I recently visited family in another city and dined at an Italian restaurant. Now, I’ve been to Italy; twice. I know a bit about Italian food, the focus on and pride in local ingredients, the communal spirit that embraces family and/or friends who share a meal, and how unbelievably fresh and healthy the food can be.
But any hope I had that this restaurant might follow the true tradition of Italian food was lost when I read this description of one particular dish on their menu, “Sausage, meatballs, pepper and mushrooms in a rich marinara over penne pasta and baked with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. You eat it all and receive a Free _____ Tee Shirt!” Seriously?! Come on, there isn’t a restaurant in the entire country of Italy that would offer someone a free tee shirt in exchange for hedonistic gluttony.
I’ve intentionally removed the restaurant’s name, as my goal is not to bash the place. But even if it were, I somehow doubt it would matter much; the place was packed with diners who appeared completely nonplussed at the sheer volume of food they gleefully gobbled off groaning plates.
Here’s the crazy part. One of the diners in my party (yes, a family member for heaven’s sake) ordered that exact dish. In their defense (this person shall remain nameless), the “orderer” was not expecting what showed up and they most certainly didn’t come anywhere close to “eating it all”.
Now, considering my profession, some people who dine at the same table as me get a little “confessional” about their meal choices. I always remind them that I’m not the food police, and please, how fun is it for me to be labeled that unfairly?? Well, the same held true in this situation. Really, what would I even say?
But I did take a photo – and warned my fellow diner that they’d never know where the pic might show up! And here it is, albeit a little blurry, for your viewing pleasure.
Afterward, what remained was packed up and taken home to serve as a meal for two the following evening. And even after THAT there was enough left that it could be packed into a freezer container for later – yikes! Thoughts?