2487 help for hotel meals

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]Hi
Can someone please help me? My family none of who speak Italian(!) are staying in Roccaraso, Hotel Trieste full board in February.

I want to phone the hotel to explain that one person is a vegetarian and my brother in law has been told to follow quite a strict diet that excludes pasta,white flour,yeast etc. Oh yes the 10 year old is a very fussy child who lives off chips and ketchup although he will just have to cope.I dont have any sympathy!

Our best hope is that the evening meal will be a buffet so they can all help themselves to what they like/can eat but how can I ask this in Italian?? I can speak basic Italian so intend phoning the hotel to enquire.What is the italian term for a buffet and a 'sit down' meal.

Can you help me please???

Becky[/SIZE][/FONT]

Category
General chat about Italy

Hi Becky,

I've got my Italian dictionary at the side of my pc and had a quick look, buffet is the same and when I looked up sit down it said - seduta (for meals) don't know if this helps :o

becky

send a pm with hotels phone number... plus what exactley you want... i doubt it will be buffet type meals... and in a sense you will be hard pressed to avoid pasta... but they do make wholemeal pasta... and bread...so that should be easy enough...will need the name you booked under and the dates... and then let you know the reply...

[I][B]One question...... [/B][/I]why come to Italy if you have excess baggage of vegetarians,f ussy couch potato/ketchup kids, and relatives intolerant to every ingredient that makes Italian food so wonderful ?

Why not go to [I][B]Mac USA [/B][/I]instead. The amount of over weight children in the Uk is almost reaching the epic proportions in the US.

See NY Times for very frightening article on diabetes in US due to poor diet and excess of sturated fats.

I despair !!!!!!!!!

been there film/book/have the child - or did.The older two would eat everything France, Spain,Belgium, Germany and Italy had to throw at them - the youngest threw it all back ( and yes we went the he'll eat if he's hungry route- and he didn't). It's a psychological game. So dad and I are doing a modified Atkins -meat/fish/veg but no carbs or sugar(but the occasional glass of red wine of course), daughter is a veggie, eldest son likes everything except eggs and the youngest ..well..in ITALY he will try anything and usually Loves it(roll out the psychoanalists) but honestly most menus have starter, pasta, fish,meat,pud and you'd be hard pushed to find someone who couldn't find anything they could eat.- for the veggie there is usually an antipasto buffet where they can choose various antipasti (usually with more veggies than meat)and follow with a pasta ( if nothing else with just burro/parmeggiano- it's usually to die for-remember it's the pasta, not the sauce that matters. dad and I have veggie starters with fish or meat with veggies to follow, oldest son still eats anything and the youngest, fussiest of all recommends the pizza (won't eat it in England and who can blame him) and at 11 years old sends the message I love the pizza I love the pasta, viva Italia!!!!

Many Italians are vegetarians so this is not a problem., Also, gluten problems are a huge problem here so requesting means with no gluten will be no problem. As for the child, don't worry, kids won't starve. Pasta with tomato sauce, cotaletta alla milanese, etc. are normally available and kids love them.

throwing stones can be dangerous... there are several reports and worries here over overwieght children and their diets of pasta.... which was fine in the past when everyone walked or played outside ... but now is proving not so healthy.... as italian children much like other western cultures become addicted to tv/playstation....

italian vegetarians are also not unknown... and glutten free bread and pasta are readily available in the shops.... so i presume italians must buy them....

the doctors here advise now that people should cut down on their meat intake and increase the food consisting of fruit and vegetables... also avoiding eating huge platefuls of pasta when they sit down to each meal...

thankfully there is a way to balance life and as one that happens still to like the occaisional mac donalds i am happy witht their presence here...especially as they also serve it with beer or sometimes even wine....

there is room in the world for everyone and if people have diet problems with health or make choices over animal welfare.... italy not being the most famous country in the world for that aspect of life ...then why not...

Italians in restaurants are also used to fussy kids and are not bothered if kids order "Patate Fritte con Ketchup". Teach the child to order it for him/herself. They will also serve "Pasta Bianco" which is pasta with butter or in some cases oil. Make sure you try out your child with this at home before you travel as it is quite a common kids dish. In some restaurants you have to be specific - sensa formagio - without cheese - sensa salvia - without sage - solo burro - only butter.
I have an eleven year old who has an incredibly limited diet but will eat fruit and raw veg, lean meat, milk and yoghurt, so he stays quite healthy. We have lived in Italy for 6 years and he still has a problem. Travel is a nightmare. I got caught out with him in Stanstead airport thinking that I would be able to buy something simple and found only yummy BLT sandwiches with mayo for me and a packet of nuts for him.
Your brother in law will have no problem by ordering secondo, usually a meat and vegetable dish, although all snack food at bars that you may find when you are touring around are sandwiches.

It is very kind of John in Arbuzzo to offer to phone the hotel. But what a pity someone feels the need to snipe at you ....

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]Hi all ...ciao tutti!

Just read Gail's post and [B]must [/B]reply. Actually we all love Italian food and own just about every Italian cook book on the market..plus we have both been veggies for 25 years and are now at 44+ healthy,fit and happy! our 2 daughters have never eaten meat ..their choice. Now the 20 year old is teaching her student housemates how to cook. None of them had before whereas she could produce a very decent Nigel Slater Chocolate cake at 12!!
My brother in law has a serious health problem and has been put on a diet based around fruit,veg, beans, fish, pulses etc.So are you saying he has no right to visit Italy! Actually John's wife very kindly found out from the hotel that they commonly cater for vegetarians and it would be no problem at all.

