onioning

onioning t1_itoii4q wrote

Outraged? What are you talking about? How am I outraged? I think it's dumb that people downvote very legitimate statements, but whatever. Not really my business. The outraged are the people who are all "No. This one place on Earth is somehow free from American business interests."

Quit it with that troll garbage. You can argue without being a jerk. Just don't. You know jack squat about me except that I recognize the impact American cultural imperialism has. Don't go into that insult garbage. Disagree however much you want. Upvote and downvote as you like. Don't be a jerk. I haven't been rude to anyone. Just uncalled for.

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onioning t1_itohy0f wrote

No. I had a job in the US. The people I worked for in the US had a partnership with Italian producers. I worked with those producers. It's not hard to get the visas when you have legitimate reasons.

Maybe instead of trying to make things up to make me wrong you'll consider what I'm actually saying and not these other things.

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onioning t1_itoe8j3 wrote

>McDonald's is everywhere so that point is proving nothing, I have a McDonald's post on my account from Italy when I was there in the summer for my cousins wedding

That's the whole point. They are everywhere, because American influence is everywhere. You seriously going to argue that McDonald's isn't American influence? That's ridiculous. You just aren't being serious about this. Just making up reasons to be outraged.

Seriously find one established Italian chef who doesn't think there's such thing as American influence in modern Italian. Or just recognize the realities all around you. But no, I'm sure it's actually that shitty burgers and fries just happened to develop independently in Italy. Totally not American influence. Come one. What a crazy lie to tell yourself.

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onioning t1_itndl5u wrote

Ok man. And all the Italians I've worked with are just making it all up. Lived there for about a year and a half on the by and by. Working with chefs and salumiere (mostly the latter, but they do love to mingle). Universally decried the American influence. And would talk about nothing else. Seriously got old.

If you don't think you can more readily find bacon or pepperoni in a larger city because of the American influence you're fooling yourself. There are McDonald's! All sorts of US fast food. But you think there's no influence? Come on. That's just ridiculous.

And again, fancy places are doing it for their tourist customers. Of course they pay attention to what their tourist customers do. Arguing otherwise is silly. That's how the world works.

−4

onioning t1_itn8a0h wrote

Obviously Nduja comes from Italy. Of course.

Again, consider these facts and then tell me I'm being unreasonable.

Nduja existed in Calabria for a long time. I don't know how long. A very long time. It was not unknown outside of Calabria, but was very rarely seen.

Nduja in it's American form got super popular and trendy.

Right after that it started appearing outside of Calabria.

Come on. I'm not being unreasonable here. This is also perfectly normal and how food trends often work. They can even bounce back and forth a la Japanese Curry in the US.

American cultural influence is outsized. That happens when you're rich. American culinary scenes impacting culinary scenes elsewhere is the norm of modern times. Italy is by no means a stranger to this. It's an economic reality. It isn't just random circumstance that what was a local specialty started appearing all over Italy. Same forces have done wonders for the arugula industry. There's an entire existing industry of Italian Pepperoni, as in Italian takes on the American idea of pepperoni. This is all normal. What's popular sells, and when a thing gets popular in America it sells a whole lot. It's not a good thing, but it's definitely a true thing.

I've worked in Italy with chefs and salumi producers and it's a running joke when I ask "I thought such and such was an American thing?" Because it is, and they're a business, and they know their clients. Mostly manifests in a passionate hatred for smoking anything, but it's very definitely a thing. British trends similarly impact the nations where Brits historically spent lots of money.

−1

onioning t1_itmldx5 wrote

No. I'm not saying anything like that. But American culinary trends do most definitely impact Italian culinary trends. There are too many American tourists for a nation with so much tourism to just not care. So of course they follow trends. You know, like everyone who caters to tourists. Do you think Italian chefs don't pay attention to the American culinary scene?

So really, you don't find this plausible? From whenever Nduja was invented until the early 2010s it was almost unseen outside Calabria. Then it got really trendy in the US. Now it's seen throughout Italy. You don't think those things could plausibly be connected? Has to be just a coincidence? Come on. I'm not saying it's definite, but its very likely. Certainly plausible.

Incidentally, while still not exactly widespread, American style pepperoni did a similar thing. Started as a southern Italian salami, got changed in the US, and now there are producers of their take on it all over Italy. The US is fucking historically rich. Of course that has an impact.

Also the American version is not fake. It's fucking delicious too.

−5

onioning t1_itmk455 wrote

I don't know what's unclear. Nduja used to be unseen outside of Calabria. Then the American version was made and it got really popular. Now it's seen all over Italy. Those things could plausibly be unrelated, but probably not.

Worth noting that my view here was informed by listening to Italian chefs and salumi experts. Except they just present it as fact while I hedge with "probablies."

None of this should be in any way contentious. More reddit with sticks up butts for no reason.

−5

onioning t1_itm4u39 wrote

The American product is a bit different. The Italian product doesn't exist in the US, but the americanized version we created has gotten pretty popular.

There are now several brands making the americanized version we developed. Since it's become much more popular in the US that could explain how and why it's spread out of the South. Wouldn't be the first time this happened. It's a pretty normal thing really.

Again note that Nduja was not typically found outside Calabria. Now it's more commonly found outside Calabria. What has changed is that now it's trendy in the US. Sorry. Thought all this was already clear.

−9

onioning t1_itlz3l5 wrote

I wonder if it's a back and forth thing. Is Nduja now more common in the North because of the American popularity? I was one of the people who did the original US Nduja, so it's kind of cool to think we caused this to happen (if indeed it has happened).

Edit: wtf? No idea why such an innocuous and true statement is getting downvoted. People get offended by the weirdest shit.

−21

onioning t1_isctfs8 wrote

Honestly the whole jury of our peers concept is pretty fucking awful all over. I do not see how letting the legal actors pick and choose twelve people who then somehow have power over law despite not having any relevant qualifications is possibly a good thing. I'm pretty hugely distrustful of the state, but at least the state is theoretically accountable.

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