Italy which is the only European Union country that is truly fighting back against Islam, has now banned any new ethnic food outlets from opening. The reason being is that they want to protect their culture. What novel idea.
Hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance
January 31, 2009
Italy bans kebabs and foreign food from cities
Richard Owen in Rome
The tomato comes from Peru and spaghetti was probably a gift from China.
It is, though, the “foreign” kebab that is being kicked out of Italian cities as it becomes the target of a campaign against ethnic food, backed by the centre-right Government of Silvio Berlusconi.
The drive to make Italians eat Italian, which was described by the Left and leading chefs as gastronomic racism, began in the town of Lucca this week, where the council banned any new ethnic food outlets from opening within the ancient city walls.
Yesterday it spread to Lombardy and its regional capital, Milan, which is also run by the centre Right. The antiimmigrant Northern League party brought in the restrictions “to protect local specialities from the growing popularity of ethnic cuisines”.
Luca Zaia, the Minister of Agriculture and a member of the Northern League from the Veneto region, applauded the authorities in Lucca and Milan for cracking down on nonItalian food. “We stand for tradition and the safeguarding of our culture,” he said.
Mr Zaia said that those ethnic restaurants allowed to operate “whether they serve kebabs, sushi or Chinese food” should “stop importing container loads of meat and fish from who knows where” and use only Italian ingredients.
Asked if he had ever eaten a kebab, Mr Zaia said: “No – and I defy anyone to prove the contrary. I prefer the dishes of my native Veneto. I even refuse to eat pineapple.”
Mehmet Karatut, who owns one of four kebab shops in Lucca, said that he used Italian meat only.
Davide Boni, a councillor in Milan for the Northern League, which also opposes the building of mosques in Italian cities, said that kebab shop owners were prepared to work long hours, which was unfair competition.
“This is a new Lombard Crusade against the Saracens,” La Stampa, the daily newspaper, said. The centre-left opposition in Lucca said that the campaign was discrimination and amounted to “culinary ethnic cleansing”.
Vittorio Castellani, a celebrity chef, said: “There is no dish on Earth that does not come from mixing techniques, products and tastes from cultures that have met and mingled over time.”
He said that many dishes thought of as Italian were, in fact, imported. The San Marzano tomato, a staple ingredient of Italian pasta sauces, was a gift from Peru to the Kingdom of Naples in the 18th century. Even spaghetti, it is thought, was brought back from China by Marco Polo, and oranges and lemons came from the Arab world.
Mr Castellani said that the ban reflected growing intolerance and xenophobia in Italy. It was also a blow to immigrants who make a living by selling ethnic food, which is popular because of its low cost. There are 668 ethnic restaurants in Milan, a rise of nearly 30 per cent in one year.
The centre Right won national elections in April last year partly because of alarm about crime and immigration. This week there was a series of attacks on immigrants in bars and shops after the arrest of six Romanians accused of gang-raping an Italian girl in the Rome suburb of Guidonia.
Filippo Candelise, a Lucca councillor, said: “To accuse us of racism is outrageous. All we are doing is protecting the culinary patrimony of the town."
Massimo Di Grazia, the city spokesman, said that the ban was intended to improve the image of the city and to protect Tuscan products. “It targets McDonald’s as much as kebab restaurants,” he added.
There is confusion, however, over what is meant by ethnic. Mr Di Grazia said that French restaurants would be allowed. He was unsure, though, about Sicilian cuisine. It is influenced by Arab cooking.
Link to Article
9 comments:
No doubt the muz will whine. Who cares? I applaud Italy for taking a stand and sticking to it. The sooner all the European countries begin deporting this muz infestation and start cleaning up their streets and neighborhoods, the better off all of Europe will be.
Oriana Fallaci pointed out that the presence halal foods and halal markets is a sign that the Moslem population in any given geographical area is reaching critical mass for the further push of Islamification.
I believe the above was pointed out in her book The Rage and the Pride.
I am not an an Italian, I love the beauty of their woman, their anchient culture, their beautiful histories, and I am an avid consumer of their food.Now, as we see that the dogs( muslims), come in and try to undo every culture they come in contact with! I am 100% infavor of what Italy is doing. As a matter of fact, I would like to see Italy persecute the muslims like they used to treat the Gypsy's in Europe during the first half of the twentieth century. Italy,please do not let the world influence you against the way you are proceeding anginst the Muslim scum that is trying to invade your country and destroy your culture.Hang in there!!!!....Tom
Tom, Italy is too Catholic and will not fall to Islam.
Anonymous:I hope your right!Look at Spain though. How many people were killed? When thje3y should have hunted them down, run them through court, and then execute them;they buckeled!Spain is a catholic country;what happened there.Where is the pope , he should be issuing so fatwas of his own!He has taken a cowardly position on what has been going on. He should stand against muslims everywhere. He is the Catholic leader, and he should be issuing orders to all his Catholic followers to step up to the plate and fight!!As I said, I hope your right.....Tom
My general sentiment was "Right on!" for these activist Italians. Then I thought, an attack on food is not easily defended because eating is universal-- and maybe that is the brilliance of this approach. Unlike many other issues, people cannot ignore food and food choices. This could be a good way to raise awareness, even if it is not a practical solution.
Like saffron, a very small amount can go a long way.
Starvation is UNIVERSAL!!!Specially prepard cultural cuisines,from ethnic is not!!!So go for it Italy, destroy their businesses, run them out of your country. Down the road you will be glad you did....Tom
This true, tom.
Muslims try to destroy all other cultures and force theirs.
When Islam invaded Egypt, the Muslim ruler, othman ib Affan, issued a law that any one who speaks Coptic (the original language of the Egyptians at that time) his/her tongue to be cut off.
You can imagine how many tongues have been cut off!!!!
This is Islam.
Food importing may be the case here but even if they use Italian ingredients it looks like they have it rough. I live in northern Italy and ejoy a kebab every now and then. Do you want to eat the same thing day in and day out? There is a reason food in this country is so good. They have mingled/conquered many countries in the past and enjoyed their cuisine. They brought different ingredients into their culture and used some of it as their own as stated in the post. The most popular dishes in cuisine use ingredients from around the world. Where would the U.S. be without pizza? Or any other "imported" foods? Italy will always be a center for fine cuisine no matter how many shops open. It is a choice i believe should be left up to a consumer. If the food sells and they don't shut the doors, why not. Taxes are being paid on the items. If there is a market, sell sell sell. Their "late" night markets are convienient and that is hard to find in Italy. By the way if you want to preserve your culture for yourselves and the rest of the world do it. But remember tourists do not come to Italy to have a kebab. Just so you know a new Hard Rock Cafe opened in Venice 9 April 09 in the square. Can't wait to try it.
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