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OPINION AND ANALYSIS

OPINION: What is it with Italians and sushi?

Italians are famously proud of their own cooking, but Japanese cuisine seems to succeed in Italy where so many other foreign foods fail. Contributor Liam OConnor, based in Milan, fishes for explanation.

OPINION: What is it with Italians and sushi?
Italian schoolchildren discovering sushi at a food fair in Turin. Photo: Gabriel Bouys/AFP

I’ll take the risk of the deserved backlash and come right out and say it: ask most Italians what's their favourite food, and they will probably tell you: la cucina di mia mamma.

I say this because, having lived in Italy for over a year now, and having been coming here each summer for three years to work, I have had this conversation many times. And each time, I get a similar answer. It may be that mamma competed with nonna in some families, or that the best food is anything from where you come from originally and grew up. 

Because let’s face it, Italians are not known for being the most adventurous eaters on the planet. This is a country where often the “worst food in the world” is from the neighbouring town.

This is not to say that you can’t find foreign food in Italy. You can. I live in Milan, where you can find Peruvian, Chinese, Indian and American restaurants, and some of them are pretty good. There’s an ever-growing interest in vegan food here and in Italy in general.


Foreign fast food is easy to find in Italy, but can you get the good stuff? Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP

But unlike my own country, Britain, or the United States, the food of other countries isn’t held in anything like the same regard as the national dishes. Given the choice, nine times out of ten, Italians will opt for something traditional. Foreign meals are eaten almost as a novelty, or a treat for the kids.

Why is this? One reason could be that, having experienced relatively little immigration in its modern history, Italy hasn’t had the same experience of foreigners coming to a strange country and offering their food to the locals as the best way of surviving in their new home.

READ ALSO: OPINION: In defence of spaghetti bolognese 

In fact, the experience for Italy has been the opposite; Italians have spread out all over the world, especially to North and South America, Australia and Britain. Where they went, their food went too. And no one benefitted more than those of us living in countries where until recently olive oil was only to be found in the pharmacy.

Italians have enriched the kitchens of homes and restaurants across the world, and sometimes, when presented with a bowl of spaghetti alla vongole, I feel like getting on my hands and knees and kissing the feet of the cook responsible for such glories.

It is this attitude, shared by Italians and non-Italians alike, that makes many Italians ask a perfectly reasonable question when I enquire as to whether they eat food from other countries: “Why would I?”

And sometimes I think “fair enough”. I mean, if the local stuff is this good, why would you bother trying something that could never compare? 


Italian schoolchildren discovering sushi at a food fair in Turin. Photo: Gabriel Bouys/AFP

Rather than answer this, I want to focus on why one food in particular has been more successful probably than any other in penetrating the wall of Italian culinary parochialism: Japanese food.

Now, again, I want to stress that the observations I am making here are purely anecdotal and based on my own experience of Italy. I can’t speak for a whole country, and no one ever should. But I can say that, in my capacity as a teacher, I speak to a lot of young Italians, and once they have finished eulogizing their grandmother’s pasta carbonara, they will say that one of their absolute favourite foods is sushi.

Wait, what? Sushi? Italians like Japanese food? Think of it, Italy and Japan. Two countries that are thousands of miles apart, two countries that, on the surface at least, have little to nothing in common, and two countries where historically there hasn’t been a great deal of cross-cultural exchange (the Romans got far, but not as far as Tokyo).

I was in Tokyo recently, and saw countless Italian restaurants. The Japanese are mad for Italian food, especially pizza. They are voracious consumers of foreign food, so this didn’t surprise me. But I was surprised when I came to live in Italy and found that, even in my girlfriend’s town of Carpi in Emilia-Romagna, there are two places serving California rolls and sashimi.


Japanese chefs competing in a pizza competition in Naples. Photo: Mario Laporta/AFP

So why Japanese over other cuisines such as Indian or Chinese? Here is my totally unproven and entirely speculative explanation: Japan and Italy have quite a lot in common, and not just when it comes to food. Both are ancient civilisations. Both are seafaring nations. Both have made a remarkable cultural contribution to the world. Both make truly awful and downright weird television.

And both of them have a similar attitude to food. Think of the central elements to the cuisines of both countries: a strong emphasis on local and fresh ingredients. Simple preparation that allows those ingredients to speak for themselves. A long and rich coastline with fantastic seafood. A lush and green interior perfect for farming animals, fruits and vegetables.

And perhaps most important, a desire for the food to be as beautiful to look at as it is delicious to eat. In Japan, presentation is everything when it comes to food, and I think that Italians, who are some of the most visual people in the world, know beauty when they see it, no more so than when it’s on the plate. 

True, often the Japanese food being served in Italy is a pale imitation of the real thing, and can’t even compare. But in a country this protective of its own food and suspicious of foreign fare, it is a testament to both cultures that the food of one people is so popular with another.

Long may this continue, and I look forward to the day when I convince an Italian to take a bite into a Scotch egg and say: Not bad.

If you're looking for good, affordable Japanese food in Milan, I can recommend a few places that my partner (who spent over a year living in Japan) and I love:

  • Mi-Ramen: So far the best ramen we have had in the city. One sip sent us both straight back to Tokyo. I recommend starting with the gyoza, which were the perfect combination of crispy on the outside and fresh on the inside.
     
