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Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

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Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#71

Post by nilkn »

phil248 wrote: post #57
tranced wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm grateful, as an American, that we have access to so many different cultures and cuisines. It's the one thing I missed sorely when I was travelling across Europe. You're right on the label though, Italian American =/= Italian in the same vein that Chipotle/Taco Bell isn't Mexican. However, there are plenty of institutions in the states that do nail a more purist experience of Mexican or Italian or what have you.

Italian-American cuisine, including places like Buca di Beppo, are absolutely not in the same vein as Taco Bell or Chipotle. Italian-American cuisine is a unique part of a culture that arose organically from millions of Italian immigrants and their children in the United States. Taco Bell and Chipotle are culture-less money-making ventures with superficial ties to a foreign cuisine. Tex Mex or Cajun cuisine would be…

Is there really such a thing as culture-less food? The fact that Taco Bell, for instance, has struggled so much in some international markets suggests there might be a stronger cultural element to it than you’re giving it credit for. Yes, it’s a business that exists to make money. But the fact that it does make money is because the food connects with millions of people in the US.

There’s something very unique about the US, which is that we’re taught from a young age that “culture” is something that other places have and the US is just a melting pot. But you can’t mix things together for 200+ years and still seriously claim you haven’t created something just as unique as the ingredients that went into it.

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#72

Post by evolvedcleaning »

detaro wrote: post #18
evolvedcleaning wrote: post #17

How is this relevant on hacker news?

Apparently it gratified someone's intellectual curiosity. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

I may be an Apple user who is interested in such movies as the goonies at the matrix but I’m not going to open an Italian restaurant called iBuca. I just don’t feel the article has enough intellectual relevance to be on the front page of happiness

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#73

Post by dreamcompiler »

Back in the mid 90s my colleagues and I from the warm southern US found ourselves on the freezing winter streets of downtown Minneapolis after dark. We had brought coats but were still quite unprepared for 10 below zero F. As we wandered around looking for a place to eat, we spied a small well-lit door leading down to a basement. The waitress saw us, threw open the door, and said "You get in here. You're about to freeze to death!"

Whereupon we had one of the best and most welcoming meals I remember. That was my introduction to Buca di Beppo, and no matter what anyone says about it, I will always be fond of the place because it saved our lives that cold winter night.

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#74

Post by jjeaff »

dreamcompiler wrote: post #73

Back in the mid 90s my colleagues and I from the warm southern US found ourselves on the freezing winter streets of downtown Minneapolis after dark. We had brought coats but were still quite unprepared for 10 below zero F. As we wandered around looking for a place to eat, we spied a small well-lit door leading down to a basement. The waitress saw us, threw open the door, and said "You get in here. You're about to fre…

It's amazing how much context, atmosphere, hunger, environment, etc affect our perception of food.

My most favorite and memorable meals ever were little, low quality places that I hate after coming back from long treks through the wilderness, or even the meals cooked while on those treks. As well as many places my wife and I ate on our honeymoon.

And I have been to a fair number of excellent restaurants including michellin starred ones.

It seems unlikely that those places were actually that good (probably the same as your buccas experience). And I have returned to some of them under different circumstances and not found them particularly amazing.

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#75

Post by AjithAntony »

cowmoo728 wrote: post #4
apo wrote: post #2

> Roberts saw an opportunity not just to re-create those bygone red sauce joints, but to present the most exaggerated, over-the-top version of them, to create an environment where people could feel totally comfortable—as he describes it, "... I wanted a restaurant people could look down on.” > > He wanted the decor to be tacky, the portions to be enormous, the atmosphere to be boisterous. He figured it didn’t matter…

Cheesecake Factory? They're famous for having terrible decor, service, and food, yet somehow being an essential part of the American high school prom experience. https://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/dude-goes-viral-for...

Wow, I must be pretty unsophisticated. I always thought cheesecake factory was a fancy place. I guess being located at the fancy retail mall must have colored my perception.

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#77

Post by brandonmenc »

monksy wrote: post #61
brandonmenc wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

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

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.

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#78

Post by brandonmenc »

Stratoscope wrote: post #59
tschwimmer wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 indicato…

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!

> 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.

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#79

Post by mgarfias »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #52
dsr_ wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Olive Garden's appeal in Times Square is the same as McDonald's: you're in a strange place, but you know what you can expect to find inside, and you know your kids will eat it while you have a glass of mediocre wine.

FWIW, if you go to McDonald's in some foreign countries you will be in for a shock as they serve many region-specific items. (Though in Paris, it's a pleasant shock, it's mostly the same but all of the food is better/healthier.) Source: Yes, I traveled to the capital of a country known explicitly for it's exquisite food and did patronize a McDonald's.

i stopped in at one in new zealand for shits and grins. got some sorta tandoori wtfever chicken thing. it was vile. but it was exploring the unknown known.

also: walmarts in mexico are a step up from the ones in the us.

Re: Buca di Beppo, America’s Most Postmodern Red Sauce Chain

#80

Post by Digory »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #34
cowmoo728 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cheesecake Factory? They're famous for having terrible decor, service, and food, yet somehow being an essential part of the American high school prom experience. https://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/dude-goes-viral-for...

I get so peeved by the treatment of chain restaurants like this as "poor" or "terrible". Because you know what, Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Outback Steakhouse? These are some of the nicest restaurants the average citizen can hope to afford to go to more than once in their lifetime. It isn't going to impress folks who have a personal chef at home, but the food is pretty darn good , and you don't hav…

Every time I go to Cheesecake Factory or Red Lobster, I can always think of better replacements at the same price point.

I think some of it is cultural. Like BdB, these restaurants cater to a little gluttony. Portions are generally HUGE, and there's no disdain for a person who wants a Bloomin' Onion or endless breadsticks. Darden knows how to do an upscale steakhouse; it also knows what draws in thrifty, hardworking people who want overindulgence without pity or scorn.

We recently got dragged to a local outpost of "The Pizza Ranch," a 250+ location chain that serves fried chicken and pizza with wagonwheel decor. The waiting line looked like a casting call for People of Walmart. And that's just it; it's a different market. It's not serving the middle-aged man who wants a well-prepared meal with fresh ingredients.

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