The pleasure of eating comes with eating — appetite grows as you eat. Also: you do not know if you like something until you try it; engagement with an activity generates its own enthusiasm.
This charming Milanese proverb (a culinary variation on the French L'appétit vient en mangeant) belongs to the great food culture of Lombardy. At its most literal, it describes the well-known phenomenon that appetite increases as one eats: you think you are not hungry until the risotto arrives and suddenly you want a secondo. But the proverb extends beyond food to all activities: the child who does not want to study begins reading and finds themselves absorbed; the worker who starts a task reluctantly finds engagement in the doing. In Milan's creative industries, this wisdom is applied to creative blocks: start doing the thing, even without enthusiasm, and enthusiasm will come. The act of creation generates the appetite for more creation.
Milanese culinary proverb. The French equivalent (L'appétit vient en mangeant) is Rabelais's phrase, but the Milanese version is distinctly local and embedded in the food culture of the city.
At a Milanese Sunday lunch
— Non ho più fame. — Ma guarda questo risotto. Prendi ancora un po'. El gust del mangiar el ven mangiand.
— I am no longer hungry. — But look at this risotto. Have a little more. The pleasure of eating comes with eating.
A Milanese design teacher encouraging a blocked student
Non aspettare di avere voglia di disegnare. El gust del mangiar el ven mangiand — comincia e la voglia arriva.
Do not wait to feel like drawing. The pleasure of eating comes with eating — start and the desire will come.
A Lombard parent convincing a child to try a new food
— Non mi piace il risotto. — Prova un cucchiaio. El gust del mangiar el ven mangiand — se non ti piace, lasci.
— I do not like risotto. — Try a spoonful. The pleasure of eating comes with eating — if you do not like it, leave it.
A Milanese entrepreneur on getting started
Non aspettate il momento perfetto per aprire l'azienda. El gust del mangiar el ven mangiand — cominciare crea lo slancio.
Do not wait for the perfect moment to open the company. The pleasure of eating comes with eating — starting creates momentum.