I'm always super cognizant of folks who dismiss the culture of some diasporic group as less valid than the people still in their motherland. I think it says a LOT about you if you think cultures can only be valid and develop on native soil, rather than being something people carry away and adapt.
(This thought brought to you by reading someone insist "Italian" American food is somehow just a cheap knockoff of "real Italian food." Genuinely I hope they choke on a pasta shape they can't name. Strozzapreti would make a poetic choice.)
Feb 4, 2026 00:10Italian emigrants weren't the richest people and didn't bring the fanciest recipes to wherever they settled. And even most Italians in Italy didn't have the kind of food access they have now during the 19th century or even the early 20th century. So nobody needs to be on a high horse.
