You're all doing Italian food wrong, say Italians

[Morning Glory]

And i would definitely pass on a seafood pizza.

I think 'classically' and usually in Italy, seafood pizza is made without cheese - a tomato base with seafood on top. But, as I said, I did find some exceptions.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I actually think it´s rather sad that, in general, people consider "Italian Food" to be pizza and pasta.
The variety of antipasti is extraordinary, and the creative ways of treating vegetables has always inspired me.
My avatar is actually a version of "Carciofi alla romana" or " alla giudea:

Then there are wonderfully inventive dishes with seafood and fish. I once remember eating a sea bass covered with a light tomato, garlic and caper sauce. OMG. Or a Vitello Marsala. Or a Porchetta.
Yet all we remember are pizzas and spag bol (which is not even Italian)

 

[Morning Glory]

I actually think it´s rather sad that, in general, people consider "Italian Food" to be pizza and pasta.

I absolutely agree. Italians certainly know how to use vegetables.

 

[Rocklobster]

I do most things the Italian way except I would possibly put cheese with seafood and I'm not completely averse to pineapple on pizza (unlike everyone else here!).

I’d eat a piece if there was one in the room.

 

[PabloLerntKochen]

Tuna Pizza is one of my favourites and pizza + anchovies - cheese = french/nicoise special pissaladiere.

How italians value vegetables is indeed something we could learn from. Germany is one of the countries with the highest meat consumption per person on the world, don't know the exact numbers, but a meal without meat is called thrash in the biggest part of society.

 

[caseydog]

I actually think it´s rather sad that, in general, people consider "Italian Food" to be pizza and pasta.
The variety of antipasti is extraordinary, and the creative ways of treating vegetables has always inspired me.
My avatar is actually a version of "Carciofi alla romana" or " alla giudea:
View attachment 81240

Then there are wonderfully inventive dishes with seafood and fish. I once remember eating a sea bass covered with a light tomato, garlic and caper sauce. OMG. Or a Vitello Marsala. Or a Porchetta.
Yet all we remember are pizzas and spag bol (which is not even Italian)

Well, to much of the world, Mexican food is tacos and burritos.

CD

 

[Windigo]

Well, to much of the world, Mexican food is tacos and burritos.

CD

Lets not start about what people call Dutch food then.
The stereotypes are so great that even with proof I get laughed away anywhere if I say Dutch food has gotten pretty good since the 50's . Everyone seems to be sure it's awful, especially those who've never been here.

 

[TastyReuben]

Well, to much of the world, Mexican food is tacos and burritos.

CD

Lets not start about what people call Dutch food then.
The stereotypes are so great that even with proof I get laughed away anywhere if I say Dutch food has gotten pretty good since the 50's . Everyone seems to be sure it's awful, especially those who've never been here.

You both are so right. It doesn’t matter the culture, to someone looking in from the outside, French food is all snails and baguettes, American food is all burgers and pizza, and the poor British can’t cook at all.

I’m sure that frustrates just about everyone at some point, especially when we talk about our personal favorite cuisines with other (and I’ll be generous and say “less informed”) people.

 

[NailBat]

You both are so right. It doesn’t matter the culture, to someone looking in from the outside, French food is all snails and baguettes, American food is all burgers and pizza, and the poor British can’t cook at all.

I’m sure that frustrates just about everyone at some point, especially when we talk about our personal favorite cuisines with other (and I’ll be generous and say “less informed”) people.

There are two versions of every cuisine.

There's the version everyone knows (if that cuisine is lucky enough to be one of the small handful of cuisines that have worldwide appeal). If you go to a restaurant specializing in this cuisine that's not in the original country, this is the version you're probably getting. It's the flavors to expect when this cuisine is used as an adjective for something else (like if a restaurant offers a "Mexican" Burger).

And then there's what people actually eat in that region of the world.

Now the trouble is, the first version is simple, easy to communicate, and fairly consistent. You can walk into an "Italian Restaurant" anywhere in the world (outside Italy) and have a pretty good idea of what you're getting, even if the quality varies a lot. On the other hand, the actual food eaten in a country is complex, varies heavily by region, and always contains a swirl of trends moving in and out of fashion at any given time. There's no way you can sum up the eating habits of an entire country without losing most of the nuance.

 

[Sandtree]

Well, to much of the world, Mexican food is tacos and burritos.

Only more recently... certainly in the UK "tex-mex" like chilli-con-carne was the stereo typical image of Mexican food when I was growing up.

Its actually interesting to go to "foreign" restaurants whilst overseas and see what is effectively the local interpretation of the overseas food. In the UK your classic Chinese restaurant will without doubt serve prawn crackers with every meal, go to South America and prawn crackers aren't even on the menu in Chinese restaurants but instead they all serve a sweet bread

I think in principle we are doing better these days with more places offering a more authentic experience and acknowledging may countries are vast with varied cuisine and restaurants are now more regional than a mishmash of a vast country... that said I won't be ordering the pigs ears from our local szechuan restaurant.

 

[JAS_OH1]

I think in principle we are doing better these days with more places offering a more authentic experience and acknowledging may countries are vast with varied cuisine and restaurants are now more regional than a mishmash of a vast country... that said I won't be ordering the pigs ears from our local szechuan restaurant.

When I lived in Florida and was a massage therapist, one of my clients was this Asian lady who owned a restaurant. The town where I lived was near a large AF base (Eglin AFB) and there were women from a variety of different Asian countries (Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Thailand, etc.) who had married military men and relocated to that area. They befriended one another, even though they were culturally different in many ways. She would have "massage parties" at her house and her friends would come over, and I would set up my table and do half-hour massages for them. Afterwards they would break out the food and I was always welcome to stay. The pig ears were very chewy. Not something I would order while out dining, that's for sure.