Angeles, our mothers loosely passed own a twenty minute rule. \u00a0It was the amount of time we must wait before\u00a0jumping\u00a0back in the ocean or pool after having eaten lunch. \u00a0They worried that we might get a cramp, which could actually be a big deal in the cold Pacific Ocean with its strong currents. \u00a0Some of my friends had no such rule, while others had as much as a one hour rule. \u00a0Whatever it was, it was never respected, and never enforced.<\/p>\n<p>Is there any\u00a0validity\u00a0to the rule? \u00a0I really cannot say. \u00a0But I am a person who spent years of his life going to the beach practically every day. \u00a0I&#8217;ve never seen it. \u00a0Not once. \u00a0And if it is going to happen, the cold Pacific waters would be the perfect place. Keep in mind that I am not talking about someone getting pulled down in the cold current. \u00a0This is something completely different.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sound_The_Alarm_They_Are_Swimming_At_2PM\"><\/span>Sound The Alarm! \u00a0They Are Swimming At 2PM!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Italians have their own &#8216;when to swim after you eat&#8217; rule, and they take is very seriously. \u00a0The general rule is 2 1\/2 hours. \u00a0Let&#8217;s say that slowly: TWO-AND-ONE-HALF-HOURS. \u00a0Children are raised with this rule, not being told that they risk a little cramp. \u00a0No, they risk the killer of thousands. \u00a0The Cold In The\u00a0Stomach. You can get it.. and you can die! \u00a0 Mothers obey the law. \u00a0Fathers live by it, Doctors defend it, and lifeguards at the beach may actually defend you from it.<\/p>\n<p>This may not seem like such a big deal, but think about it like this: \u00a0You take your family on a vacation to the beach. The kids are excited. \u00a0Each day you wake up at 8:00 AM. \u00a0You have a bite to eat at 9AM, and head to the beach.<\/p>\n<p>The clock starts. \u00a0The kids had food, so they are trapped by the sand, looking at the water until 11:30AM. \u00a0Lunch is at 1:00PM, so you need to start heading back by 12:30PM. \u00a0You finish lunch by 2:00PM. \u00a0The clock starts again, meaning no water until 4:30 PM. \u00a0If the kids are lucky, mom and dad may give them another hour in the water. \u00a0If not, they may deem the air too cold for swimming by that time. \u00a0Fear of the cold in the stomach means that the kids only got 1 or 2 hours in the water. \u00a0But at least they are alive, right?<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Learning_of_the_Deception\"><\/span>Learning of the Deception<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>While my wife is Italian, she quickly learned of the deception she had grown up with after moving to the states. \u00a0Still, we always spent our summers in Italy. \u00a0One day at the beach, our child jumped in the water at about 2:00 PM. \u00a0Almost instantly, a lifeguard started running, as if to save her. \u00a0She cannot swim now.<\/p>\n<p>It is too soon after lunch! Don&#8217;t you know she will catch the cold her her stomach? \u00a0Paola went on to say that she hadn&#8217;t had any lunch, but it didn&#8217;t matter. \u00a0It would seem that since the collective of Italy had just eaten, she could somehow catch the cold in her stomach by proxy. \u00a0We have seen it countless times. \u00a0If we are swimming at a time that doesn&#8217;t sync up correctly with cold-free times, people look at us as though we are from Mars.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Five_Out_of_Five_Doctors_Agree\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/water1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-273\" title=\"water\" src=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/water1-300x158.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"158\" \/><\/a>Five Out of Five Doctors Agree<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I&#8217;ve spoken with Italian doctors over and over, and they talk about all the medical evidence for the 2 1\/2 hour rule. \u00a0In order to properly digest, we need X amount of time, and going into the water will cause the digestion to cease, thereby causing a &#8212; blah blah blah blah blah &#8212; you can die.<\/p>\n<p>Each and every time I look at them and ask how it is that in my country of 300 million people, more than 20,000 kilometers of beaches, and over 10 million swimming pools, we have no such rule? \u00a0Are our doctors idiots? \u00a0Are we misdiagnosing\u00a0thousands\u00a0of people? \u00a0Was that jellyfish sting I got out at Zuma Beach really a symptom of the cold in my stomach? \u00a0Invariably they look at me in disbelief. \u00a0Somehow I must be misinformed, because this is a serious condition.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"And_Then_It_Hit_Her%E2%80%A6_She_Had_Been_Living_a_Lie\"><\/span>And Then It Hit Her&#8230; She Had Been Living a Lie<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Wanna have some fun? \u00a0Take a visiting Italian to the beach, and don&#8217;t forget to bring a video camera. \u00a0Years ago we had an 18 year old girl named Catia visiting us from Italy. \u00a0One day we all went to Raging Waters, a water park just outside of Los Angeles. \u00a0We all spent the morning having a blast, and around 1:00 we had some sandwiches for lunch.