Introduction

Food is the medium in which we all can express our culture, history, traditions, ethnicity, etc. I bet everyone can call that specific meal that by smell can transport you to those unique flavors from the past, bringing back memories of what life used to be back then. For example, in my case, I recall an oatmeal cookie recipe that takes me back to my kindergarten days. My mother, sister and I used to make them for our grandparents but we somehow ended up eating most of them. Although we did not make them often, there is still something really special connected to those cookies because aside from being our delicious creation, they represented our love towards our grandparents.

In this article I will acknowledge some arguments as to why food is so meaningful. I will also create an emphasis on the way that Italian food represents the Italian culture. Although I am not Italian, I do adore Italian food, (I’m actually having some Italian white bean soup whilst talking about my love for Italian food) and through this Italian course I have learned what I think is the real meaning of food (aside from being necessary for survival).
 

How Italian (or not) do we have it here in San Diego?

In the article, Feeling Italian the Art of ethnicity in American, by Thomas J. Ferraro, it talks about disappointed Italians trying “Italian” food here in the United States. After a first bite of their Olive Garden meal, a  bitter and disappointed look on their faces wonders why, and how did a wrongly popular restaurant calls itself Italian. Most Italian restaurants in, well, actually, most restaurants claim authenticity and we often believe this claim without a doubt. But how can I for example, a non-Italian who loves Italian food possibly compare the taste of my Olive Garden pasta from the real Italian pasta?

Now don’t get me wrong, I personally like Olive Garden but until recently, I did realize that there is something missing. Comparing Olive Garden to just two restaurants located in our precious Little Italy like Filippi's Pizza Grotto and the well known Mona Lisa, it is possible to point out a major difference. Clearly, I am no expert, but I can distinguish a difference in the ambient between these shops. The actual representation of the Italian tradition is missing in Olive Garden and it also fails to represent the unity and sacredness of the Italian cuisine. The modern and not so modern Italian vibe is often more colorful and sometimes even a bit dim romantic and accommodating. My final claim is that: most Italian restaurants in San Diego are an obvious, failed, Americanized attempt to recreate Italian traditions. Although the food is not horrible in taste, Italians do not approve of it nor of its representation.

However, everyone does have a set of taste buds so I’ll leave it up to your palate to qualify what is and what is not Italian.  I encourage you to be critical and compare

P.S. This section can be compared to the representation of Mexican food in the United States as well. As a Mexican American, I am as sure as can be when I say that restaurants that claim to be Mexican in San Diego are absolutely not the same as the real deal. So I stand with you my fellow Italians! No one is able to accurately recreate our traditions better than we can!

Guidelines of How to Recognize Authenticity According to Author Davide Girardelli

In the article Commodified Identities: The Myth of Italian Food in the United States By Davide Girardelli, the Financial Times reported the progress of a certification project by the Associazione Internazionale Ristoranti d’Italia that can help you identify authentic certified Italian Restaurants.

1. The ingredients have to be Italian, although derogations will be allowed country by country;

2. at least three-quarters of the wine in the cellar has to be of guaranteed Italian origin;

3. at least one of the waiters must speak Italian and the others all have to be able to explain the dishes on the menu, both their composition and original; and

4. The chef does not need to be an Italian. However, he or she does need to have had proper training in the preparation of Italian cuisine.
    

    

   
    
   Big Night

   What essence could possibly be removed when Italians try to make the American dream through  food in the American Culture?

    

   The movie Big Night, the star of the show and center of attention is food. This movie is an utter representation of how authentic Italian gastronomy was murdered in post-war America. Authentic Italian restaurants became the shadow of the Americanized Italian restaurants. The thriving restaurants were those whose main purpose was to gain popularity and recognition even if it meant to wrongly under represent the Italian culture and cuisine by fixing their traditional food into what was more recognized and liked by Americans who knew nothing of the beauty of Italian food.

    

   Primo and Secondo are two Italian immigrant brothers who try their hardest to make the American Dream though their newly Italian restaurant. The Italian spirit and comic portrayal of characters exhibits a genuine bond between brothers who value somewhat different beliefs. Primo is an old-fashion, traditional Italian who refuses to adapt to the new culture that surrounds him in America. Secondo is willing to sacrifice his roots in order to fit and as a result become a successful restaurant owner.

    

   From the way that Primo carefully makes the food in the kitchen to the way that the food is displayed on the table, he portrays what is key to claim authenticity during this day and age. Socondo clearly is fond of his masterpieces as he acknowledges food as being sacred, closely connected to his roots, and should be venerated as if it was sent from above. On one occasion, Primo says, “To eat good good food is to be close to God” meaning the religious and spiritual bond between Italian food and God. Also, during the actual Big Night in the movie, the similitude of the dinner table to the Last Supper, visually explains the relationship of family unity and spirituality that the Italian culture represents for these brothers. The article by Davide Girardelli mentions, “Anthropologists have been among the first to emphasize the role of food not only as a primary human need but also as a social phenomenon, a strategic field in which “nature” and “culture” come Into contact.” This, Primo understood.

    

   On the other hand Secondo becomes consumed in the culturally Americanized Italian restaurant chains. This type of pollution can be clearly seen in Pascal’s Italian Grotto. Pascal is also an Italian that likes to show off. He is also a liar that will do anything to keep and attract more customers. He gives his clients what they want and recreates Italian culture in order to fit Americans. Although Secondo does not wish to alter his restaurant like Pascal has, he does find it necessary to make a change to attract customers. Meanwhile, Primo still resist.

    

   In the end, we can see how failure to achieve the American dream consumes the two brothers. During this time period, Primo and Secondo's restaurant was prone to fail because food as a form of art and representation of culture and background was not recognized. Although the brothers genuine cuisine and ambition is what we all wish for today in restaurants, sadly their ideas were revolutionary yet way ahead of their time.

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   In the article I mentioned earlier Ferraro claims that there is no better Italian food than Italian food made at home. There is a specific quote that exactly expresses what I think the meaning of food is,“Eating expressed the ideal unity of the home and defined the real hierarchy of authority within the domus--the meal became a drama of authority and resistance, the context of reconciliation and the affirmation of tradition.” This quote here represent why the problem in the movie Big Night came across. Food represents family sacredness and unity. When Secondo had the idea to fix their plates to accommodate to the Americans, we can finally understand why Primo was so heartbroken.
    

   Conclusion

   It is only when we understand to enjoy food from different cultures in the most complete and exact way possible that we can comprehend and savour the roots of what it means and represent to the specific culture. Food is a medium of communication and we must learn to appreciate each culture through it, because who knows? Maybe food will bring the world together. All it would take would be to be respectful, appreciate and share a meal to come together.

“A celebration of Italian American Culture: Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott's Big Night”

By Sarah Iammarino. John Carroll University.

“Gastronomic Miscuglio: Foodways in Italian-American” Narrative by Rose DeAngelis

“Commodified Identities: The Myth of Italian Food in the United States” By Davide Girardelli