[bpolverini]

As an Italian-American, this explains why every time I go to a Buca di Beppo, I feel like I'm in some kind of merger between a mediocre Italian restaurant and a minstrel show. To those of us who grew up in this culture, it's ridiculous (almost bordering on offensive). Thankfully, I grew up in communities where the Italian's could proudly go to other restaurants that were more respectful of a 3,000 year old culture.

It's tough to feel proud of what Buca di Beppo has done to popularize Italian-American culture in the same way it's tough to feel proud of the movie The Godfather. We aren't all mobsters and we don't all have giant busts of the Pope and cherubs in our houses. Some of us are just computer scientists who like basil.

[brandonmenc]

> To those of us who grew up in this culture, it's ridiculous (almost bordering on offensive).

Both of my parents are half Italian-American, and that's the tradition in which I was raised.

My relatives who actually came off the boat loved Buca di Beppo. And Olive Garden, etc. (Of course we all know it's not as good as home cooking, but who cares when you just want something fast.)

Honestly, Italian-Americans have no one to blame but ourselves for exalting gangster culture and caricatures. We love that stuff.

[monksy]

BUT WHY?! That's just concerning. (After eating at places in Italy, you miss that italian cooking.. no mushy overcooked pasta)

[brandonmenc]

Does McDonalds make the best hamburger? Does Taco Bell make the best burrito? Does Pizza Hut make the best pizza?

No, but I still eat at every single one of them all the time.

If I'm in flyover country, nothing beats the $19 Tuscan Steak at Olive Garden. Maybe some day I'll go to Italy and then never eat "fake" Italian food ever again, but I doubt it.

[luckydata]

speak for yourself?

[mwfunk]

I could almost tolerate it, might even enjoy it sometimes, but eating there is just excruciating to me. For some reason they all seem to be optimized for loudness. Buca di Beppo really wants you to feel like you’re always surrounded by huge groups of people having comically loud conversations, but that’s one of the last things I want from a restaurant, or any public place really.

[thfuran]

Loudness in restaurants seems to be hip right now. It also has been shown to correlate positively with both alcohol consumption and table turnover, so it might not be going anywhere soon.

[brandonmenc]

> Buca di Beppo really wants you to feel like you’re always surrounded by huge groups of people having comically loud conversations

Welcome to an Italian-American kitchen at dinner time. I think this is what they're aiming for.

[tschwimmer]

I'm glad I found someone that feels that same way. I used to walk by a BdB on my way to work and I couldn't help but notice the horribly stereotypical cartoon they use as their mascot.[0] My thought experiment for this image is: Imagine how this type of caricature looks like for pretty much any other genre of restaurant (Chinese food, sushi, burritos, etc). It's probably super offensive. To me, that's a good indicator that this caricature is offensive too.

[0] https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/06/d7/fd/30/...

[Stratoscope]

Aw, she reminds me of my mom, right down to the hair curlers!

My mom passed away many years ago, but I'm pretty sure she would have found it funny. She loved that kitschy stuff!

[brandonmenc]

> I'm pretty sure she would have found it funny

Exactly!

I think Italian-Americans see "cultural appropriation", caricature, non-Italians portraying Italians in movies, etc as part of the process of integration.

If someone with no Italian heritage wants to open up a pizza shop or sell pasta and put a big statue of Mario in front, go right ahead! If it's good, we'll eat there.

You know who made the best pizzelles in my family - by far? My mom's Irish-German stepfather.

[hopler]

You don't own the Italian-American experience anymore than anyone else does. Feel free to enjoy your basil.

[giardini]

tpolverini says>"Some of us are just computer scientists who like basil."

Well, you can open a restaurant named "Computer Scientists Who Like Basil" but I ain't gonna be one of your customers until I see lines queuing up!8-)

tpolverini says>"respectful"? "bordering on offensive"? "proud"? "it's tough to feel proud of the movie The Godfather", "I grew up in communities where the Italians could proudly go to other restaurants that were more respectful of a 3,000 year old culture."

Heck, that's nuthin'! I grew up in communities where you could proudly go to restaurants serving food that _was_ 3,000 years old, judging by the taste! I'll take Italian-American any day!

Jeez! Lighten up a little bit! The economy runs on entertainment. And if we can't laugh at each other and at ourselves then we're lost. That's the original and cheapest entertainment.

[Later: Hey! Hey! Why the downvote? You guys got no sense of humor? C'mon, help me out here, I'm dyin'!]

[kjdndisneinj]

It's cultural appropriation, and it's understandable you feel it's silly or offensive. Part of what makes it uncomfortable is the appropriation of culture for little more than vapid monetary gain. Like you said, it's not contributing to Americans' understanding of Italian culture---if anything it's hurting it with silly stereotypes.

Interestingly, if someone was criticizing the appropriation of an indigenous or asian culture, there is little chance it would be this highly upvoted on HN. I think this is a worthwhile lesson for the community.