  • Maido: Don't miss the okonomiyaki at this restaurant that specializes in Japanese street food.
     
  • Casa Ramen: Small but authentic menu, with a good starter option of steamed buns. The ramen was very good, but the only drawback is that it doesn't take reservations.
     
  • Osaka: For something fancier, try this traditional restaurant that's popular with Japanese expats.

Liam OConnor is an English teacher in Italy. Originally from the UK, he moved to Carpi in Emilia-Romagna and now lives in Milan.

This article was first published in 2018.

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FOOD AND DRINK

What to do (and avoid) when paying a restaurant bill in Italy

If you have plans for dinner out in Italy, here's a look at the etiquette over the bill - from where and how to pay to the culture around tipping.

What to do (and avoid) when paying a restaurant bill in Italy

If you go out to eat in Italy, then there are a few things you should know about paying the bill afterwards.

This sounds like it should be straightforward, but the etiquette may differ from your home country.

Uncertainty around how it all works in Italy leads some visitors to worry about causing offence, or to wonder if they’ve been overcharged (which is thankfully rare, although it does happen.)

But becoming familiar with a few local norms should make dining out in Italy a stress-free experience.

How to ask for the bill – When you’re ready, try to catch the waiter’s eye and ask for the bill (possiamo avere il conto?). You can always ask for the bill while they clear your plates.

Unless you’re in a very busy or touristy place the bill is not usually presented until you ask for it – this is deliberate, as Italian waiters normally don’t like to hurry their customers and once you’ve finished dinner it’s perfectly OK to linger and chat over the dregs of the wine.

If you’re in a place that runs two service periods at night (usually one at around 7.30pm and one at 9pm) then you may be asked to clear your table by a certain time, but this should be made clear to you when you book or when you arrive. 

If it’s getting late and the place is emptying out the waiter may bring over the bill and ask you to pay so they can close up the till – but they’re not necessarily saying that you have to leave. If they start stacking up chairs, however, then that’s your cue to go home.

What to expect on the bill – On top of the cost of your food and drink, in many places you can expect to see an extra fee for coperto, or a cover/table charge, on your Italian restaurant bill.

Coperto is a a fixed fee which is charged by restaurants in Italy on a per-person basis, in addition to the price of food and drinks, to cover expenses for washing or replacing cutlery, plates, napkins and tablecloths used by customers.

The coperto charge only applies to seated customers (both children and adults), meaning that you won’t have it tacked onto a takeaway order – and should definitely complain if you do.

READ ALSO: ‘A rip-off’: Should you really get mad about Italy’s table charge?

It’s usually around €2-€4 per person, but can rise as high as €10 or even €15 per person at major tourist sites such as Venice’s Piazza San Marco or right next to Milan’s Duomo cathedral.

Coperto has been banned by regional law throughout Lazio since 2006, so you shouldn’t see it listed on your bill in a Rome restaurant, though it may be snuck in in the form of an extra charge for bread (pane) or service (servizio).

There’s nothing illegal about charging these fees, and a restaurant could in theory add all three to your bill – but they must be clearly listed on the menu or price board, and you can refuse bread when it’s brought to your table so you don’t have to pay an extra charge for pane.

Where to pay the bill – One major difference between Italy and other countries is that many restaurants – usually more casual ones – will expect you to walk up to the cash register to pay the bill.

This means that once you feel ready to go you can just walk up and pay at the counter, rather than waiting for the bill.

You can always double check with the server by asking paghiamo qui o alla cassa? (do we pay here or at the counter?)

In many cases, the answer will be ‘either’ so it’s really up to you – but be prepared to wait a while for both your bill and your change if you want to pay at the table.

Tourists sit in the shade of umbrellas at an open-air restaurant on a street in central Rome, on July 19 2022. Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP.

How to split the bill – If you dined with a friend or friends, then you may want to split the bill. Some Italian restaurants use smart tablets that allow servers to click each of the items you ordered and then inform you of exactly how much you owe individually, while others will expect you to do the maths yourself. 

The waiter will likely ask how you want to pay (come volete pagare?). In response, you and your friend can tell the waiter vogliamo dividere il conto (we want to split the bill) once they come out with the card reader.

READ ALSO: How to spot the Italian restaurants to avoid

If you want to split it, you can say possiamo dividerlo in three/cinque? (can we split it three ways/divide it by five?). If there’s two of you can also say paghiamo metà a testa.

If you don’t want to do an equal split – let’s say your friend had the bistecca alla fiorentina and was drinking wine while you had a salad and a water – you can just do the maths yourself and then tell the server exactly how much you want to put on each card when they come out with the card machine.

How to leave a tip – Italian wait staff aren’t reliant on tips to get by like they are in many parts of the US. As is the case elsewhere in Europe, they are paid a standard wage and tips are viewed as an added, and optional, extra.

Italians may tell you they rarely leave a tip, or only do so if service was exceptional.

While tipping is always appreciated, then, it’s entirely at the customer’s discretion (beyond ‘servizio’ charges on the bill).

READ ALSO: When and how much should I tip in Italy?

If you don’t see servizio listed on the bill, you might want to leave one or two extra euros per person, and if there’s a group of you paying the bill together, you’d want to round up to at least the nearest five.

If you’re paying by card, bear in mind that not many places will be able to add a tip to the card payment – so you might want to carry some change or small notes so you are able to leave something behind.

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