Reply to Obsession of Italians to keep "Italian" food authentic

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]American citizen (albeit child of immigrants who never "Americanized") married to an Italian. In order to meet the language requirement to gain Italian citizenship, I began watching Italian cooking shows and reading Italian recipes, which came with anecdotes and history of certain dishes. Eating is a way of life and every dish is about the process and creation. The pride you speak of comes from hundreds of years of preservation and tradition. Once you spend 4 plus hours making a meal, you feel a certain pride and attachment. It is a country where waiters will tell you what you can and cannot have because it breaks cuisine rules. Regional protectionism is strong because it certifies that the products you are buying (prosciutto di parma, parmigiano-reggiano, balsamic di modena) are of a certain quality. The EU/EEA have stricter food laws in general. For example, bleached flour is banned in the EU/EEA because it is carcinogenic yet it is sold in bulk quantities in the U.S.  Ask any European what they think about American bread and you are in for a treat. Also, there's a reason why Italians can eat delicious things and remain one of the healthiest populations (gasp significantly healthier than Americans) among developed countries.

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But, every culture/country has what you described. I cook the same way my grandma cooked. She was born in 1910. I really do. I don't have my own pigs and chickens though nor my own garden, so I do the best that I can. I enjoy Italian food a ton. Yes, in Rome, Italian waitress told me not to eat prosciutto for lunch, instead to take veggies, she was right and it was delicious.
Eating is a way of life in many places. I think the U.S. is going back to trying to eat more healthily and back to basics. That is at least the sense I am getting. Isn't eating a way of life in the U.S? [/quote]

You are correct that every culture/country has in theory what you describe, but I would argue that it has fallen out of fashion in the U.S. for at least a subset of the population. Now you see the rise of processed "quick and easy" foods and fast foods. Partially this is due to the rise of the two-income family. As an Italian, I have respect for other cuisines and dishes, but not when filled with antibiotics and processed ingredients. [/quote]
No doubt you are right. I just came back from Senior Day at college for DS and instead of ordering something, I am waiting to eat and I am roasting my own chicken. I eat a similar diet to Med. I am from former Yugoslavia. I know, people will say Balkan people eat mostly meat. That might be true now, but I grew up eating veggies. Non stop veggies with a little bit of meat. My mom back home cooks that way, my cousins back there cook that way. Meal is peas with a tiny bit of meat in for flavor. Or beans with a bit of meat.
Sadly, there too, I don't' see my nieces and nephews cooking like we do. Ordering and fast food non stop. And so much more meat. It is obscene how much more meat people are eating today than let say in 1980s!
So perhaps some Italian "militancy" about their food is for a goof reason.[/quote]

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