I have a group of several Italian friends here, so while they’re busy fattening me up with weekly homemade meals of gnocchi, lasagna, pasta carbonara, polenta and tiramasu, I’ve learned a few do’s and don’ts of Italian cooking.
Do:
Measure out your pasta. About 60-70 grams per person. Valeria’s jaw dropped when I say we normally just eyeball it and dump some pasta into a pot. “But how do you make the right amount? What if you make too much? Every person should eat one correct serving!” Apparently leftovers are a huge no-no, as is eating three helpings of pasta because it’s just there, waiting uneaten in front of you. . . . As Laura so kindly put it, “Maybe that is why you Americans are obese. You’re not measuring your pasta.” (It probably also has to do with our hamburgers and transfats, but a couple grams more of pasta can’t help either.)
Don’t:
Have leftover pasta. There is nothing more sacrilege than microwaving pasta. Oh wait, except eating cold pasta out of the fridge! I admitted that one of my favorite foods was plain, cold pasta—that in fact, sometimes I make pasta and immediately refrigerate it, so I can eat it cold an hour later. Jaws to the floor. Almost kicked out of the dinner party.
Do:
Have pasta at least once a day. I mistakenly asked if they ever got sick of eating pasta. Their response: “Do you get sick of breathing? Do you get sick of sunshine?”
Don’t:
Eat cold pizza. In a similar vain as the pasta, my American friend Katie and I said we love cold pizza, and eat it for breakfast when there are leftovers. So common in America! Such a sin in Italy. Plus, why are there leftovers in the first place? See “Don’t” #1.
Do:
Buy your bread by weight. They’re very into their metric system, these Italians. Laura’s mom buys a kilo of fresh bread every day. A year ago she went on a diet and tried to cut back on the bread, but the dad’s response was, “What is this, the Great Depression?” So the kilo of bread returned.
Don’t:
Eat all that kilo of bread at once. You’re already eating pasta, for Chrissake! Bread should really only be used to mop up that meaty bolognese sauce or that incredible fresh basil pesto. I need to better internalize this guideline.
Do:
Have espresso after a meal. We finished dinner at midnight the other night, and Luca put on the coffee pot. There were no plans to go out and party, nothing that required caffeinated energy. Nothing except tradition, that is.
Don’t:
Try to talk to a Napolese girl while she’s watching a Naples soccer match. This doesn’t directly relate to food, but it does explain our fluctuating mealtimes (was it a quick win? was there overtime?) and whether or not Valeria is smiling or sulking when measuring out our pasta.
Do:
Live food, breath food, revolve around food. Food=life and love and friendship and family. But hit the gym once in a while.
Celebrating Valeria’s birthday with a lasagna I could NOT stop eating.
Have any more to add to the list? Or any (seemingly) strange cooking customs from other cultures you’ve experienced?
About The Author
Jenny
Jenny Marshall studied Language, Culture, and Society at the University of California Santa Barbara, and now teaches English in Spain. Here she writes about the intersection of language and culture, and lives a life translated by travel.
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