"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 16 Aug 2009 08:27:33 +0200, "Giusi" >
> wrote:
>
>>If you are going to get that picky, then you have cure Americans of saying
>>they want one panini, because that's plural.
>
> Don't eat them and don't care. IMO, if you guys are going to export
> those ideas to America, you'd better send it with a translator.
>
>>And it also isn't necessarily grilled and it never is stuffed to the
>>gills.
>
> I have absolutely zero experience with the concept and am not
> expecting to have any either.
>

It is really a marketing concept.

I'm not an expert in the language, but AFAIK, panini is the word that
translates to "sandwiches". In Italy, it is common to grill a sandwich.
Some of the best sandwiches I've had were in the Auto Grille on the
Autostrade.This is sort of like the Howard Johnson's of Italy. Better,
actually, you can buy whole salami, cheese, olive oils, and other tourist
stuff there.

For decades, I've been eating the occasional grilled sandwich made with a
combo waffle iron and flip the inserts to make a flat grill. An
enterprising appliance manufacturer ma a similar single purpose grill with
the raised bars instead of flat, gave it an Italian name and made millions.
You don't need a special appliance to make panini Give it a couple of
years and across America the Panini grill will be in the yard sale right
next to the George Forman grill.