My Region's the Only Region

One must be careful when asking Italians for their opinion on things culinary and epicurean.

It's not that they won't give you an honest opinion, but remember this ... it's always an opinion.

Now, on the surface this would seem no different than asking anyone, anywhere their opinion on food and drink. What one needs to factor into the response given my most Italians is that they will automatically rule out just about 100% of any food or drink not made in their region. The only glaring exception to this is the rare Italian who's a "trasferire" or has transferred their residence ... and it's most noticeable when they've moved to a big city, like Rome. Then, you might get an opinion that factors in food and beverage from more than one region ... but then again, maybe not!

There's no deception or deceit intended by their responses. The facts are that they believe, to their core and with every fiber of their being, that the only good food and drink are those produced in their region. And, to emphasize the point, they'll actually give you what appears to be a think-tank researched justification for their recommendations.

"The cheeses in Tuscany are too bland."

"The breads in the south are too dry."

"The wines in the Marche are too sharp."

"The meats in Puglia are too fatty."

And they'll proclaim these opinions and preferences as if they are indisputable facts known round the world. As in, "You mean you didn't know that the food in Lombardy is too rich and therefore unhealthy for you?"

What was I thinking? Of course I knew that, I just forgot.