<\/p>\n<p>Our toddler daughter wolfed it down, and was chomping at the bit to get back in the water. \u00a0Paola and I did the same. \u00a0As we went back toward the water, we looked back and saw Catia holding back where we had been eating. \u00a0She said she didn&#8217;t feel like going back in. \u00a0We knew what was going on, of course.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"All_of_these_people_will_surely_die\"><\/span>All of these people will surely die!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>We went on to explain that we had no such rule here, but she kept shaking her head in\u00a0disbelief. \u00a0All the doctors say it, after all. Why would they if it were untrue? \u00a0Everyone knows this! \u00a0We finally gave up and said &#8220;Look at all of those people. \u00a0By this time, all of them have had something to eat. \u00a0Do you see anyone screaming in agony? \u00a0Do you see an ambulance anywhere? \u00a0We&#8217;re going back in the water, and if you want, you can stay here with your belief.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>We proceeded to go back into the water. \u00a0After about ten minutes we saw her edging closer and closer with a look of utter confusion on her face. \u00a0You could see her looking around, noticing that people were, in fact, <em>not<\/em> dropping like flies. \u00a0Finally she got to the edge of the water, and actually dipped her toe in, then quickly pulled back. \u00a0It was as though getting the toe wet would be the ultimate test.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Trth_Shall_Set_You_Free\"><\/span>The Trth Shall Set You Free<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>She was still alive. \u00a0Then she walked in to her ankles. \u00a0<strong>Still alive.<\/strong> \u00a0Knees. \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/italy-cooking-vacations\/\">Still alive<\/a>. \u00a0Waist deep. \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/italy-cooking-vacations\/\">Still alive.<\/a> \u00a0By the time she was fully in the water, she had an expression that I&#8217;ll never forget. \u00a0She had been living a lie. \u00a0She went on to enjoy the rest of the day.<\/p>\n<p>On the way home that evening, she was in absolute shock. \u00a0How was this possible? \u00a0When she went back to Italy, she told people. Naturally, people told her she had just been lucky to have survived <em>that<\/em> time, but I&#8217;m pretty sure she was now cured.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"There_Are_Easier_Ways_To_Get_Killed_By_The_Cold\"><\/span>There Are Easier Ways To Get Killed By The Cold<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I&#8217;ve been going on about swimming, but if you want, there are far more efficient ways to off yourself.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Beware_of_Ice\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/ice.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-274\" title=\"ice\" src=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/ice-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a>Beware of Ice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>You will find while traveling in Italy, you will not get ice in your beverage, with few exceptions.<\/p>\n<p>Nowadays, the ice in your drink rule has been relaxed, but you will still see it in more remote villages. \u00a0The belief is that, especially on a hot day, ice in your beverage will cause it to get too cold.<\/p>\n<p>When the super-cooled liquid comes in contact with your warm stomach, you will have caught the cold in\u00a0your\u00a0stomach, as if you had been swimming after having eaten. \u00a0I have had people refuse to give me ice for this\u00a0reason&#8230; out of concern for me!<\/p>\n<p>What I have never been able to grasp is why the same person that would refuse me ice would happily serve me a Gelato (Ice Cream) or Granita (Essentially a Slurpee).\u00a0 In some twisted reasoning, that is somehow different?<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cover_Your_Children\"><\/span>Cover Your Children<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>In a practice that I believe borders on child abuse, you will find that many Italian mothers believe that they must always dress their children in warm clothing, even in blistering summer heat. \u00a0Go to Rome on a 95 degree day, and you will see women pushing strollers with toddlers that are dressed for winter.<\/p>\n<p>Their stomachs must be completely covered to protect them from the cold in the stomach, and the rest of their body (especially the neck) must be protected from the draft. \u00a0That same mother will then hop in the car and let her toddler roam free with no car seat, and no seat belt. \u00a0Perhaps all of the extra clothing will protect them in a crash?