Little piece of advice: don't take someone from Italy to Olive Garden. You're not doing them any favors
Italians tend to hold little appreciation for foods from other cultures, especially people in the older generations. They claim food superiority and close the topic for discussion. In fact, whenever Italians travel, they prefer to fill there suitcases with all the yummy essentials rather than clothes because the idea of being forced to eat foreign food everyday doesn't make them happy
Cheese (surprisingly doesn't go with everything)Â
It's all fun and games until you dump some of that yummy parmigiana on your pasta ai frutti di mare (pasta with seafood) and your host family is looking at you like you just killed the family dogÂ
Reason: the sea and the land aren't meant to mix
Yet, salmon pasta can have a creamy base? Confusing: VERY! All other seafood pastas have a tomato base however
Pasta + Meat (small chunks for flavoring only)
Spaghetti and meatballs is an American invention! Pappardelle bolognese is the closest thing you'll find. That's not to say Italians won't eat meatballs, but they'll only do so after they've cleared their plates of pasta
Italians don't think large portions of meat should be mixed in your pasta. They need to be separate courses so your palate can fully enjoy the flavors of each
Milk (cold doesn't mean refreshing in this case)
Italians think cold milk is incredibly bad for your digestion. If they ever eat cereal, which isn't that often, they'll warm up the milk first
Drinking milk with your meals is gross and will be frowned upon
Coffee (it's NOT to-go)
Avoid all pasticcerie and bars that advertise this. It screams tourist trap to anyone who knows anything
Take your coffee at the counter unless you want to pay more for a table
Don't order a cappuccino after lunch. You'll be better off asking for a macchiato or an espresso
When I went back to Italy with my family we all ordered Cappuccino with lunch (including various cuts of meat, cheese and bread) and received very questioning faces from the owners. Don't cave like us and act like an American
Sweet + Savory (just eww)
Breakfast is meant to be sweet (eggs are considered a wholly American breakfast food, along with pancakes and bacon) where as lunch and dinner are primarily savory, with a separate course for dessert if needed (fruit is eaten as a separate course towards the end of the meal)
I'm not really sure why they feel so strongly about this, but it's part of their traditions
Hot + Cold (Like the Katy Perry song, this isn't acceptable)
We often eat desserts that are both temps, think ice cream and brownies straight out of the oven, but Italians just aren't here for it. They think it's bad for digestion
In fact, Italians won't even let you shower after you eat dinner because it'll hurt your tummy too bad or something? I wasn't really given a concrete reason, but it wasn't allowed (same with leaving your hair wet after a shower cuz they think you'll instantly get a cold)
Probably why they don't enjoy cold milk with any of their food
Salad Dressing (let the other ingredients shine girl)
Why would you dump loads of sugary sauce on your good greens?
Olive oil and salt are the way to go