Food Facts: Put them here.....

[thelufias]

a) Italians like their food freshly made from scratch. Pre-cooked and microwaveable meals are almost unknown here. For this reason Italians go shopping for groceries almost every day, and refrigerators in Italian homes are of much smaller size compared to American ones. In Italy many kinds of foods (such as bread, fresh cheese and some varieties of fruits) are supposed to be eaten within days or even hours after they're either made or harvested, otherwise they'll become inedible pretty soon.

b) Italians like to enjoy full-course meals at lunch and dinner, and take their time to eat it slowly in order to appreciate it better. Not many people in Italy eat a sandwich for lunch or bring a luch box along. In many Italian cities shops and offices still close between 1pm and 3pm to allow their owners and employees to go home, have lunch and get back to work. In Italy companies with a workforce above a certain size are required by law to provide employees with a cafeteria that serves them warm lunches, or either provide them with meal coupons that can be exchanged for a fixed-price lunch at some restaurants.

c) Italians are very keen on preserving culinary traditions of their own area. Recipes are passed down from mothers to daughters (and to sons as well), and a girl's ability to cook is still valued as an asset when she is dating someone. In Italy cooking is regarded as a way to communicate one's feelings, and being unable to cook or having no interest in food is seen as a social impairment.

d) In Italy wine is considered a food too, and it's not uncommon to see children as young as 13 allowed to have a little wine mixed with water to drink during their meals.

[thelufias]

How about a little history on our foods, cultures, etc......

Set them in here for all to read.....