On 25 Feb 2006 07:40:37 -0800, stitcher wrote:

> A friend who lives in Italy explained to me that when most Italians go
> out to eat, they
> are looking for mostly the same kind of food they might make at home,
> perhaps more "refined" in ingredients, but basically familiar foods.
> They might go out for Chinese food once a year or so just for a lark,
> but do not think, as we often do, "what shall we eat tonight, Thai,
> Mexican, Japanese, French, Italian?" That being said, Italian food is
> much more varied that most Americans know. The cuisine of the north,
> for instance, uses butter, not ollive oil, with a definite French
> influence, to the northeast, it's German-influenced, not the
> tomato-based Sicilian cuisine found in most American Italian
> restaurants. I would say that your impression of dedication to their
> own cuisine is fairly accurate, but their own cuisine will vary from
> one region of Italy to another.

So, are they stuck with the cooking of their own region or do Italians
decide if they want to go out for Tuscan, Sicilian or Venezian?
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.