I was watching Food Network. There was Guy visiting a restaurant where the owner was proposing the Italian recipes of his Italian granma.

When I saw what this man was cooking, I really turned pale: chicken parmigiana (which isn’t an Italian dish at all) with – listen to that – tagliatelle with tomato sauce as a side dish.

If his granny was Italian, she wouldn’t have cooked this dish! Maybe she moved to the US when she was 2 years old! A real Italian granny would risk an heartache if she saw this recipe.

Pasta as a side dish??? NOOOOOOOOOOO! (remember: https://www.mylittleitaly.it/2018/09/19/commonplace-pasta-as-a-side-dish/ )

Chicken parmigiana? An American dish!!! I like it, but it’s AMERICAN!!!!! AMERICAN!

Come on! Don’t call Italian what’s not!

What’s wrong in admitting it’s an American recipe? It’s a respectable American traditional food, but a food that – if defined Italian – makes an Italian go mad!!!!

Why do you think that if somebody in your family has an Italian surname, he can cook authentic Italian cuisine?

I have friends with roots in Argentina who don’t know necessarily how to do empanadas. My friend with a German surname doesn’t brew lager beer! The locution “nomen omen” is not always valid.

I hope the concept I want to explain is clear… Don’t make Italian grannies cry!

Note: Obviously my posts haven’t any intention of offending anybody or of criticizing the goodness, quality and tastes of any dish or recipe. What I write is just a personal consideration concerning the adherence of the recipe to the Italian ones, considering local habits, usages and traditions. The mood of the blog can be ironic and sometimes sarcastic, but with no aim of disappointing anybody. If somebody feels offended or struck by my words, please don’t. Moreover feel free to write me and explain your point of view (public channels like this blog are best welcome). It would be a pleasure for me. My intention is a constructive and sincere exchange of opinions.

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