To understand the knife culture in Sardinia, you must first understand the people. You recognize a Sardinian, a Sardinian friend. Because when he decides to light a cigarette, he first offers it to you. And its nice of you to accept. A Sardinian has a circle of trust quite restricted, but very strong. For a Sardinian, if you are a friend of my friend, then if you are my friend and if you need me I’m here. A Sardinian, if your plane leaves at any hour of the night, will accompany you to the airport and then go home to sleep. For a Sardinian, if you are in his house, you are a guest. He will never let you pay even for a coffee. His home, his family, will be open to you.
A Sardinian will want to share a bottle with you, possibly of cannonau or of frozen vermentino, sometimes proprietary. You never refuse the nightcap. Often a Sardinian friend will love the sea like you but drinking that bottle will take you to a stazzu inside. And even inside, a Sardinian will feel the mistral before you. It may happen that you interject sentences that will be incomprehensible to you because Sardinian is a language, not a dialect. Every now and then he will translate them for you, or he will translate the part he wants you to understand.
For a Sardinian there is a code of conduct, made up of rules….. Precise, always the same. Sometimes indecipherable to us.
Also there is a code of rudeness and offenses. Indeed, a Sardinian thinks that friendship is sacred, like hospitality. And the day you disappoint him, unfortunately he wont have many words for you!
