Have It Your Way... Or Not

by Deanna Titzler

When I was a child, there was a popular Burger King commercial that featured the slogan “Have It Your Way… At Burger King.”  The ad highlighted the premise that customers could order their food how they wanted it, and it would be prepared just that way.

As a few of my classmates have encountered this past week in Italy, customers can get what is on the menu with few if any changes.  If the menu item comes with cream sauce, mushrooms, and gnocchi, that is what you order. Do not bother asking for pomodoro (tomato) sauce instead.  It may be frustrating for some, but it does eliminate some of the confusion when ordering food in a foreign language. (It’s also helpful that many restaurants in Italy display their menus on signs outside so you can see what is available before sitting down to order.)

I wonder if the difference between ordering food in America compared to doing so in Italy is because of how menus are created by the chefs, or, instead, because of cultural differences.  As we learned in our intercultural studies program, societies can be classified as either individualist or collectivist.  The United States culture promotes the ideals of individuality.  Perhaps this is why Americans expect to be able to order food at restaurants that fit their specific needs. No onions? No problem.  Hold the mayo? Will do.

But, that is not the case in Italy, where a more collective-based culture exists than that seen in the U.S.  In a collectivist society, people believe what is best for the group is more important than what is best for the individual, with equality given higher merit than personal freedoms. If you don’t want the pasta with cream sauce, look elsewhere on the menu to find something else that fits your needs.  The food may not taste like that available in Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill back home, but you can sense it has been put together with attention to the ingredients rather than the individual consumers.