Simon Kraemer, Germany
I relocated from Bremen to Rome four years ago. I always thought that Italian cuisine was one of the best cuisines in the world, but if I have to think of one thing that shocked me, I would say that it's the closed-mindedness of Italians concerning certain things. I remember one night when I was eating a pizza in a restaurant. I ordered a normal Margherita pizza and an orange juice to go with it. Not only did the waiter ask me, "An orange juice?", but some boys seated at the table across from me started laughing while I was drinking it.It was the only time in my life that I didn't leave a tip in a restaurant. I mean, what's the problem if I drink a fruit juice while I eat a pizza? It's still better than bolting down a Tennent's with a pizza, right? Oh, sorry—I'm referring to one of the guys from the other table."I ordered a normal Margherita pizza and an orange juice to go with it… and some boys seated at the table across from me started laughing."
Lesley Jones, English
I've lived a good part of my life in Italy. I love this country and I must say that, nowadays, I feel at home here. But if there's one thing that still doesn't make me feel [comfortable] here, it's the concept of the aperitif. What the hell is an aperitif, anyway? A country that boasts the best cuisine in the world ruins their stomachs with sugary drinks and all-you-can-eat second-rate food as an aperitif? I always found this idea extremely ridiculous. Not only do I think that the food that's offered is extremely second-rate, but I also think that things like spritzers are bad for you."A country that boasts the best cuisine in the world ruins their stomachs with sugary drinks and all-you-can-eat second-rate food as an aperitif."
Gabrielle Courtonne, French
I am sort of an atypical French woman because my maternal grandparents are Italian. My grandmother—even though she had a French touch—always cooked Italian plates. Like lasagna: My grandmother's lasagna remains the best lasagna that I've ever eaten. And that's because she added Gruyere cheese: No other cheese, only grated Gruyere purchased in two-kilo packets. And every time that I find myself in the Esselunga cheese department, I ask myself why there aren't any damn packets of grated Gruyere.But there is one thing that I'm 100 percent French about: Bread and croissants. Why do Italians have to call it "brioche"? Do you know what brioche is in French? Don't tell me that Tuscan, Pugliese, and Sicilian bread is good. It has nothing on French bread. And the "brioche," always stuffed with a thousand chemical things that make you want to vomit when it's only breakfast time—why? It's lunacy! And let's talk about the pastries and cookies, always filled with cream or lemon flavor that makes it feel like you're eating a sponge cooked with lemon-flavored dish detergent."Don't tell me that Tuscan, Pugliese, and Sicilian bread is good. It has nothing on French bread."
Matt Rutherford, American
Ok, it's a cliché: But what's the harm if I want to drink a macchiato after dinner? It's something that I've always done, and it's happened to me many times that I'd find waiters or baristas who turned up their noses. I've personally always thought that it was better to drink it on a full stomach than in the morning on an empty stomach."Two years ago, I was in Berlin with colleagues from the Italian university and they all always sought out Italian places to eat."
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Demy Minten, Dutch
Italian cuisine is one of the reasons why my parents relocated to Italy, and I can't say anything bad about it. I started to eat in a much healthier way since I've been living here. I've only had one unpleasant experience: One of my friends came to visit and we went to a restaurant. She ordered a pizza with bananas, and the waiter refused to have it made."One of my friends ordered a pizza with bananas, and the waiter refused to have it made."
Samantha Almeida, Indian
My first direct experience with Italian food was in October 2007. I ate a Margherita pizza and I almost wept with joy. I've always been a victim of junk food outside of Italy: I love huge, greasy, fatty pizzas, where the crust looks like a bubble of swollen herpes. Italian pizza is absolutely one of the best things in the world."In Italy, I ate my first thing baked in an oven."
Ayan Luk, Chinese
I run a small Chinese restaurant here in Italy. I mostly sell noodles and I almost only cook things on my own. On the part of the Italians, I've noticed a particular fixation with meat. A lot of clients ask me about the source of my meat. They do it a lot, and I don't know why. Sometimes I feel like they think I buy the meat directly from some boat that docks in an Italian port after having spent weeks in the ocean, which obviously isn't the case. Another thing that I don't understand is the Italian fixation on all-you-can-eat: The sushi in these places is so cheap because most of the time, it's second-rate sushi. As for Italian food, I have to admit that I eat it very rarely, but I absolutely love spaghetti with clams.Illustrations by Loris Dogana. Follow Leon Benz on Twitter."A lot of clients ask me about the source of my meat. They do it a lot, and I don't know why."