Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/02/05/olive-garden-now-serving-itali.html
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I hate to say it, but that sounds really good.
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Olive Garden, as a gesamstkunstwerk, is piercing exploration of the liminal space between America mocking the rest of the world, and the rest of the world mocking America. In a continuous hive of industry, megatons of industrial starch paste are prepared and distributed, as if to construct some world-spanning fresco, but before the material can congeal, the performers devour it in a spectacle that melds David Copperfield with Hieronymous Bosch. 4/5
Cindy Belphegor’s “Olive Garden” will be on display everywhere until further notice. Admission free, booking may be required at busy times. Free breadsticks
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At some level, the fusion of various cuisines represented here is the essence of America. In both good and bad ways. On the one hand like “french bread pizza” this sounds like it might very well be tasty. The purists hate this, but the real purists are going to regard pizza itself as in-authentic since tomatoes are a new world plant that many people thought were poisonous as recently as ~250 years ago. On the other hand, there is a certain “lowest common denominator” factor going on here.
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Yes, I agree, but I think it should be called different, neither Italian style nor nachos. In Italy the Olivier Salad is called Insalata Russa (Russian salad) but has nothing to do with Russia. A similar russian is called either Italian salad or capital salad.
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"Alfredo Drizzle"
Entire mess is a fat bomb, but that topper of pure fatty yumminess takes the cake.
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'Scuse me, I’m going to the kitchen…
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I used to work at Macaroni Grill and we had Italian Nachos there. I think they were called “bella Napoli” on the menu. They were good, and popular. They had banana peppers though, not jalapenos.
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This might be good somewhere, but I doubt that place is Olive Garden.
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Old Chicago has an italian nachos dish (with RED sauce) and they’re pretty spectacular. A total gutbomb, but they’re spectacular.
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The word nacho comes from a diminutive form of the Spanish name Ignacio. That same name in Italian is Ignazio; therefore, Italian nachos should simply be called nazos.
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Wait… Olive Garden serves Italian food?
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This sounds pretty good, but why not use giardinera instead of plain old jalapeños?
ETA: I’ve done a similar thing on occasion using tortilla chips, mozzarella, and spaghetti sauce, and now I have to remember getting some giardinera as well…
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And I care about this why? Who eats at Olive Garden?
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I for one welcome our new Italian nacho overlords
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I agree. This is just a form of fusion food. It’s no different than the kimchi and beef bulgogi tacos or the Japanese-style hot dogs I see being sold all over LA.
The issue here is related to how Olive Garden refers to itself as an Italian Kitchen while simultaneously inventing distinctly non-Italian cuisine. You can certainly argue that most of the Italian food eaten in the US is not really Italian but Olive Garden takes it to another level with creations like this.
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As long as it is genuinely Alfredo’s drizzle, and not something produced by Bert, the disaffected kitchen dogsbody
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I’m in the same camp; mildly insulted that Olive Garden is trying to pull a culinary fast one, but not so insulted that I wouldn’t cram that tasty-looking thing into my salivating maw.
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