Everything You See I Owe to Spaghetti

The first thing I noticed from the air as we were landing back in the U. S. from Italy was the depressing sight of a giant McDonald's.  My daughter, Alana, and I had just spent eight days eating delicious, healthy, real food.
The Italian grocery store I went to had half the store devoted to fresh fish on beds of ice, gourmet cheeses, crusty bakery breads, miles of fresh vegetables and fruits and their 'to go' foods were homemade lasagnas, grilled vegetables, and savory sandwiches of prosciutto and goat cheese.  Italy's truck stops had shelves of home made cheeses and Delis complete with chefs; the condiment counters had 27 varieties of olive oil.

In America, if  'food' doesn't have 57 additives we eye it with suspicion.  If it doesn't have a shelf life of 35 years we forsake it.  Cerulean Blue, Bubblegum Pink and Day-Glo Green are considered acceptable food colors.  'Homemade' means making something from a box. And most importantly, our edibles must be breaded and deep fried to be recognized for human consumption. 

Italian Quote:  "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." -- Sophia Loren

American Quotes:  "Everything you see I owe to SpaghettiOs."  Rosanne Barr  (I'm kidding!) 

  "My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four unless there are three other people." -- Orson Welles

"Never eat more than you can lift." -- Miss Piggy, Muppet 

"Health food makes me sick." -- Calvin Trillin 

"Give me liberty or... OOOooor... A jelly donut!" -— Homer Simpson
©9/2012  Jana B Patrick