Food is an incredibly important part of Italian culture. When many people think of Italy, they initially think of pizza and pasta. But there is much more to it. One notable difference between Italian food culture vs. America’s is the rules. There seems to be a right or wrong way to eat or drink just about anything.
Some of these are rules that we learned in our Food and Culture class, in an article written by Ann Reavis, and others are rules that I have learned through experience. For the sake of my own entertainment and interest of the few people who actually read this blog, I listed them below:
- You have to pay for the water you order at restaurants, and sometimes the bathroom
- Tipping is optional
- This has been such a hard adjustment. In America, tipping is essential to the money anyone makes in the food industry. Whereas here, the tip is always included in the “service fee” attached to your bill.
- Meals are usually able to be brought home or “to go”
- My mom and I learned this very quickly when we asked for a to-go box for our pizza and the waitress simply said “no” and took our pizzas away.
- Rules of the Menu:
- In no other country in the world is there a consistent offering: antipasti (appetizers), primi (pasta, risotto and soups), secondi (main meat and vegetarian dishes), contorni (side dishes of vegetables, beans, simple salads and potatoes), and dolce (desserts)
- Italians rarely order one from each
- Primo is served before main dish
- If you only want a small portion of pasta ask for una mezza porzione
- Take twice as much time to enjoy eating a meal, as it took to cook
- All-you-can-eat buffets are not Italian
- A waiter will never tell you that he needs your table
- The check will never be placed on your table until you ask for it (unless it is after midnight)
- It will take at least 15 to 30 minutes to get your bill once you ask for it
- “A tavola non s’invecchia” (at the table you do not age)
- Pizza!
- No pizza for lunch
- Pizza must be made to order (no frozen pizza)
- Pizza must be eaten immediately after it comes out of the pizza oven (no take out)
- Pizza must be made by an expert who is using a word burning pizza oven
- One pizza per person
- Eat pizza with a fork and knife
- Drink beer or aqua frizzante with pizza
- Do not ask to take leftover pizza home
- Do not ask for grated Parmesan for your pizza
- In Italian, pepperoni is bell peppe
- For spicy salami, ask for samame pizzanle or diavalo
- Hot chili pepper (peperoncino) in oil or as dry flakes is the only acceptable condiment for pizza
- It is sad to eat pizza alone
- Don’t put ice cubes in beverages
- With meals drink water or wine, nothing else
- It is bad luck to toast each other at the table with anything but wine
- No butter for the bread
- Pasta!
- Spaghetti is not served with meatballs
- Alfredo is a man’s name, not a pasta sauce
- Ask with a sauce containing panna (cream)
- Bolognese is a descriptive term – ask for ragù alla Bolognese for the rich meat sauce
- You must pair the correct shape of pasta with the correct sauce – long pasta (spaghetti, tagliatelle) with tomato and smooth sauces and short pasta (penne, rigatoni) with chunky sauces
- Do not over sauce the pasta
- Pasta salads are not made with fresh or long pasta, nor with mayo
- Do not cut your spaghetti- twirl it on a fork against the edge of the bowl, unless you are less than 10 years old
- Do not eat bread with pasta
- Do not eat cheese with fish
- Orange juice is too acidic to drink in the morning
- Bacon is becon in Italy and is not seen at breakfast, but may be in spaghetti alla carbonara
- Pancakes and waffles are loved by Italians but are not Italian
- Italians don’t understand the concept of “breakfast for dinner”
- Bistecca alla Fiorentina (beefsteak Florentine style) must be served rare
- Don’t use bottled Italian salad dressing
- Add olive oil, red wine vinegar, or lemon juice, a generous sprinkle of salt, and a bit of fresh ground black pepper
- Don’t dip biscotti in coffee
- Don’t eat while walking
- Don’t touch the fruits and vegetables at grocery stores with your bar hands
- You must weigh your own produce
This may sound like a joke or rules that an abnormally strict parent would enforce, but the funny thing is that these rules are fully implemented and practiced daily in Italy. Whereas in America, you could sit at a coffee shop eating pizza alone at 10:00am, and everyone would just assume you had a great night last night.
sent with emphasis 