USA VS. ITALY | 5 DIFFERENCES ABOUT FOOD

USA VS. ITALY | 5 DIFFERENCES ABOUT FOOD

The five main differences I as Italian noticed in the US on how food is perceived, its role in everyday life, its role in the society, how it's traded and how it's consumed.

1) Time and effort spent on food 11:33
2) Price of fruit and vegetables 8:03
3) Cooking 5:48
4) Role of the meal in everyday life 3:16
5) Processed food 1:19

Watch now my vlogs on my trip in the US!

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[jeromemckenna]

Older generations in the US did spend time cooking. My family did gather for our evening meal every day while my father was alive. My mother prepared complete meals and insisted on a salad ever day. One problem for many Americans is that work schedules keep people apart. I spent much of 4 years away from my wife. One of my brothers has a wife who traveled a lot in her job so they often didn't see each other except on weekends. We have a culture that disregards family life.

[giuxc]

Bel video! La questione è molto semplice: la cosa che unisce gli italiani è il cibo. Non mi riferisco al "tipo" di cibo, quello ha una valenza assolutamente locale perché è molto diverso da regione a regione, da località a località. Intendo L'ATTEGGIAMENTO verso il cibo. In qualunque zona d'Italia, da Merano a Cefalù, il cibo è una cosa importante, una cosa seria. Gli italiani, di qualunque zona sìano, affrontano l'argomento "cibo" come un argomento importante, da approfondire e difendere, mai da banalizzare. Questo, secondo me, unisce gli italiani molto più della lingua, della storia o della propaganda politica.

[loristurelli]

Io e la mia ragazza facciamo questa cosa che anche i nostri amici italiani trovano strana. Abbiamo un menu settimanale. Quindi ogni sera prima della spesa ci sediamo al tavolo e scriviamo su una lavagna cosa mangeremo la settimana seguente. Questo rende la spesa più economica e riduce gli sprechi. Quindi si, dedichiamo molto tempo al cibo.

My girlfriend and I do this thing that even our italian friends finds odd. We have a week menu.
So every evening of the day before going to the supermarket we sit at the table and write on a blackboard all of the meals that we are going to eat the next week.
This makes the food shopping cheaper and we produce much less food waste.
So yeah, we dedicate plenty of time about food.

[tesslapointe]

As an American growing up with Italian grandparents everything you are saying is true. As an adult people enjoy coming to our home because gatherings are centered around the table, food and conversation. A much better way if life!

[freddyRos]

