Characters and Temperaments

Pope John Paul I reigned only for 33 days in 1978, but as Albino Luciani, he became known for his love of the church, people and also history. He wrote a book called Illustrissimi, which means ‘Illustrious People,’ a collection of letters he wrote to fictional characters. In one of the letters, he is writing to Hippocrates, the father of Medicine, and in one section, he is describing different characters of different nationalities. I share with you this hilarious situation, which I’m sure is very real.

Well, the best place to discover people’s temperaments and characters is in a cheap restaurant. Or, to be exact, in a cheap restaurant where a thirsty man who has ordered a glass of beer has it brought to him with a big fly struggling in it. Is the customer an Englishman? Phlegmatically he places it on the table, calmly rings the bell and orders “Another glass of beer, cool and clean, please.” Having drunk it, he pays and goes out, neither moved nor upset. If anyone is upset, it is the waiter, not because of the fly, but because of the tip he didn’t get.

Is the glass of beer served to a Frenchman? He sees the fly and goes berserk. He slams down the glass, swears and shouts at the owner and the waiters, goes out slamming the door, and in the street carries on ranting and ranting against the beer, the fly and the restaurant.

An Italian comes in, looks at the fly, and smilingly flicks his middle finger at it to chase it off the surface of the beer. He jokes with the waiter: “Look, I asked you for a drink, and you’ve brought me something to eat,” but he drinks it all the same, and leaves, forgetting to pay the bill.

Now it’s the turn of the German: he sees the fly, keeps the glass raised to the height of his nose and frowns, shuts his eyes, puts back his head a little, and being highly disciplined, sends both beer and fly in a single gulp.

A Dane comes in. He is much amused to see the fly in the foam of the beer and takes out his glasses. So wholly taken up is he with the sight of the fly, that he would forget to drink if the waiter, having noticed the fly, didn’t change the first glass of beer with a second, with effusive apologies.

Last of all is the Eskimo. He’s never seen a fly and thinks that the one before him is a favorite local dish, a specialty. So he eats the fly and the throws the beer away!