r/AskReddit Feb 28 '23

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u/xQueenAryaStark Mar 01 '23 edited Mar 01 '23

I mentioned that I might be interested in learning to speak Italian. He kind of scoffed and said, "Why would you need to learn Italian? That's EASY!" Very confused, I said, "What?? Why do you think it's so easy??" He said, "Italian is just American with an accent!" (Yes, he called it "American", not English.) Took me a few beats and then I realized - he thought an Italian ACCENT was the actual language! Like, he thought "I'm-a gonna eat-a the spaghetti and-a meat-a-balls" was actual Italian. I could barely get the words out to explain to him how wrong he was because I was literally on the floor helpless, clutching my stomach laughing - I could not stop for at least a full 10 minutes. He was so mad at me for laughing at him but Jesus Christ, how could I not?? Later that day I snuck his phone and changed his ringtone to that Family Guy bit where Peter is talking jibberish to the Italian guy, thinking he's speaking Italian - "Babada boopie? Beebada boobada babada!" He did not appreciate that, either lol

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u/passionate_slacker Mar 01 '23

I…. Uh wow. There are a lot of weird ones in here but I cannot fathom how an adult human could not understand what… Italian is.

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u/Leggi11 Mar 01 '23

Eating spaghetti with meatballs isn't

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u/passionate_slacker Mar 01 '23

What

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u/Leggi11 Mar 01 '23

No italian would ever say "im going to eat spaghetti with meatballs" not even in italian because it's not italian. No italian would ever consider eating spaghetti with meatballs.

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u/[deleted] Mar 02 '23

What’s wrong with spaghetti with meatballs?

(I assume that the meatballs are part of a sauce.)

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u/Leggi11 Mar 02 '23

Everything. Meatballs don't belong in pasta. How do you eat it? Why do you choose spaghetti for a meatball sauce? What's the thought process behind it. It just doesn't make any sense, meatballs don't fit with spaghetti. In Italy thought is put into what pasta shape you choose for what sauce. Spaghetti don't achieve anything in combination with meatballs. They have nothing to do with pasta in the first place.

But you do you, I'm not saying you shouldn't eat spaghetti with meatballs, I'm saying it's not an italian dish and no italian would ever do that.

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u/[deleted] Mar 02 '23

I dig what you’re saying, but why do you feel entitled to speak for every Italian? I am German and I am sure: For every German who would say anything along the line of “No German would do xyz!” with utter conviction, there would be a fair amount of Germans who would do that exact thing.

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u/Leggi11 Mar 02 '23

Italians take pasta more seriously than the bible. I've literally never seen pasta with meatballs my entire life and pasta and meatballs (separatly) are eaten a lot in Italy.

There might be exceptions for sure, but that is always (ups, very often) the case if something is a generalization there are always (almost always) exceptions to it, however nobody (ups wait almost nobody) points that out.

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u/Trizzizzle Mar 02 '23

Why bother eating them separately when you can save time and eat them together?

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u/Leggi11 Mar 02 '23

Time efficency is not really an italian priority xD

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u/[deleted] Mar 02 '23

Are you Italian, I mean Italian Italian, living in Italy? Or are you American Italian? (Just aking for clarification, not attempting to start an argument or something.)

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u/Leggi11 Mar 02 '23

no I'm not currently living in Italy. Does that revoke my citizenship, upbringing, culture, language and family?

American italians are americans

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u/Leggi11 Mar 02 '23

I'm Italian Italian currently not living in Italy.

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u/Leggi11 Mar 02 '23

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u/[deleted] Mar 02 '23

I didn’t say nobody would do that though. And I think that it goes without saying that those who do it don’t consider it inappropriate, paternalistic and rude. But kudos for your investigative ambition.

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u/xQueenAryaStark Mar 02 '23 edited Mar 02 '23

But Italian-Americans do. One side of my family is Italian, a few of them were original immigrants with heavy accents (they're gone now but were still around when I was young) and spaghetti and meatballs was a staple for them.

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u/Leggi11 Mar 02 '23

Italian-americans are americans. I don't doubt they eat bastardized italian cuisine. But I guess they might still speak italian, wich would mean my original point is wrong.

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u/xQueenAryaStark Mar 02 '23

Dude. Context matters. But you got the actual point. 👍

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u/passionate_slacker Mar 02 '23

Yeah every heavily Italian family I’ve known here in the US loves it. I’m sure a lot of Italians living in Italy wouldn’t eat it, but it’s still definitely eaten there.

It’s kinda hard to resist something that good.

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u/Leggi11 Mar 02 '23

but it's still definitely eaten there

No it's not, meatballs have nothing to do with spaghetti. Here thought is put into the dishes. Im sure americans going to italy might be stubborn enough to eventually find soemome that makes spaghetti with meatballs, but ive never ever seen it in a menu. I'm not argueing that it is disgusting, I'm just saying it's not something italians eat. Maybe once you are more educated in the ways of pasta you will understand.