I first moved to the Italian speaking part of Switzerland way back in 1995 and between language and culture I had a lot to learn. One of the first expressions that I assimilated and came to appreciate was "in Italia almeno si mangia bene" (at least in Italy you eat well)
The rolling hills and vineyards of the Barolo region of Italy.
I managed to pay this meal with SBD that was left over from my Steemcation!
Why is This Expression so Often Used?
In the area where I live exotic holidays are often the norm and so when the inevitable question "so where did you go on vacation this year?" comes up you'll often hear proud replies such as:
- A safari in South Africa
- A trip through Thailand
- On a kayak expedition in Alaska
You get the picture! Inevitably as the question makes its rounds it will fall on someone who is forced to hang his head in shame and reply "I just stayed in Italy this year". That's when everyone offers up a round of encouragement by saying "almeno in Italia si mangia bene" (at least in Italy you eat well). In other words maybe you just stayed near home and didn't go anywhere exotic like we all did but you came off a winner because YOU ate well!
Cuisine goes very deep culturally in Italy. In fact, when I was first learning Italian one of my text books had an article where it stated that when Italians travel abroad they most often want to eat Italian cuisine. Perhaps the new generation is changing a bit but my observations have been similar.
No I Can't Go to Steemfest This Year But........
My wife @lellabird60 is one of the primary caregivers for my mother in law and it wasn't our turn to be able to get away to Portugal with all of you great Steemers for the exotic Steemfest 2! We have, however, managed to use her 2 days off to whisk away to the Barolo region of Italy.
While here for a few days we're enjoying amazing food and wine so don't feel sorry for me but all the same please do offer up some encouragement and feel free to say or write to me "almeno in Italia si mangia bene!" (At least in Italy you eat well).
Oh, and by the way, I'm sure that the food in Portugal will be awesome! Creamy and delicious! Have a great Steemfest 2! I will be observing from afar!
What do You Think?
- Do you like Italian food?
- Are you an adventurous eater or do you prefer your culture's cuisine?
- What is your favourite cusine.
I hope that you enjoyed this article about "In Italia Almeno si Mangia Bene! What Does That Mean? Let's Find Out!"
Until next time,
@kus-knee (The Old Dog)
2 Euros for a cup of caffe??? Esorbitante!!! That's as bad as Starbucks! Funny, here in the US the difference between Italian restaurant cuisine and what we eat at home. Osso bucco (one of my favs) for example I could never afford to cook.
When I was working as a chef, my boss decided on Polenta & Dandelion Greens for a special ($25!!!) I told him, that's what poor people that can't afford food eat... nobody wants to eat that- they do it because they have no other choice!
Yes, a bit pricey but it was. No ordinary coffee but a macchiato caldo. In a bar it would have cost me 1 Euro. It would have been good to have your lime pie though!
The very best coffee I ever had is called Tip of the Andes, it's grown in Peru at very high altitudes. Just for the heck of it I Googled it a week or so ago and found it for $10.99 a pound. I've had a lot of really expensive coffees (Jamaican Blue Mtn.) and others but it doesn't compare. Now I'm enjoying the "good stuff" with my pie!
Hey man, almeno ti mangi bene!
Thats a good tip. IO love some bloody good coffee. I am off to google it
Don't buy it from Amazon...
https://www.empirecoffeetea.com/products/american-roast-high-grown-and-light-as-a-cloud-this-is-a-light-bodied-refreshing-coffee-its-soft-gentle-and-low-in-acidity-a-teddy-bear-of-tip-of-the-andes
Man, that is cheap. US only though, dash it!
For every problem there is a solution my friend. come to steem chat and I'll give you my email
almeno in Italia si mangia bene!
Enjoy your stay in Italy 😊
That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the encouragement! Steemfest 3 will YOU be there! ?
The Italian food has a much temperament as the Italian people.
They use well selected herbs, use fresh ingredients, every dish is a celebration!!
Yes it is very good but I do love all types of food!
Very interesting article. In every country there are probably their own sayings. We are told "Why go somewhere, we are well fed here", which is essentially the same thing as the Italian proverb.
Hey, very true! Thanks for sharing that!
I want to say you: "almeno в Italia si Mangia bene!" :)
If I had to choose between steemfest or your place in Italy, I would seriously think. Photo with a view of the hills and vineyards conquered me with its pacification.
Thanks a lot for the words of condolence. Much appreciated!
Haha, creamy and delicious indeed! ;o)
Enjoy Italy old dog, its a fabulous place and ...
almeno in Italia si mangia bene!
Thanks for the encouragement! Much appreciated!
Italian is one of my favorite cuisines because it has a variety of things that I like. So Italian food is something I can see as a part of my weekly diet.
For "special occasions" eating out I love teppanyaki and also Indian food. Teppanyaki is awesome when they cook the food right in front of you. Add some cold beer and you are sure to have an awesome evening:)
Indian food is super tasty and with its spicy nature it's a real treat for the taste buds.
Both Indian and teppanyaki are nice to eat once in a while. But it's not something I could eat on a regular basis. So In this aspect Italian food is still the winner
I also love Indian cooking but I've never tried teppanyaki. I guess that it's about time that I do so!
