I'm in the middle of a marathon writing session about the history and influence of the Italian language, Italian grammar, and some aspects of Italian culture. It's actually been a really fun project for me because it combines the great loves of my life (language and culture) and feels more like an intellectual hobby than my second job. Fun stuff, right?
I had to take a break from the writing to rant a bit about cultural misconceptions. I'm currently researching information about traditional Italian food, and I was already prepared to read about myths and misunderstanding posing as truth on the Internet. (Sometimes I think the only reason the Internet exists is as a format for people to share all their misinformation.)
The first site that appeared in the search engine was a link to a slideshow that shows why Italian cuisine is so healthy. As soon as I saw the phrase "Mediterranean diet," I know the entire piece was bullshit. First, I have spent a considerable amount of time eating with people from the Mediterranean. Second, I'm not afraid to ask them about their culture. (I am the girl who followed up, "Nice to meet you" to my first Canadian with, "So why is ham called Canadian bacon?")
But I digress. I really wanted to take this time to clear up some of the lies that are consistently spread in the U.S. about the Mediterranean diet for reasons I don't completely understand.
Yes, people in the Mediterranean eat many healthy foods, including olive oil, whole grains, and fish. They also eat many foods Americans consider unhealthy. You might be shocked to know that they eat a LOT of cured meats, and seafood has not been traditionally popular in the inland regions because people didn't have access to it. Even much of the seafood is cured in some way.
It's true that they consume a lot of olive oil (and consider butter an abomination), they use it FAR more than Americans are comfortable adding to their diets. When my Spaniard friend cooked with me, he added more than a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the pain. He drenched everything with it: bread, eggs, vegetables, rice. My traditional breakfast is still a slice of Ezekial bread with at least two tablespoons of olive oil and a slice of whatever cheese I have on hand. Every American who sees me eat that chastises me for eating too much olive oil.
Speaking of bread, this is perhaps my favorite misconception. I'm not so sure where anyone got the idea that people in the Mediterranean eat whole grains. I've seen a lot of pasta, rice, and bread, but it's ALWAYS white...you know, that stuff that we're told was brought from hell by the devil himself. It's not whole wheat pasta or brown rice or even bread with some added pumpkin seeds and nuts. And you know what? They eat this EVERY day.
For the record, tomatoes are a relatively new addition to the local diets because they were thought to be poisonous for many years. Italians also don't eat much garlic; that was an influence from Spain who once ruled much of southern Italy. Even when traditional Italian dishes call for garlic, it is added just for flavor and removed before serving. Spaniards like to chop it up and throw it in.
I'm not knocking the diet. In fact, it's pretty much the one I follow, but I eat like they really eat there (except for the cured meats and sausages). It works well for me. The high fat content keeps me full (I'll save the rant about the protein keeps you full myth for another day), and I don't eat as much as I would on a typical American diet. I just wish we could stop with the lies.
I had to take a break from the writing to rant a bit about cultural misconceptions. I'm currently researching information about traditional Italian food, and I was already prepared to read about myths and misunderstanding posing as truth on the Internet. (Sometimes I think the only reason the Internet exists is as a format for people to share all their misinformation.)
The first site that appeared in the search engine was a link to a slideshow that shows why Italian cuisine is so healthy. As soon as I saw the phrase "Mediterranean diet," I know the entire piece was bullshit. First, I have spent a considerable amount of time eating with people from the Mediterranean. Second, I'm not afraid to ask them about their culture. (I am the girl who followed up, "Nice to meet you" to my first Canadian with, "So why is ham called Canadian bacon?")
But I digress. I really wanted to take this time to clear up some of the lies that are consistently spread in the U.S. about the Mediterranean diet for reasons I don't completely understand.
Yes, people in the Mediterranean eat many healthy foods, including olive oil, whole grains, and fish. They also eat many foods Americans consider unhealthy. You might be shocked to know that they eat a LOT of cured meats, and seafood has not been traditionally popular in the inland regions because people didn't have access to it. Even much of the seafood is cured in some way.
It's true that they consume a lot of olive oil (and consider butter an abomination), they use it FAR more than Americans are comfortable adding to their diets. When my Spaniard friend cooked with me, he added more than a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the pain. He drenched everything with it: bread, eggs, vegetables, rice. My traditional breakfast is still a slice of Ezekial bread with at least two tablespoons of olive oil and a slice of whatever cheese I have on hand. Every American who sees me eat that chastises me for eating too much olive oil.
Speaking of bread, this is perhaps my favorite misconception. I'm not so sure where anyone got the idea that people in the Mediterranean eat whole grains. I've seen a lot of pasta, rice, and bread, but it's ALWAYS white...you know, that stuff that we're told was brought from hell by the devil himself. It's not whole wheat pasta or brown rice or even bread with some added pumpkin seeds and nuts. And you know what? They eat this EVERY day.
For the record, tomatoes are a relatively new addition to the local diets because they were thought to be poisonous for many years. Italians also don't eat much garlic; that was an influence from Spain who once ruled much of southern Italy. Even when traditional Italian dishes call for garlic, it is added just for flavor and removed before serving. Spaniards like to chop it up and throw it in.
I'm not knocking the diet. In fact, it's pretty much the one I follow, but I eat like they really eat there (except for the cured meats and sausages). It works well for me. The high fat content keeps me full (I'll save the rant about the protein keeps you full myth for another day), and I don't eat as much as I would on a typical American diet. I just wish we could stop with the lies.
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