More on food. . .

It seems that a city in Italy, Lucca, has banned new ethnic food restaurants. They state that they want to preserve their Italian food culture.

Well, you can imagine that this move has raised a storm of protests. Opponents point out that the basic Italian foods actually include items from other countries -- tomatoes came from South America (I didn't know that), and the resulting sauces, so much a staple in Italian cooking, could then be banned as being from another country. Also, evidently pasta came from Chinese influence. Hard to imagine Italian cooking without tomato based sauces and pasta.

There seems to be a movement afoot to keep Italians eating Italian food only. The thought is that if other foods are not available it will force the locals to eat only Italian.

What do you think about this? If my city was to pass such a ban, what would we eat that is typically "American?" I think eating out would get boring!! I love the ethnic flavors that make my eating experience richer!

What would be banned here -- pizza? That isn't typically "American." Mexican food? Well, much of this state was once a part of Mexico. So, is Mexican food really "American" food?
Would McDonald's have to stop serving breakfast burritos? Oh, no, they are so good! (But, are they American?)


What about rice. It is grown locally, and we eat a lot of it. However, I'm not sure it is an all-American dish. And what about potatoes? Where did they originate?

Seems like people in this "new world" ate a very limited diet when it was being formed. Fish, wild game, turkeys, etc., were available. Corn, squash, fruits, etc., were growing here already. Would we have to limit our diet to those items? I think much of what we consider "American" actually came from other countries as emigrants came from different lands bringing their own food preferences.

Seems like this was a really bad idea! Wake up, Lucca, you are part of a larger world!

What do you think?