When you are in a shop in Asia, it’s not unusual to see objects such as the Maneki Neko or a little Budai statue near the register – these are objects which are believed to bring fortune and luck.
Growing up in Singapore, I tend to see small coins glued to calculators, which I think is done in the hopes that the owner’s money will multiply.
I’ve always assumed that these are the sort of thing which is distinctively Asian, till I stepped into a pizzeria in Magliana. There was a little figurine with multiple Euro coins next to her, placed right next to the cash register.
I didn’t know that Italians had this belief too. The fact that it had European coins could mean that it came from other parts of Euro. But it’s the first time that I’m seeing anything like this in a shop in Italy.
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