ale.penazzi

It is a main dish for the 99,999% of italians... And pasta is an italian dish...

It's like saying that sushi should never be made with fish...

kipper

LOL, I agree there.

New personal food rule--never let Mr. Kipper touch a french press for coffee.

nkedel

I thought Italian meals (at least of the fancy restaurant kind) were potentially both a primi and a secondi, of which pasta would generally qualify as the primi?

Not quite the same as a US meal where there is one entree/main dish and sides, but two proper and separate courses.

ale.penazzi

Indeed, but only a few people have both primo and secondo during a normal meal. It happens when you go out at restaurant, as you said, but a normal meal is either pasta or a secondo and maybe a salad or something to begin or end the meal..

China Clipper

Thanks to this thread (and I've only read a few dozen posts!) I've resolved never, never to go into the restaurant business. It must be very profitable, else why put up with all the, uh, rules?

deniah

1. wont eat a caesar without anchovies
2. if theres mushroom or calamari appetizers, im likely ordering it
3. pepper EVERYTHING
4. never, ever, ever, ever order chicken. the least noble meat.
5. tilapia is not a 'real' fish.
6. i lean towards for the different dish (livers, goat, etc)
7. i rarely get pork. not consciously. just because theres few attractive pork dishes offered
8. unless at a nice steakhouse, steak is ordered rare because invariably it gets overcooked

WC_EEND

- No other chocolate than Belgian (exception: the ones LX gives out)
- Steak should still be red on the inside
- No fries outside of Belgium unless in dire emergencies
- Fries should be eaten with mayonaise and/or ketchup
- Only grain mustard or ground mustard from Tierenteyn is allowed
- I try to get some of the local cuisine while away from home
- Never McDonalds, the rest follows #3
- Overcooked fish gets politely declined

marlee1421

WOW! Can't believe I have mostly the same thoughts. Only disagree with never ordering chicken. Many Italian and French chicken dishes are definitely worth ordering.

Re: #6, I almost always order things on the menu others would deem as unusual (since I probably might not have the opportunity to try them otherwise). For example rattlesnake, alligator, elk, moose, etc. Have found some great things this way and on occasion been "burned"

ninerfan

I agree 100%

emma69

On the 'unusual' ones, unless the restaurant is an 'exotic foods' place where people specifically go to try such things, I would wonder about how fresh 'unusual' items were - boring as it is, presumably a restaurant gets through a lot of e.g. chicken breast, so chances are it is going to be pretty fresh. Someone ordering 'sauteed calf liver', in a US restaurant (different offal rules apply elsewhere!) on the other hand, I wonder how often it is served and whether it has 'lurked' about the fridge for a few days.

nkedel

Yeah, it's always best to order the specialty of the house, as you know they'll go through it quickly so it'll be fresh, and at a good place, it'll also be what gets the most purchasing attention, so the quality is probably the highest to begin with.

e.g. ordering fish at a steak place, or steak at a fish place, probably not the best idea.

marlee1421

I usually order unusual items if they are listed as one of the special entrees, they are regional dishes or the restaurant advertises that particular item. Have tried some great things that I would have otherwise have missed out on (elk, moose, bulls testicles, turducken, etc) and been burned a few times (rattlesnake, eel, alligator and others). Just my taste preferences.

slawecki

i have only eaten in the northern half of italy, and in restaurants. if there is a pasta dish(a few exceptions) it is the prima piatti, not the main course. the name pasta is i think italian(did not research it) but:Chinese-style noodles have also entered the cuisines of neighboring East Asian countries such as Korea and Japan (jajangmyeon and ramen, for example, are both of Chinese origin), as well as Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia......and Noodles, often made from wheat dough, became a prominent staple of food during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE).

in venice, milan, bologna, restaurants, pasta is not that popular.pasta is very popular in us "red spagtetti mills" as most of the population came from the south of italy, where i gather pasta is very popular.

ale.penazzi

Actually pasta is popular throughout all Italy. There are even many kind of pasta that were invented and much more popular in the north than in the south, think about lasagne, tortellini, risotto, sauces including gorgonzola, saffron, etc etc etc... They all come from the north.

Primi piatti are one of the two main courses of your meal. The majority of italians usually eat either a "primo" or a "secondo", and every restaurant in Italy have some pasta dish, unless it is a pizzeria or a specialty restaurant.
There is no "main" course in our menus. If you're angry you may get both a primo and a second otherwise you choose..

PS Noodles are totally different from spaghetti, which is only one of many kind of pasta. Pasta can only be made with durum wheat flour while noodles are made from a variety of dough for example..
Both noodles and pasta were in use thousands of years ago. There are Etruscans paintings from 4th century BC showing ladies making pasta at their home for example, and noodles traces in china from the 8th century BC..

JBa

Now I know why Italians eat so much. They're always angry.
Just kidding.

Before my doctor made the food rules for me, I always enjoyed eating local cuisine in foreign countries.
Now I have to select whatever is healthy, has low sodium, low in carbs and stay away from sugary items.