Italian food rules

Description

Did the waiter in Rome sneer when you asked for butter for the bread or for a cappuccino after dinner? Did your Venetian grandmother slap your hand when you reached for the Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on her spaghetti alle vongole? Did the Florentine guest in your home turn pale when offered leftover pizza for breakfast? Did the fruit and vegetable vendor at the Mercato Centrale yell at you when you checked out the ripeness of his peaches or scooped up a handful of cherries? In Italy, they love making rules, although they seem to obey very few. When it comes to the national cuisine, however, the Italian Food Rules may as well be carved in marble. They will not change and are strictly followed. Visitors to Italy violate them at their peril. When in Italy, enjoy being Italian for a few days, weeks or months, by learning the Italian Food Rules, taking them to heart, and obeying each and every one of them. Other Books by Ann Reavis Italian Life Rules Murder at Mountain Vista (a Short Story) Content: Dedication -- Contents -- Foreword -- By way of introduction -- Don't drink cappuccino after ten in the morning -- Don't ask for half & half or soy milk for your coffee -- Don't ask for coffee "to go" -- Italians only drink tea when they are sick -- Don't dip bread in olive oil -- Meal time rules -- Rules of the menu -- No pizza for lunch -- For pizza, one size fits all -- Pizza topping rules -- Don't put ice cubes w beverages -- With meals, drink water or wine, nothing else -- Rules for drinking wine. -- "Super Tuscan" is not italian -- No butter for the bread -- Dante loved bread made without salt -- Lard is luscious -- Pasta is not a side dish -- Pasta is cooked al dente -- Spaghetti is not served with meatballs -- Don't eat bread with pasta -- Don't eat cheese with fish -- Don't eat eggs in the morning -- Bistecca Alla Florentina is always served rare -- Don't pass the gravy -- Tripe is tasty to Tuscans -- They eat horses, don't they? -- Baccala binds and divides Italy -- Don't use bottled italian salad dressing -- Don't dip blscotti in coffee -- That's amaro - Italy loves it's digestivos -- Don't ask for a doggy bag -- Take-away pizza rules -- Kiss that panino -- Don't eat while walking -- Italians don't snack -- Italians don't snack - they eat Nutella -- No all-you-can-eat buffets -- What goes together - tomato, mozzarella, & basil -- What goes together - proscrjtto & melon -- What goes together - salame & figs -- What goes together - fresh fava beans & pecorino -- What goes together - pear & pecorino -- Don't touch the fruits and vegetables -- Italians eat local and in season -- Acknowledgements -- About the author.