Jamie Oliver: Cracking a Regionalized Culinary Italian Mindset

Until last week, I'd never heard of Jamie Oliver. Stumbling and flipping through channels during the intermission of a hockey playoff game, I landed on the foodnetwork where British Chef Jamie Oliver (a British chef? Who knew?) was in Italy in search of true and pure rustic regional Italian cooking; Italy is regional on many social levels. The episode intrigued me since I not only cook but also consider myself a purist in the Italian kitchen. Brave kid. I had to watch.

It's difficult for North Americans to get into an Italian mindset when it comes to demanding refinement. We're not a society devoted to food. It's more a chore in our day. We often, in some cases, eat like depraved gluttons.

It's in Italy where I came to observe a dietary habit that was subtle in its near perfection. Everything from the times they eat to how they serve and compliment their food, Italians know what they're doing. So subtle even world famous chefs who regard Italian cuisine as simplistic overlook it. Until they pay closer attention.

I have often lamented about how I wish people would spend a week in an Italian village. There they would learn to appreciate that food is a serious part of the human experience. They would also come to see why the sophisticated culinary diet of Italy is first rate. It's not all about spaghetti and meatballs. In some parts of Italy rice is consumed more. Betcha you didn't know that, eh?

Jamie Oliver learnt what I learned the first time I went to Italy. There are laws of food to observe. Just like there are natural and economic laws, there are culinary laws. Not in the haughty French manner (a society first introduced to high cuisine by Catherine De Medici who was known as L'Italienne in France) but in an understated Italian way. When it comes to food, tasteful conservatism and minimalism prevails.

In any event, you can't just mix and match ingredients. Fusion cuisine is all the rage and trend among chefs and diners these days; but don't tell that to the Italians. In fact, it's what frustrated Oliver during the show. He explained that while he wished he had been born Italian, he could not understand their utter stubbornness and lack of open-mindedness when it comes to different interpretations of cooking. He submitted that the British were more open to other cuisine's whereas the Italians were less predisposed to try, say, Thai food.

He's right. On the other hand, it's easy for nations without a national diet or cuisine to be open. Then again, while the McDonald's experience has been lukewarm in Italy at best, it seems to be doing fine in France - a people with a long established culinary heritage. Extending into other cultures, it would be interesting to see the results in places like Lebanon, Japan and China. I deliberately leave out the regional Mediterranean diet at large in the interest of time. Suffice to acknowledge the region has often been regarded to have a healthy lifestyle and diet plays the largest role.

I digress. For years, I wondered about Oliver's astute comment. Simplistically, therein lies why Italy is, well, Italy. If they weren't so single-minded and devoted to their art, they would cease to be Italian. It's a trade off of sorts. Italy is one of the last of the Mohicans among nations (especially among the G7) in that artisanship and craftsmanship of the highest quality -whether in shoes, machinery or furniture making and of course food - prevails. In economics they call it opportunity costs. Sure, Italy could attempt to mass-produce in their typical chaotic fashion to make more money but that would not be fair to the rest of us. Italy remains a land ruled by dynasties who focus on one or two products and master its contents; just like how Charlie Parker mastered the saxophone without ever reading a single note; it's in the Italian blood to make beautiful things.

Though not the first, I'm glad Jamie Oliver educated and brought Italian cooking to its roots. Italian know-how takes a backseat to no one. He evidently underestimated the will of how Italians do things. He did a great job - and service - from where I stand. I'm sure Italians would approve.