The McItaly burger

The first time I went to Italy, I was on a group tour & among the others was a youngish couple who seemed to have been planted there just to annoy the rest of us. There's someone like that in every crowd. The minute we stepped off the train in Florence, they spotted a McDonald's and they were off like a shot, the wife shrieking, "I gotta have a Big Mac!" At the time, it seemed almost embarassing for the rest of us: what could reinforce the "ugly American" stereotype more than two loudmouths running off for a Big Mac? Now it just seems kind of funny. Frankly, if they hadn't been so obnoxious otherwise, maybe I wouldn't have thought all that much about them going for a burger. I'll even admit to being intrigued by the McToast that I saw on all the signs in Rome & Florence... what could have been in something called McToast? A mystery that remains unsolved.

I was reminded of that instance recently when I saw the news about the McItaly burger, one of the many country-specific items that McDonald's introduces on a regular basis to appeal to the tastes of the local market. It's controversial for 2 reasons: first, the mere fact that it's from McDonald's and second, the Italian minister of agriculture, Luca Zaia, has been promoting it publicly. It seems that everything about the McItaly is 100% Italian, from the bun to the meat to the artichokes & Asiago cheese in between, and Mr. Zaia contends that this is a good thing for the Italian farmers and food producers who supply the ingredients. The Slow Food organization in Italy is appalled, just as they were years ago when McDonald's opened its first Italian location at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome. The gourmets abroad (or do they call themselves foodies now?) are appalled, most prominent among them the food critic of the politically liberal UK Guardian, whose editorial lament was answered in no uncertain terms by the politically conservative Italian minister. That little spat ran something like this: the Guardian writer claimed that it's the downfall of Western civilization and the Italian minister retorted by comparing food critics and other self-styled arbiters of high culture to Stalin's communist thugs. There's plenty about this silliness online, but for a clear-headed analysis (and a link to the Guardian article if you're curious) look here: http://www.chow.com/blog/2010/02/the-mcitaly-mccontroversy/ (unfortunately I can't get the hyperlink to work).

I was raised on Italian food and not the kind you necessarily find in a restaurant, either here or in Italy, and when I've been there, I've eaten in every sort of place from elegant restaurants to the kitchens of my relatives. I'll be the first one to say that Italian food is the best stuff on earth but I have no patience with snobbery in any form, especially when it comes to food. The fuss over the McItaly is ironic because Italian cuisine is overwhelmingly peasant food, the simple things that fed working people. Sort of like hamburgers (okay, maybe a good fresh one from a diner & not a Big Mac)? I also resent certain assumptions about my country and my culture but that's another story. Yes, I'm an American and yes, I like a burger once in a while - and so do my Italian friends & relatives. In fact, my cousin Steffy ate practically nothing but burgers and pancakes in the 2 weeks that she was here.

Italy and the rest of the world are in no danger from McDonald's. The lowest number of McDonald's per capita are in Italy. I really doubt that most Italians really care one way or the other because they don't go there - it's considered a place for kids and tourists. While this tourist has never eaten in an Italian McDonald's, the McItaly would tempt me. Actually, it looks pretty good... and maybe I'll even find out about McToast.