Italy: Civilized because of its food

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The most civilized country in the world is Italy. They have the basic thing right - food. It is more or less impossible to eat badly in Italy. All over the country you'll find even the poorest families know how to cook breakfasts, dinners, starters and desserts from scratch, using fresh ingredients. No trans fats, artificial preservatives. And unlike the French the Italians don't rely on butter too much, they even try to not just make food that's fresh but also generally moderate in fat content.

Among the enviable achivements of Italy are the way the McDonalds branches there now serve beef steaks in a bun made by local experienced bakers. The beef steak hasn't got processed crap added to it and the bread is as good as it gets. Of course these burgers cost more but it's worth it - when you eat there you get a nourishing meal that won't lead to expensive health insurance bills. Italy also by law enforces that all primary school meals have to be organic. In practice this means most children are eating very well indeed.

If the rest of the world followed Italy's example, could we cut the amount we spend on hospitals and doctors significantly? Or is good food simply an irrelevance?

Sounds delicious along with fabulous designers in fashion, homewares, cars and everything else. But,

What about all the porn?

Paaaaaaastaaaaaaaaaaaa! ^_^

Yeah, I'd love to live in Italy, such a beautiful country.

I visited Rome a few months ago. I do not see why they're more civilized that anyone else.

French cuisine is also first rate.

ruveyn

Well, I stand corrected. The Italians aren't that civilized. With food they are though. In other ways, they're disappointing. They drive like lunatics, make too many porn films and the mafia and backhanders to politicians and civil servants are the done thing.

I hoped we could just learn from their food and forget the rest. I'd never recommend anyone to move to Italy or to go on holiday there.

Out of curiosity, which French food do you like?

Coq au vin -- Chicken in wine sauce
Crisp Duck with truffles.

ruveyn

Given the fact that Italy is run by an ageing psychopat that haven't gone out of his midlife-crisis and most machi-testosteroid idiots wants to be like him - that says everything you need to know about Italy. Btw, pasta came from Asia, brought back by Christopher Columbus and his fellow explorers.

As a Northern European, i see Italy as Americans view Mexico...

Neither the French nor the Italians can claim the intellectual property rights to great food.

Certainly the French--not least Escoffier--are responsible for haute cuisine, and popularizing gastronomy throughout the world. Their influence established the earliest fusion cuisine (Vietnam), the terminology of the kitchen (chef, mise-en-place, etc.) and the restaurant.

But the French are great borrowers. French service (in courses) is actually borrowed from the Russians. The regional cuisines of France are enormously influenced by their neighbors. But perhaps most influential of all was an Italian--Catherine de Medici, who brought with her the cooks of her native Florence when she became Queen of France.

Visa doth has hints of truth. The Medicis part is pretty accurate, she also brought linguists and stuff. We took 8000 words from italian to be used in french (mostly from the financial sector, which apparently at the time, Italians were the best at)(i think something like 10% of that remain today in french). It was known as the Italiomania period of France. =/

Ichinin is also correct, pastas did come from Asia... <.< Probably not as wheat noodles though, but i'm unsure about that.

Oh and Ruveyn... you have taste for some pretty exquisite stuff (read :expensive) that i wouldn't have guessed about you.

(Recently had some Quebec terroir food for my parents's 25th, rabbit with mushroom cream served in a flakey crust, t'was 'licious ^^ )

Oh, back on topic. Having had the opportunity to taste rather various food up till now (Russian, Egyptian, Afghan, authentic italian, mauritanus (sp?), Mexican (ofc <.< ), French (duh -points to location-), etc.), i think i can clearly say that none really trumps the other. =/ They're all delicious in their own way. =P

But the point I'm making is that Italy today makes a great effort. France has loads of obese people as do most first world countries. Italy doesn't. That's because McDonald's in Italy serves beef steaks with no processed ingredients in their burger buns and the buns are made by real bakers, not factories with chemicals. It's because children have no choice but to eat organic meals at school.

Where did you get the above information, please?

http://www.purefood.org/organic/italy011004.cfm

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6143F020100205

Italy? Civilised? You're joking right?

Italy is the least democratic country in the EU. There is practically no freedom of press and the country is pretty much a one party (or rather one man) state. Berlusconi is a criminal who constantly subverts the courts to prevent prosecution and has surrounded himself with a coterie of people who do his every whim, like some sort of emperor. He is a persistent womaniser who has reduced the status of women to non serious playthings for men such as himself. He basically has control not only of Government, but also of the media and the courts - the three things which should be completely independent in any functioning democracy. He caters to populist tastes, but underneath is constantly refining the system to benefit himself. The problem is that Italy is so corrupt that noone can challenge him, so instead they seek to emulate and exult him.

"The aim of the law was to create advertising for organic food
and high-quality production. The regulation is not, however, implemented
everywhere." (from the first link)

Good intentions are not unique to Italy. =/ and 500 / 8.100k communities is not an overly impressive statistic, imo (Although i will give them credit for trying).

Also from the second link, it does say that it is an "option" (if i read right) to try and divert youngsters from eating junk. That doesn't mean it'll be successful and that they will all "take the bait". =/ But i guess time will tell if their idea is actually popular.