I think the majority of Brits can say they've given their taste-buds a run for their money. The mere fact that Chicken Tikka Marsala is the most popular dish in the UK confirms this. Whilst not exactly authentic Indian cuisine, it's still an English and Indian fusion. A joint effort and a successful example of experimentation.
Now hold that thought and apply it to the Italians... The last time anyone tried to mess around with their cuisine, there was an outcry and a law passed as a result. Remember the Hawaiian pizza saga? Some ballsy sod tried pineapple on a pizza which turned out to be pretty tasty. The result of which found it's place on many Italian restaurant menus. So why's it so hard to find this sweet but savoury pizza? Because a law has since been passed to ensure that a hawaiian's home is in Hawaii and not an Italian pizza oven.
This Italian aversion to experimentation was highlighted last night, when I suggested that we opted for something other than Italian food for dinner. Daily doses of pasta (sometimes x 2) and rice leaves the foreign palette seeking pleasure elsewhere (if only for a change before once again making pirouettes with your spaghetti). My suggestion was made at 7.30pm. We didn't leave the house until 9.30pm. We didn't eat until 10pm (due to a last minute change-of-heart on route). In between 7.30pm and 10pm, menus were perused online (thank god for the web), questions asked (is the food spicy, is the fish raw, is the food fried/roasted...?) and reassuring promises made (on my part) of edibility. With all this taken into consideration, the conclusion was Chinese. Similar in the sense that the cuisine is based on rice and noodles (near enough to spaghetti), all parties felt that this was the safest option (Japanese contained raw fish and Indian was too spicy).
So we set out, a group of dawdling Italians, to conquer China... and then we made a diversion to America. A sign to an American Diner proved too enticing to my intrepid explorers (burgers, sandwiched in bread, loosely resemble paninis and chips are universally accepted, even in Italy). 'As seen on TV' this food might be plastic, but to the unadventurous Italian, safety comes first.
