>>No, really. I get the impression Italians are totally dedicated to
their own cuisine. You never hear of Italian fusion. <<
Sure they do, but like most ethnic cuisines, it gets "Italianized." I
live in an Italian city of 45000 souls including all the rural
community and we have 2 Chinese restaurants. BUT, this being Italy, if
you order something spicy you won't think it's spicy when it arrives.
Warning, howver, you do NOT want to eat in our Mexican restaurant.
Horrid, awful, nasty and made me sick a whole night!
I just don't think taxi drivers are typical enough to testify for a
population. While Italians overwhelmingly eat Italian and appreciate
traditional foods, they also travel and there's a very large expatriate
community and the food gets a try. I have cooked for my Italian
friends Chinese, Indian, USian, French, Thai and Mexican. The only
thing not a success was cole slaw. I do go easy on the chilis, but I
don't bland it out like many restaurants do.