Blog #10

Something that I have noticed over and over again while I have been ordering food and eating in Italy it that Italian food does not have a lot of spices. Other than the penne al’ arrabbiata, one of my favorite Italian dishes, every other Italian dish that I have ordered has been pretty mild. This was pretty disappointing for me being that some of my favorite types of food are Indian and Thai food because I love heat. Upon doing some research I found out that Calabria is known for its Calabrian peppers which are very spicy. So while certain parts of Italy like their spices, Italian cuisine as a whole is generally mild.

This week’s reading was about Italian food in America. It was really interesting to learn that Italian food was not immediately as popular in the United States as it is today. When we think of American food, spaghetti and meatballs and pizza are up at the top of the list. It was also interesting to learn how the Italian attitude towards food and using minimal meat was commended during the war. Italians were able to make any food such as cabbage go a long way and taste good. It was almost humorous to read that Americans thought that they needed to teach Italians how to cook in the more frugal American way because Italians did not know how to shop correctly and cook nutritiously but in the end, it turned out it was the Italians who were cooking in the way that was needed to survive the wartime.

I especially enjoyed this reading because I am from an Italian American family and while I grew up in California, every time I go back to Illinois, I am surrounded by over 30 Sicilians cooking enough Americanized Italian food to feed an army. The reading said that Italians tend to only shop in Italian grocery stores and that is 100% true for my older relatives. I have a million memories of going with my Grandpa to the Italian market on a Sunday and helping him shop for Sunday night dinner. And when we get to the market everyone is speaking only in Italian.