I strongly recommend teppanyaki Buffet- it will become one of your new favorites I am sure !
Just amazing! I like the way you write. Thank you for sharing!
The journey is what brings us happiness not the destination
If you like to read about travels and circus life please welcome to my friends @annamur
Thanks @anamur. I'll take you up on your idea as I'm sure that your blog is fascinating!
Amazing article, Italian food is very delicious.
Thanks so much for coming!
So sorry you can't be at SteemFest2.
I adore Italian food - some of the best food I've ever eaten was in San Marino and a tiny campsite by the side of the river Tiber - a BBQ chicken leg that must have been the size of an ostrich!
In Italia Almeno si Mangia Bene!
Thanks for the encouragement. You just gave me a huge smile!
Glad to hear that! Enjoy the rest of your vacation! :)
I love Italian and all the Mediterranean cuisine! They are not only delicious, but healthy as well. I'm vegetarian, so I eat a lot of veggies and pasta.
Very cool. The vegetables here are A1!
Italian food is really tasty in Italy but it's almost impossible to cook the same dishes from non-Italian ingredients. Fortunately we have a small Italian corner in our local supermarket))
Many years ago, when I lived in Canada my wife would shop at the Italian grocery store.
I'm an atipic italian. I don't care so much about eating well. And, when I'm abroad, I am for McDonalds and sandwiches :)
Hey @paolobeneforti penso che mi prendi in giro. Sono molto contento che siete riusciti ad andare a Steemfest 2 ma p.f. mangiate bene!
Not kidding.
But I guess in Lisbon we will' have better meals ;)
You're going to have a great time and you've done a lot to make it a success! Plus you'll eat some creamy and delicious stuff!
thank you Oldie. Silvia and I hope so :)
I grew up with Italian cuisine, as a child I started with pizzas, pastas, lasagna, etc. They have great wines, it's nice to you in Italy, but you're still a player who needs to be on steamfest 2.
Will you be there? If so mangi bene!
I'm still a little for you professionals, next year we'll see you live
@kus-knee
You will very much missed. My Dad and I were both hoping to meet you. However, we understand the reason why. Being part of a huge family, we understand.
I love Italian food. One of the bummers of living in Chile those 4 years and what propelled my food blogging was the very, very boring food in Chile. Amazing fresh ingredients that they don't know how to use. Chileans are not risk takers and they won't 'fix what isn't broke' to the max. So, they eat the same things every freaking day.
But back to your questions, I have to say my favorite cuisine is Asian.
Again, you will be missed. I hope to do a better job in connecting and making steemit posts with tons of photos, from London and Lisbon. You can live steemfest through me to a degree, I hope.
What a great thing that you were able to use amazing ingredients and more so that it propelled you into blogging. You've carved out an amazing niche doing what you love!
Italian food is too good time to try that and let me know what you like the most :D
Yes, I like food too much!
Happy to live near to Italy ;-)
Sempre ottimi piatti!
Ciaoooooo e buon divertimento
Yes, I love where We live because we get to visit so many great places that are not too far!
Wish you were here Old Dog!
So glad your having a nice time though. That wine looks nice!
With you in spirit friend!
Thanks so much for your kind words!
Roof Roof!
We have read about famous Italian food or watched movie regarding Italian food. I am far away from it. But if there are options to either eat or travel beautiful place, I will choose the later one.
Who knows what the future will bring. Maybe you'll find yourself in Italy one day!
Great Article @kus-knee sir
Thanks!
hi @kus-knee, thank you for share, I like your post, hope you are also willing to see my blog, I really appreciate it🤗. @myaceh
wow nice natural looking to the window....
The view from the window is beautiful .... Italy is always worth a trip ... :)
italia is a very great place. all feel at home here.
i love this place @kus-knee
friend please visit to my post.
upvote and resteem.
I think that Italy is a very beautiful country. I didn't visit it yet, but i will do that in the near future for sure. I adore Italian food...pasta, pizza, ravioli mmmmm i feel hungry now 😁😁😊 It is one of my favorite cuisine ( i like also japan ).
We have a lot of italian restaurants here but i would like to try a true italian food.
So i don't think that it's a shame to stay near home. Everyone should be there where can feel good ;)))
It's a shame you are missing Steemfest, but Italy is indeed a great place too, so hopefully its at least some consolation.
I love Italian cuisine, but I also love trying all kinds of new foods. I really love trying things as far removed from the cultures I'm used to as possible and I am adventurous enough to have had minor stomach issues because of the things or combinations I'm willing to try.
Before I became a vegetarian, I was really up for anything, even things other people (or even myself) would initially find disgusting. Now when I'm a vegetarian the options for "disgusting" foods are limited to tofu (which is something I actually like a lot). Actually the last thing I tried and did not like was some strange spicy tofu with pieces of chilly peppers all chopped up in it. I had great expectations for it, but it had a really strange taste that even the generous amount of peppers could not improve or hide.
Your story is interesting @kus-knee! I love Transcarpathian cuisine. I'm there more often! I have not been in Italy yet, I do not know! But I love spaghetti with hard cheese and paste and wine ... :) Thank you for sharing!