Da Italiano. Ti dico che hai ragione. Io cucino in casa. La mia compagna con cui convivo, ci tiene a prepararmi sempre da mangiare quando torno dal lavoro, ma alle volte devo andare a fare la spesa per ingegnarmi poi a preparare qualcosa da mangiare e vedere la mia compagna felice per avergli preparato dei buoni piatti. Credo che tutto ciò metta di buon umore noi Italiani, poiché siamo un popolo sociale con i suoi pregi e difetti. A tavola..in genere mentre si mangia, si coglie l'occasione di parlare dei fatti della giornata, dei parenti di politica di calcio ..insomma di un po di gossip..ma hai ragione che il tutto, tra mangiare e chiacchiera, può durare dalla mezzora, sino ad anche un ora ma non di più nei giorni lavorativi. dopodiché si ritorna al lavoro oppure ognuno fa le proprie faccende. La Domenica ci ritroviamo tutti insieme dai nostri genitori e passiamo quasi sempre la giornata assieme dopo pranzo, quindi tra tutto può passare anche oltre le due ore, tra un dolce fatto in casa, amari e caffè. Possiamo permetterci questo poiché difficilmente tra parenti ci si sposta non più di 100 Klm dal luogo di nascita. ..cercando di trovare lavoro il più vicino possibile. Io poi appassionato di Medioevo vado anche a ricercarmi le specialità culinarie regionali storiche..e provo a prepararle. Ad esempio la piadina ha origini antichissime..e se ci fai caso si trova in tutto il bacino del Mediterraneo, con nomi diversi e qualche differenza. Credo perché abbia origini nell'antica Roma. Quindi troverai Delle specie di piadine nei paesi Arabi che usano mangiare con il kebab, troverai la Pita in Grecia che si usa mangiare nei loro piatti unici, In Spagna ma sopratutto in tutto il sud america troverai la tortillas. In Italia avrai la Piadina Romagnola, la Tigella bolognese, La Crescia Marchigiana, la Torta al Testo in Umbria....Il Crostolo (piadina con uovo strutto e pepe), che si trova tra Urbino e Urbania. Ed io le ho sperimentate tutte. Poi non parliamo di quanto mi ingegno per i pranzi di natale. Tipico a Natale o a capodanno in Italia l'uso di mangiare Purè e lenticchie (dicono che porta fortuna). From Italian. I tell you that you are right. I cook at home. My partner with whom I live, is keen to always prepare me to eat when I get back from work, but sometimes I have to go shopping to get myself ready to prepare something to eat and see my partner happy for having prepared good dishes for him. I believe that all this puts us Italians in a good mood, since we are a social people with its strengths and weaknesses. At the table .. generally while eating, you take the opportunity to talk about the facts of the day, the relatives of football policy .. in short, a bit of gossip .. but you're right that everything, between eating and chatting, it can last from half an hour, up to an hour but no longer on working days. after that you go back to work or everyone does their own chores. On Sunday we all meet together with our parents and we almost always spend the day together after lunch, so everything can go beyond two hours, between a homemade dessert, bitters and coffee. We can afford this because it is difficult for relatives to move no more than 100 Klm from the place of birth. .. trying to find work as close as possible. I then passionate about the Middle Ages I also go to research the historical regional culinary specialties..and I try to prepare them. For example, piadina has very ancient origins..and if you notice it, it is found throughout the Mediterranean basin, with different names and some differences. I believe it has origins in ancient Rome. So you will find some types of wraps in the Arab countries that use to eat with the kebab, you will find the Pita in Greece that is used to eat in their unique dishes, In Spain but especially throughout South America you will find tortillas. In Italy you will have the Piadina Romagnola, the Bolognese Tigella, the Crescia Marchigiana, the Torta al Testo in Umbria .... The Crostolo (piadina with lard egg and pepper), which is located between Urbino and Urbania. And I have experienced them all. Then let's not talk about how much I try for Christmas lunches. Typical at Christmas or New Year in Italy the use of eating Mashed potatoes and lentils (they say it brings luck).

[gabrielex]

I think there's also something else: Italian recipes tend to be easy, not using tons of ingredients, while imported and modified versions of Italian recipes in US get totally turned over making them over complicated and adding way too many ingredients, taking away the simplicity and goodness of the taste. You end up eating just seasoning.
This is very true especially with the overuse of garlic and parsley: in Italy garlic is used but not in those quantities (usually) and parsley is usually not sprinkled raw on food, in US nearly every fake "Italian" recipe ends up having raw parsley on top, as if it was grated cheese on pasta.

[ellisc.foleyjr]

I like a few others below found you via Action Kid. thank you both for what you do. and I liked your presentation of the two cultures. I am 77 yrs old and to me its a thing of the times mostly here in this country. I grew up in Western Massachusetts. in an Italian neighborhood. On the little street where I lived there were 20 homes, 18 were Italian immigrants, all of the families came to this country in my lifetime and shortly before. So I understand a lot of what you are saying. I spent more time eating meals at my friends homes than I did in my own. I made wine with Grampa Eppolitti, helped him make pastas. Gnocchi, fettuccine, all shapes and sizes. canned tomatoes. etc. and most families then did eat at least the supper meal together and always sunday meals. But that part of our culture has diminished for the lack of time. I call society today the "Me" generation everyone only thinks of themselves first and does not reach out to other people. The pace is at lightning speed compared to 30 yrs ago hell even to 10-15 years ago. slow down people and smell the Roses. Thanks again Mary Jane am a fan and a follower now. Ciao!

