PJ Tucker dropped a wild take on Italian food
Sixers utility man and legend of the game PJ Tucker sat down with the Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes for an in-depth interview, and boy, did it not disappoint. The whole thing is full of great stories, which I highly recommend you check out here. The conversation spanned every stop of his career, and the food he ate in each location was a key aspect of the piece, which allowed him to drop one of the hottest Italian food takes of all time.
In the interview, PJ Tucker claimed Italian food in America is better than Italian food in Italy:
Well, first of all, no. But I absolutely see where he’s coming from.
Italian food in America is of a far narrower scope than what they eat in Italy. I follow an Italian cooking page on Instagram, and I saw some dude put a layer of mashed potatoes on some ciabatta and call it a meal. That stuff doesn’t fly around these parts.
Italian-American food has been perfected for an American audience by Italian-Americans but isn’t something everyone can make well. When meatballs, gravy, and braciole are done right, it’s a truly transformative experience.
Of course, there are the upscale spots serving more experimental fare that’s more in line with what is being served in the Old Country, but that’s not what people think of when someone mentions Italian food.
I saw so many people jump on PJ Tucker calling him uncultured for that take. The man literally played hoops overseas in Germany, Israel, and Ukraine among other destinations. He may not be Anthony Bourdain, but he’s eaten more varied cuisines than the average American citizen.
Was this situation worthy of a blog? Maybe not, but I made that grotesque photoshop and don’t have the Twitter following to get eyeballs on it that way.
So, to my Facebook group folks, thank you for clicking along with me since the start. And thank you PJ Tucker for igniting debate in the culinary community.
Mandatory Credit: Ya boy
