Italian food misconceptions

This is a brief chapter that will clarify some typical mistakes and misinterpretations of Italian cuisine all around the world.
- We're skipping the famous Pasta Alfredo as we covered it previously.
- The Italian soda is definitely something that has been made up in the States.
- The American "Italian dressing" is another myth to bust. The original Italian dressing is simply extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. You'll find all of these ingredients on the tables of every Italian restaurant, so that anybody can make his/her own dressing.
- In Italy peperoni (yes, with one 'p') means peppers, while salame piccante means pepperoni.
- Italians do not use lots of garlic (especially garlic powder on the pizza) as is commonly thought in the USA. Italians do use garlic alright, but in reasonable proportions.
- Last but not least: you won’t find macaroni and cheese anywhere in Italy. What you’ll find is maccheroni which is one of the hundreds of types of (short) pasta.

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Happy Birthday in Italian (video)

My daughter Silvia has turned 7 and we decided to give her a nice present: a trip to Yosemite National Park to celebrate her birthday with her friend Amanda Maruzzi.
Amanda lives in Milan and was visiting California with the family. For the past 6 consecutive years, the two little girls managed to celebrate this special day together. We decided the tradition should live on.
In this video you'll learn how to sing Happy Birthday (Buon Compleanno) in Italian. Enjoy!

- Can't see the video? Watch it from YouTube
- iPod version (MP4 - 5.3Mb)
- Zune version (WMV - 2.5Mb)

P.S. If you like this video, please leave her a comment here or on YouTube. She loves feedback!