Fines for those who blaspheme. In Veneto the idea of a Sardinian bartender: «It works and customers appreciate it»
The "educational" initiative of Daniele Muledda, originally from Oniferi, owner of a place in Castello di Godego where you play cards and sometimes transcend
Daniele Muiedda and his wife Michela with the "vase of fines" (Photo courtesy of L'Unione Sarda.it)
The bar customers let out a few too many curses . So, here's the ploy to call them to order: make those who just can't hold their tongue pay a symbolic fine .
The idea comes from Daniele Muledda , a 53-year-old Sardinian (originally from Oniferi and resident for years in Sant'Antioco), who since 1997 has managed the "Bar Sport" in Castello di Godego, in the province of Treviso, with his wife Michela.
It is he who explains to L'UnioneSarda.it how the initiative was born: «A nearby bar recently closed, a place where they played cards and where the patrons used to exaggerate with swearing and swearing, as indeed it happens almost everywhere. Customers and players then started to frequent our bar and, seeing that too often we transcended ourselves with words, my daughter Camilla thought: "Why don't we impose a fine?"".
No sooner said than done. And so for some time now a glass vase has appeared on the counter of Daniele's bar ("Where we also broadcast Cagliari's matches and this year we hope for the best"), where those who "go astray" after a teammate's bad play or to let off steam against bad luck he is invited to pay the fine: one euro for small curses, two for the heaviest ones, 5 euros for particularly heavy and blasphemous ones.
Protests? «Actually, no. On the contrary: the system was welcomed in a positive way, with a smile, because it is a fun way to invite everyone to behave more respectfully."
Not only have things improved, Daniele underlines, «but even those who don't usually swear have started to put coins in the "fines jar", just out of solidarity with our initiative».
As for the money raised with this original decoration operation , the money collected could be confiscated as tips or it will be possible to consider giving it to charity. «Even though my daughter – continues Muledda – jokingly says: “If it continues like this, next year we will have free holidays. Obviously in "our" Sardinia ."