If you actually look at what Italian Kids are shoving down their throats next time your'e there I think you may be in for a bit of a shock and major disillusionment.Sugar,sugar,fat,fat, just about sums it up and lots of processed snacks. So before you slag off the Americans just get your facts right.

As to your suggestion about 'people like us' getting on better in US how daft is that!!! I've travelled to many countries, including Africa and hope to travel to many more even though I don't eat meat. I've tasted and enjoyed a whole range of different foods, includind red-red and palaver in Ghana!

Please re-adjust your prejudices and get your facts straight next time.

Becky [/SIZE][/FONT]

Had to post this, My husband is vegatarian and I have a gluten free diet, we are moving to Italy next week to live.Our local and very rural restaurant has been really helpful in providing meals that we can both enjoy, and shopping and cooking in Italy have presented no problems for us, we love the country and the people who have been so open minded about our dietry requirments, shame that not everyone can repect our differences.

Thats me off my high horse!
Angie

Oh what a hornets nest I have stirred up !!! Still it's good to see the the forum is alive and well so fed up with questions on how to get Sky TV or how do I meet expats!.

I still stand ny what I said. yes I agree with vegetaririans. we cook a lot of that and eat a lot of fruit and also grow most of our goods.

The only fat child I have seen in our small, yes ,small Le Marche Village sells lottery tickets, rides a mountain bike and yes, is still over weight, and will probably become the Mayor in a few years.

On the whole everyone here is slim. They eat 3 courses at pranzo and maybe 5 at Ciba.

And by the way Becky I live in Italy.

see this linl
[url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1682975,00.html?gusrc=rss[/url]

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]Gail... in the UK theres a TV prog called [B]honey we're killing the kids[/B]s .Basically computer imaging shows how children will look when they are 20,30.40 etc if they carry on with the diet they eat at present.Almost without exception they are not fat or obese.The big surprise is that if a child is really thin because its only eating a few sweets and pototoes etc or whatever [B]THEY ARE NOT HEALTHY!![/B] The nutrients needed for proper developement of bone structure etc are not being taken in.

Of course this isn't to suggest that the children in your village are NOT eating healthly but don't presume that thin means fit!

I can see your prejudices ..they stand out a mile, but really you are skating on very thin ice.You must see the news and witness the conflict that exsist and flare up when one group of people feel that their beliefs/way of life are not respected by another group.What your post suggests is that unless a person completly follows the [B]'Italian Way ' [/B]( which I think we actually do minus eating meat) they should not come to Italy? Fortunately I know many Italians who disagree with you completly and understand that foreigners while being expected to participate in 'Italian Life' will also bring their own beliefs,traditions,customs which can merge with local ones to build richer more inclusive society benifiting Italians and 'foriegners alike.'

And please no more digs about expats trying to meet up with other expats!Buying a house in Italy,moving there dealing with agents ,builders etc is very stressful and why not meet up with others who can share your experiences when you are probably at a very basic level with your Italian language?Tolerance not condemation is what is needed here!

Becky[/SIZE][/FONT]

Becky and Gail - I think you have more in common than you dare admit to - just turn your tongue ten times and see what happens.

I agree with what Becky says about fitting in but retaining your own individuality. Consider this - we live in a town in England where, ever since the 1950's there has been a distinctive Italian community. 50 years later they all speak Italian when they are together and eat Italian food and drink Italian wine and play a sort of Italian bowls on the green. I have never heard anyone suggest that they shouldn't live there because they don't eat roast beef and yorkshire pud, drink English beer and play cricket ! They are well accepted ( and liked ) as they are .
Robert

Oh my God a yorkshire person Me 2 Love yorkshire pud but it won't rise here 959 metres above sea level

[QUOTE=gailsomers]Oh my God a yorkshire person Me 2 Love yorkshire pud but it won't rise here 959 metres above sea level[/QUOTE]

Is that so? We had difficulty baking bread at 1100m asl when we lived in the dolomites - different people suggested it might have been the water, the flour, the yeast but when I told an Italian restaurateur friend that I thought it might be the altitude she laughed and said it was more likely to be the longtitude! Why did we want to bake our own bread ? ... the local bakery was crap - probably the lattitude.

Bread is not a problem, but then again I must admit I have a bread maker. Panasonic - excellent. We bought the local Butcher's family one, so fear I am in danger of putting local bakers out of business !!!!!

[QUOTE=gailsomers]Bread is not a problem, but then again I must admit I have a bread maker. Panasonic - excellent. We bought the local Butcher's family one, so fear I am in danger of putting local bakers out of business !!!!![/QUOTE]

Ours are panasonics too - the butchers (3) in Folgaria were excellent as were the greengrocers (3) but solitary baker was crap - the bread itself was acceptable but the service non-existent. It was either a literal bun fight or everything fresh was gone. An abject lesson in the power of the marketplace.

Still don't understand why your Yorkshire pud is affected but not your bread - possibly the yeast, So why was our bread never any good - because we were a bit higher?

For high altitude cooking/baking, check out the altitude adjusters here [url]http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/cesnutrition/Publications/Baking_Food_Storage/AltAdjust.htm[/url]

I sort of knew about the boiling but not the baking - thanks so much.