Non-Italian Food

I love pasta. I love pizza.  But variety in the spice of life, and I just can’t get behind the argument that it’s possible to eat pasta every day because there are “so many kinds.”  It’s still noodles and sauce, and sometimes you want something different.

My burning desire for “not Italian” can sometimes lead me astray.  Because there is so little demand for not-Italian, there’s also very little supply, and no reason for said supply to be any good at all.

Aware of these risks, I sometimes still roll the dice and try whatever not-Italian I can get my hands on.  One such gamble did not pay off.

IN ORDER, here are three things I never want on sushi again:

  1. Sun-dried tomatoes
  2. Mayo
  3. Tabasco

11 thoughts on “Non-Italian Food

  1. Jesse says:

    Well said. When we lived in Piedmont I got desperate for non-Italian, but we had friends from Thailand, Philippines and Mexico as well as a host of good Jewish cooks from New York. I found that even finding cilantro at the market, mixed with good tomatoes and some cumin and chili, you can at least make some damn good salsa at home.

    • L'americana says:

      There must be at least one good Rome sushi restaurant, no? Acceptable if not good? You have a great blog. I tried to leave a comment there but it didn’t seem to be working 🙁

      • Mary says:

        oh no! But, thank you! I’m pretty new at this blogging thing, but I sincerely appreciate your compliment, you have no idea! I love your blog so much!

  2. renovation ragazza says:

    Is it wrong that this is one of my biggest concerns about moving to the South of Italy?! Think I can learn how to make a few simple thai and mexican dishes to placate my tastebuds, but the likelihood of me developing the patience to make sushi is pretty much nil!

    • L'americana says:

      Where there is a will, there’s a way! If you will go the distance to find it, you’ll be fine. This sushi platter is the result of not enough time or effort on my part. Just make it yourself. Previous experience with buying anything labeled ‘messicano’ has taught me at least that much.

      ALSO, those extra bag fees are there for a reason. Bring back as much as you can from the motherland!

  3. Rick says:

    I’ve found that “ethnic restaurants” are, without exception, bad in Rome. For a city that has such an amazing food culture, the Romans (and Italians in general) are surprisingly inept with other cuisines. Or more likely, they just don’t take them seriously.
    Personally, I have no problem with sticking to “just” the local food–it’s fantastic. And the regional cuisines of Italy are diverse enough to offer plenty of interesting varieties. I ate plenty of Mexican, Thai, Sushi, etc. back in the US, but frankly those cuisines no longer appeal to me. I guess I’m becoming a bit Italian in that regard–I now like my food simple and identifiable. If you mix it all together, roll it up, and pour salsa on top, then it seems like you’re trying to hide something or compensate for low quality primary ingredients.
    There are several things that I miss about the US, but food isn’t one of them.

  4. jessica venture says:

    Pretty funny. About every two months I get the same itch and have to drive 40 minutes to get some acceptable sushi, McDonalds, or Chinese food! Every time I go home to the States (Florida) I have to get as much food in as possible so that I can feel normal having a variety! I try to cook Mexican here though, the only problem is it’s not the same without sour cream around 🙁

    • L'americana says:

      Agreed! People swear you can use yogurt as a substitute, but I disagree. There is a polish store in Trastevere that sells real sour cream, though!

      I also plan my days in the US around the meals I want to eat… 🙂

  5. Pingback: Coffee Pot Trastevere: Cocktails and Sushi Tacos – An American in Rome

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.