FROM LATIN LOVER TO VENETIAN LIVER: THE DEVALUATION OF THE ITALIAN MALE.

Italian men were once worshiped and adored by foreign women. Sadly it is no longer the case.  According to a poll by Vie del Gusto, 8 out of 10 women who come to Italy don’t fall for the courtship of flirty Italian men.  The Latin Lover has lost his touch. Literally. Remember those pinches on Roman buses?  Forget them. The only thing that might get pinched these days is your wallet.

The downfall began with an article by the Guardian where a woman calls Italian men “MAMMONI”, a man excessively attached to the mother. In other words, a mama’s boy, or “mummy’s boy” as the British put it. (The Guardian May 14, 2002).

In 2007, to further downgrade the Italian male ego, the then Economic Minister Padoa Schioppa described italian me as “BAMBOCCIONI”, literally, infants, babies. Young men who behave childishly and can’t take care of themselves, that is, spoiled brats.

The tipping point, however, came in October 2012 when Italian Welfare Minister Elsa Fornero insinuated that Italian young men are “CHOOSY”.  No need for translation. It means just that, choosy.  She meant it in the sense that Italian men, instead of settling for any kind of job, passively wait for their ideal job.  This caused an uproar all over Italy, and rightly so. There aren’t any jobs in Italy, young people send out hundreds of CVs monthly without ever getting so much as one reply.  Once upon a time, we in Italy would see job advertisements in newspapers such as “Cercasi segretaria bella presenza, massimo 25 anni” (Wanted good-looking secretary, maximum 25 years of age”.  Pathetic but at least young girls could get jobs. Now even those ads have disappeared, there are no job offers.  You can’t get a job even if you’ve got money, connections and recommendations all put together!

So, what is our Italian sex god, stripped of his Latin Lover status, going to do to seduce women?  He’s going to COOK for them!

Gastrosexuals have been around for years , (Jamie Oliver, Buddy, Anthony Bardain, Nick Stellino etc.)  but only now they are appearing on the Italian scene, notably Carlo Cracco and Mattia Nicoletti (see article by Francesca Gambarini in A (Anna) November 29, 2012). Due to the economic crisis, more and more women are joining the work force (if they are lucky to find a job) and they don’t want to have anything to do with cooking.  This is where our Gastrosexual Italian ex-macho comes in, ready to cook and conquer the woman’s heart.  Perhaps with the world-renowned Fegato alla Veneziana.  Venetian liver.

BUSIATE AL PESTO TRAPANESE….SICILIAN BUSIATE WITH TRAPANI-STYLE PESTO

BUSIATE AL PESTO TRAPANESE....SICILIAN BUSIATE WITH TRAPANI-STYLE PESTO

This is a characteristic dish of Trapani, the busiate are also typical of Trapani. It’s a very simple and easy dish to make. Boil the busiate, or any short pasta, cook them al dente. For the sauce you need: 500 g tomatoes; 4-5 garlic cloves; salt, to taste; a few basil leaves; pecorino cheese, grated; extravergin olive oil

mash the garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle, then add the basil, and continue mashing; add tomatoes, olive oil and the sauce is ready.

Pour the sauce on top of the cooked pasta, add pecorino cheese and….BUON APPETITO!