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The expectations of both parties were at odds with each other with little room for compromise. The American woman did not even try the dish presented to her before deciding she wanted something else. The restaurant waiter did try explaining to her what the dish consisted of but she did not appreciate or even listen to what he was trying to say. Unfortunately, she had it in her mind what Italian food was and was set on getting what she wanted. The waiter in the end was okay letting it go, the chef though was clearly frustrated. Maybe you try to offer some simple items that an American knows while showcasing more authentic dishes.

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Expectations did not equal reality.  The woman did not get the dish she expected.  What she requested was not a common request (Double startch?!).  The server tried to explain to her, but she did not understand because she expected pasta to be served with an Italian dish.  When the server put in the side order, the chef was angry!  Mark's mention of soup Nazi from Seinfeld is perfect in this scenario! The server, the couple, and the chef were all opposed to one another.  The cultural differences were apparent here.  These people were having such a difficult time communicating language but mostly didn;t understand each others cultural expectations.  This brings me to the classroom, with my ELLs.  Translating between two native languages can be accomplished with Google translate.  But how do people communicate cultural expectations with one another when they speak a different language and grew up in different countries?  This is probably the heart of the issue here.  This makes me wonder about my ELL students and how much of what is unsaid or American cultural "norms" gets lost in translation.  I know my ELL co-teacher touched on this a few times last year.  I hope from past experience, and also what I learn in this class, will help me become a better communicator with spoken and unspoken language with ELLs.
Another quick note, when I saw the woman smoking in a restaurant I was repulsed! I am so happy with how far we have come that smoking is not longer allowed! When I went back to check when this movie was made, it was from 1996! We've come a long way in 27 years!

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My heart was breaking as I watched this clip.  It was very difficult to watch and not feel bad. You can not know what you don't know and that would apply to both the guests and the staff.   The restaurant guests were expecting dinner as they knew it and the restaurant staff was taking pride to serve meals that were the absolute best as they knew the meal to be. Unfortunately nobody was taking the time to understand the others cultural preconceived expectations.

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Both cultures are competing here. The American culture embodies a "the customer is always right" mentality. The Italian culture focus on the artisanal craft of cooking and does not want to deviate from origins. These two philosophies compete with each other as neither one wants to waiver. I do think the Americans were super rude to treat staff this way. However, I would be disappointed to not see pieces of seafood in my dish. The waiter had a good demeanor and was trying to accomodate the customers. I think the cook needs to bend his values a little bit. If pasta can be made, just make it for the sake of customer happiness. Good customer service is extremely important and it is always beneficial to do this within reason. I use to work in a kitchen and if we were able to fulfill a request we did that. Other restaurants can be so set in their ways that it comes across as inhospitable. With that being said, the American customers should have some more cultural awareness. They are full of themselves and see most Italian cuisine as "pasta, sauce, and meat".  The dominating culture ends up being American as the requests they made were not so unreasonable and could be accomodated.

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I felt embarrassed and slightly annoyed by the portrayal of the rude American. Part of me felt embarrassed because it definitely happens and is true on many occasions. Part of me felt annoyed because not all Americans are like this. I feel like if people don't want authentic experiences, then just be upfront about wanting to order something that you are familiar with and maybe the waiter could help you order something the way you would like it. I know I am overthinking this because it is a movie with a plot. Ha! I think the lady should have expected that the meals might be cooking in an authentic manner due to the atmosphere of the restaurant. People usually know how authentic their meal will be based on their restaurant choice. I also feel like the chef should understand that customers will not always share their vision on how a meal should be cooked.

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I like to think I get both sides, but having worked in a kitchen briefly, I'm team kitchen on this one. I take a lot of joy in seeking out new food/eatery experiences and get frustrated when I find myself falling into a trap and "accidentally" ordering food that was made to appease the general public. I do this because I came across something that had a familiarity to it, and maybe I chickened out or didn't research the venue properly. It's a huge risk the restaraunteurs have to balance- maintaining authenticity and losing some (or many) customers, or bending their own rules. Of course, they said in the clip that this couple was the first customers they had in 2 hours, so you can really only maintain your snobbery for so long! (Sevan)

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I am wondering where this is taking place because I could see it being either way. But I then wonder, does that matter? If the American couple is in Italy, are they being unreasonable? If the Italian restaurant is in the US, do the chef and waitstaff not expect that there will be questions about the food that may be different than what people are used to?

I also see this through the lens of someone with food allergies who finds wide differences in how restaurants approach that, regardless of language or type of food.

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Suddenly, I'm craving Italian food. As I watched the clip, I was initially annoyed with the couple at dinner, two individuals representing the ugly American. They were impatient, and their sarcasm was rude while the waiter/owner was very patient and polite with them. I was thinking that these two diners should savor the cultural opportunity to experience a genuine Italian meal and not be such gluttons. I felt they were missing a nice chance to enjoy an authentic dish. Then, the chef, who reminded me of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld, showed his wrath and I started to question my initial reaction. I understand that he has pride in his work and he presented the dish in a traditional manner, but I began to think the diners should have the option to eat what they want. If the man likes extra cheese, let him eat cheese. If the woman wants pasta, let her get pasta. Personally, I think I would have eaten what was served, but I prefer red wine instead of white, even with fish, so I may have broken protocol in that situation. Ultimately, I decided that while the diners were rude, their requests were reasonable.

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There is a lot to unpack in this scene!
First, you have the American customers who have their own "understanding" of Italian food. Then you have the Italian immigrants who want to prepare authentic cuisine from their culture, which doesn't align with the Americanized version of Italian food (aka "spaghetti and meatballs").
So one conflict comes from the customer's lack of cultural awareness. They entered this restaurant with a certain expectation of the type of food they would eat, but the chef and staff have a different idea of what that food should be.
And add on that the customer wanted spaghetti on the side with her risotto, which from a dietary standpoint doesn't make sense. The chef understands this, and then makes a sarcastic remark about adding some mashed potatoes (very American side dish)!
And finally there's the internal conflict of the chef and staff, as business people--is the customer always right? Do you risk upholding your standards at the expense of losing a customer?
Ultimately, the chef begins to prepare the spaghetti (at least, we think so--he does throw the pot, after all), which means he gives in to the American customer's demands.
So who's culture dominates? The American one.

(Anne Ludes)