The Italian word abbiocco is often translated as a feeling of drowsiness that comes after eating a big meal. There’s more to abbiocco than mere sleepiness, however. The feeling includes a broader sense of relaxation, with the release of anxiety that’s enabled by the devoted attention to one’s physical needs and aesthetic desires that a substantial meal involves. In addition to the redirection of blood flow to the stomach for the purpose of digestion, there’s a special permission people give themselves when they share meals with family and friends. They put their work to the side, and pay attention to what’s happening in the moment.
The appeal of abbiocco is shown by the number of restaurants outside of Italy that have adopted the term as a business name. Restaurant managers seem to struggle to integrate the relaxed mood into their practices, though. In the Garage Food Hall in Indianapolis, Abbiocco is an eatery with a “modern and upscale vibe”. In the Bahamas, the Abbiocco restaurant requires a strict dress code, mandating that men wear “long dress pants or jeans, dress Bermuda, long or short sleeve dress shirts”, with absolutely no beachwear allowed. The Abbiocco restaurant in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania seems to have a better understanding of the relaxed feeling, letting patrons know that they can bring their dogs to the restaurant to lounge under their tables during their owners’ mealtime.