<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Air_Conditioning_%E2%80%9CFa_Male%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>Air Conditioning &#8220;Fa Male&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Now we are getting away from the cold in your stomach, and into the realm of the &#8216;draft&#8217;. \u00a0Air conditioning is gaining more and more popularity in Italy, but when we remodeled our house ten years ago, we were the first in our area to have it. \u00a0Growing up in Southern California, I never knew life without central air. \u00a0But when I first liven in Italy, it was prohibitively expensive.<\/p>\n<p>People used to say that they didn&#8217;t have a\/c because &#8216;fa male&#8217;, meaning it is bad for you. \u00a0Falling prices have made it popular, so it appears that they meant to say &#8216;it is bad for your wallet&#8217;. \u00a0Anyhow, Having air conditioning is one thing. \u00a0Using it&#8230; well, that is quite another thing.<\/p>\n<p>Air conditioning produces cold air. \u00a0As long as you are moving around, apparently you are fine. \u00a0But at night, when you are laying still, you have a problem. The warmer the ambient temperature without the a\/c, the worse the problem.<\/p>\n<p>The cold air will come in contact with you (<strong>pray to God it is not your stomach!<\/strong>), and you will get the \u00a0&#8216;colpo d&#8217;aria&#8217;.. the draft. \u00a0While not likely to kill you, you are certain to wake with temporary paralysis that can last days. \u00a0You will likely suffer from a bad case of Bronchitis, and life will be utterly miserable. \u00a0Is it worth it?<\/p>\n<p>Some will argue that you risk a similar fate if you turn on a fan or open the window, so take such risks a fair amount of caution ;-).\u00a0 Now try to imagine living life in the hot summer with no a\/c and closed windows! Doesn&#8217;t suffocation &#8216;fa male&#8217; ? \u00a0 In fact, you will find a very small selection of ceiling fans in Italy!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2019_Update_Air_Conditiong_No_Longer_Will_Kill_You\"><\/span>2019 Update: Air Conditiong No Longer Will Kill You!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It seems that over the years, the &#8220;Split&#8221; air conditioner brought the price way down.\u00a0 Suddenly, over the past 10 years, everyone is getting them, and somehow they are no longer going to kill us!\u00a0 The new saying is &#8220;fa male a chi non c&#8217;e&#8217; l&#8217;ha&#8221; (It is bad for whomever doesn&#8217;t have it).<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Wet_Hair_At_The_Beach_OK_Wet_Hair_At_Home_Beware\"><\/span>Wet Hair At The Beach: OK! \u00a0Wet Hair At Home: Beware!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>I used to own a motorcycle in Italy. \u00a0I would wake up in the morning, get showered, get ready, and ride into town. My hair would still be a little wet, since I have always had short hair. People would look at me as though I had been skydiving with a hefty bag as a parachute.<\/p>\n<p>That crazy American! \u00a0He&#8217;s certainly going to get himself sick or die from the draft with wet hair! \u00a0So i would ask: \u00a0What do you do when you are at the beach? \u00a0When you have been swimming, do you run somewhere to blow dry your hair? \u00a0How on earth do you survive otherwise? \u00a0The universal response: \u00a0<strong>Beh, that&#8217;s different<\/strong>. \u00a0<em>How?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Want to experience some of this?\u00a0 It is truly fun, and our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/italy-cooking-vacations\/\">immersive culinary vacations in Italy<\/a> get you up close and personal in a way that you <strong>will<\/strong> experience it!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-bottom\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;266&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;4.7&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Rate this post&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;4.7\\\/5 - (4 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Man Dies:  Caught Cold in Stomach&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;133.8&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 133.8px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            4.7\/5 - (4 votes)    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Traveling to Italy, some visitors notice various oddities about Italian culture that seem to defy explanation. \u00a0Some are rooted in the socio-political history of the country, some are rooted in\u00a0religious\u00a0tradition, and others&#8230; the ones that are often the most seemingly\u00a0nonsensical, \u00a0grew out of old wives tales. One that has frustrated me for years is how Italians fear the dreaded &#8216;cold in your stomach&#8217; and the\u00a0almost-as-tragic\u00a0&#8216;draft&#8217; (colpo d&#8217;aria). \u00a0It can kill you, and the causes are many. Did he swim too soon after having eaten? Did he have a cold beverage on a hot day? Did she leave the house with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[8,571],"class_list":["post-266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-italians","tag-traditions"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/stomach11.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}