Americanized Italian Cuisine

American restaurants typically care more about making money than setting an atmosphere as opposed to traditional Italian restaurants where the goal is to preserve the experience. Our experience at La Scala was an interesting mix of the fully Americanized culture and the traditional European one, from my experience. American restaurants like Olive Garden tend to be more focused on having a large number of tables and have bright lighting and very open rooms that makes it easier for the waiters to get to customers. The idea in American restaurants is to get through as many customers as possible and most Americans don't want to spend hours eating a dinner and see getting a dinner as less of the activity for a whole evening and more as just a way to get food. La Scala was similar in this regard to American restaurants, but the style of the restaurant with lower lighting, a blackboard with the specials, wine cases clearly visible, black and white photos of the walls, makes the restaurant feel different from what we are used to. Compared to the restaurants in Germany that I have been too, the pace at this restaurant was still faster and the proportions larger. The menu itself was less American as there were no pictures.  Our understanding of Italian restaurants is that the meal is much slower and that there is an idea of many courses. People also assume a more homely atmosphere. I expect that the European restaurants because "as any art form...[eating] renders ordinary, everyday experience comprehensible by presenting it in terms of acts and objects which have their practical consequences removed" (Geertz 79). The focus is less on making money or supporting a large business by going through a large number of customers quickly, and more on the art  and pleasantry of eating a meal. Both the owner and employees work in the restaurant business not to be stressed out and to make money, but to meet people, either newcomers or regulars, and enjoy conversation and community. There is a sense of pride to the whole arrangement and atmosphere, while American restaurants place their prestige on how quickly they can turnover customers. Americans see the meal as less of an art and more of a necessity, something to rush through to enjoy other, separate arts. It would have been meaningful to have seen in person the atmosphere and pride taken by the Italian restaurants, but for now, we simply can only question the American restaurant system and what it means.       


Citations
Geertz, Clifford, and Wesley W. Bates. Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight. Contre Coup       Press, 2008.