[ImissSaganCarl]

I lived in both North America and in Italy, and I have to say that I agree with you Mary Jane 110%. All the examples you gave about why food is important to Italians are great ones. It's not just about health!!!

[gioq]

once I hosted 3 american guys from Tennessee (couchsurfing). they were stunned by the fact that I was able to make ragù, (tomato sauce with meat) for fettuccine. because I told them and it was true that I almost never cooked before, cause I never needed to, nonetheless I was able to make a nice pasta! my mother gave them lessons on how to make fresh pasta and meatballs. I'm a proof that, in Italy, even someone who's never really had to cook, can cook :D :D

[lifenature]

I can't stop watching your videos, Mary Jane. They remind me of the time when I was much younger and spent five years from 1980 to 1985 in San Francisco.
I shared an apartment with two other Italian students. Our neighbors were Norwegians. We had cooking competitions inviting American students to judge the results. Americans were surprised how we (both Italians and Norwegians) were able to prepare tastier dishes than the processed ones they were buying at the supermarket. Using only selected natural ingredients.

[malliefascilla]

One of the reasons that processed food is cheaper, is that they add preservatives so that it doesn't go bad as fast. Some of it can last several months to a year or two. This reduces the amount that gets thrown away, which costs much less to produce, in the end. It is horrible, and many of the additives cause cancer and other health issues. Sadly, this is becoming a problem in lower income communities, where people can't afford fresh food, and they end up with more health problems and malnutrition, even though some may have a higher daily calorie intake. It is horrible, and I wish that we would stop with all of the processing, for the greater good of the world, especially in the US.

[Sdelgado]

New York is one of the most expensive state in the country. An apple in TX will cost a fraction of the cost in NY. Great video.

[hankpena]

I am a 51 year old native New Yorker and I can tell you that fruits and vegetables were cheaper than meat when I was growing up. At some point it became the opposite. I am curious to know when and why. Also, the flavor of produce (fruits and vegetables) has changed. Today they look more appetizing but have less flavor while the produce I ate as a child always had blemishes and flaws but tasted much better. I think this changed during the 1980's. Has this changed in Italy as well? What do your older relatives say?

[donvetere]

Great video. Your observations are insightful, direct and important and I agree with your valuing of food in one's life. Keep up the valued observations.

[arodin]

What a perfect time to watch this episode because it's Thanksgiving in America, the one day per year that we make a point to spend the time and effort to have a proper meal at a table with family and friends. So I guess just for today we all eat like Italians do every day... except that we go overboard and make it a big feast since it's only once.

[tonifrisotti]

io passo tutto il mio tempo a onestamente, si vede anche.
Complimenti, sei proprio brava.

[joeychick]

Come to New Jersey. Even in NY. Lots of Italian ppl here and we still set the table and eat with family and friends. My parents were from Calabria and taught us well. Love your show btw.

[sourdoughhome]

On cooking.... a lot of the antipathy towards cooking stems, imho, from the "Women's Liberation" movement in the 1980's. Men didn't cook because that was "women's work". And women decided that they'd rather avoid that stereotype. So, mother's didn't teach their children to cook. And those children couldn't teach their children to cook. I recently retired and have always been an avid cook, and my wives have shared that joy. I was shocked when in one of my most recent jobs a young woman told me that if food didn't go into the microwave, it didn't go home with her. Many of our son's friends thought we were odd because we cooked the vast majority of our meals and ate as a family. Although a few of his friends liked that very much... we joked that one of his friends ate with us so often he was like another son.

Missing the social element of meals is such a loss! We lose track of our loved ones lives by not sharing food together!

[tammiepulley]

Thanks for the info on food comparison. There is a movement in parts of the US and I think it's called slow food but basically it's just getting back to basics and buying fresh food and cooking at home and enjoying at the table with friends and family. If you come to California you will definitely notice it I think. Happy travels.

[gianlucamalandra]

Ciao mitica, ti ringrazio enormemente per i tuoi bellissimi video, mi propongo di vederli uno alla volta la mattina presto per ripassare l'inglese ed anche, per iniziare la giornata sognando in grande grazie ai tuoi viaggi! Hi everyone!