No, We're Not That Family (Italian-Americans mad at Olive Garden)

Opnionjournal ^ | July 26, 2002 | Victorino Matus

[stands2reason]

Italian-Americans have a problem, and it's not "The Sopranos."

Italian-Americans are speaking out. They are complaining about a stereotype they just can't stand. One that they find inaccurate and misleading. One that is constantly shown on television, much to their disgust. They are unhappy. They are at their wit's end. They are fed up.

[Miss Marple]

Frankly, I find this mystifying, as the Olive Garden on the south side of Indianapolis has good service, excellent food, and no one has ever hassled us to leave. Their food is not perhaps of the quality of authentic Italian restaurants in the northeast, but we only have two authentic restaurants within 10 miles of here.

The last time we went my daughter had fresh steamed mussels in shell with garlic butter, the breschia was pretty good, and I had a dish of grilled Italian susage, marinated chicken, and roasted potatoes. It was done well, and the portion was very generous.

Now I am certain that this wasn't "authentic" but I am not trying to collect points for Gourmet Club Membership, but rather have an enjoyable meal. It sounds to me like the managers of the Indianapolis restaurant should be teaching the rest of the chain a thing or two.

[soccermom]

OHHHHHH PUHLEEZE!!!!! Have people nothing better to complain about? How offensive to portray Italian-Americans as family-oriented! Ohhhhh the outrage! I and my husband are both of Italian descent and the ads don't bother us in the slightest.

[dead]

"Egg noodles and ketchup." as Ray Liotta said at the end of Goodfellas.

But I don't want to hear the Italians complaining about the commercial. My culture is represented by the thieving, conniving Lucky Charms leprechaun.

[Fedupwithit]

BTW DL, Italians do not yell.....we just talk over each other, and it gets louder and louder... : )

[nothingnew]

...make a trip to the Northeast for the food...thats about the only thing the Northeast is good for,anyway...

You are dead on...Boston's north end, and New Havens Wooster Street...the only things I miss about the northeast.

FMCDH

[don-o]

I love it. I loathe that place, and am often dragged there for lunch with co-workers. The only way I ever tolerated it was by knocking thre or four glasses of vino, but there is a zero tolerance for that sort of conduct these days.

"MacDonald's of Italian food" just about says it all.

[buffyt]

True, their food s*cks. But I don't get the whining. I am German, French, Irish, Dutch, English, Scottish, Cherokee, and Black and nothing anyone says about my heritages bothers me a bit. I say chill out everyone!

[Fedupwithit]

I will have to try them both....I have a mission for the summer now. : )

[Pietro]

"Well, I'm Italian and the fact of the matter is there is nothing "authentic" about most "authentic" Italian food in America."

You're right about that which is why I hate "Italian" restruants. Whenever my wife drags me into one I always order the steak. As far as I'm concerned there's only one correct tomato sauce and that's my family's, no other sauce tastes right. I wouldn't eat macaronis at one of those places on a bet.

I remember an old Italian one time telling me that restruants in this country only served peasant food. As the progeny of peasants I could relate. But even the peasants had a wider pallette than is represented in these eateries.

I do get a kick out of Italians complaining about the way we are presented to the rest of the country. Mostly they show us as buffoons, but hey, that's how they present everybody else too. So what?

The funniest thing was when Joe Columbo, the mob boss, tried to start a movement protesting the portraits in the media of Italians as mobsters. How freakin' ironic, how freakin' Italian.

I love my heritage, I just don't look for validation of it from the moronic media.

[Tall_Texan]

If I remember correctly, the Olive Garden is under the corporate umbrella of General Mills ... not exactly "Italian". In fact, the company runs a number of "theme" restaurants like "Tahitian Luau"-type and Mexican. None of which have any claim to authentic food.

Not only that, but General Mills is a big donor of Abortion Mills (aka Planned Parenthood) which is why I won't set foot in Olive Garden or Red Lobster. I don't dislike their food. I dislike their politics.

[Tired of Taxes]

think about the "food cost-charge" ratio; is twelve cents worth of noodles, gooped with cheese/tomato sauce worth $12.95?

That's what I always thought, too. What a rip-off. I can make it better at home for practically free. (And I'm not a great cook).

[Dane]

Sheesh, if anything this thread proves is that some people on FR will complain about the littlest mundane minutiae.

I have always enjoyed Olive Garden. The restaurants are clean, the staff friendly, and the food pretty good.

I guess some people will always be malcontents and trash a place if the water is 1 degree to warm.

Oh well, such is life.

[Tired of Taxes]

I'll bet you never thought this thread would take-off like this. I've seen very important news items receive 6 responses, and this one is over 100 now... lol.

[kidd]

Almost everyone here is comparing the Olive Garden to home-cooked Italian meals. This is not a fair comparison. Any decent home cooked meal is going to beat restaurant food, regardless of the ethnicity.

I've eaten in restaurants in Rome. I was sadly disappointed.

[Don Carlos]

The shrimp still had the head and eyes. I'm sorry, but I cannot eat food that is looking at me.

Easy to do, dude. Snap the head off, then suck out the tiny little brain. Pull the legs off, and proceed to peel and eat.

As for fish with scales, head and tail, in Italy I became quite fond of sardines, lightly fried, just as they came from the sea, innards, fins head and tail! Mmm, makes me hungry just thinking about it!

[JoeSixPack1]

My real name is Guido. I am the second son of my Sicilian family to be born in America.

This thing with the Olive Garden Restaurant advertisements is a non-issue. You like it, go eat there. You don't, don't go there. You want good sauce, come to my house. I still cook it the way GrandPapa taught me, and it takes 3 days. The Olive Garden opens a can. Nuff said.