Are You Enjoying Our Linguine? (2025)
This thought-provoking essay critiques American tourism as a subtle form of cultural and economic imperialism. Through vivid Roman anecdotes, it illustrates how tourist behaviors inadvertently commodify local identity and drive gentrification. HN readers will appreciate its nuanced commentary on globalization, cultural impact, and the unseen forces shaping urban development.
The Lowdown
In a critical and contemplative essay, Francesco Pacifico dissects the pervasive influence of American tourism on local cultures and economies, particularly in Rome. He uses personal observations to argue that American tourist behavior, whether born of curiosity or expectation, acts as a powerful, albeit often unconscious, force of cultural homogenization and economic restructuring.
- The essay opens with an American family meticulously questioning a Roman gelateria worker, symbolizing a 'frontier' mentality where American curiosity dictates and validates local reality, effectively slowing down time for those around them.
- Pacifico introduces the idea of a 'universal consciousness' observing this cultural interplay, asserting that American tourism, stemming from post-WWII 'liberation,' now functions as a form of 'conquering and inventorying,' even as locals still desire its economic benefits.
- A second anecdote describes American 'intellectual elite' tourists expecting 'cold brew' in a rustic Roman bar, highlighting a blind consumerism that demands globalized products, inadvertently signaling and accelerating local gentrification.
- The author expresses reluctance to describe specific local spots in his writing, fearing it contributes to 'international espionage' by providing data that fuels real estate speculation and the commodification of authentic local experiences.
- Pacifico details the creation of a 'borghetto di merda,' a soulless, Pinterest-mashup village built by a local businessman specifically for short-term rental tourists, exemplifying the complete abstraction and commodification of local identity into generic, consumable 'vibes.'
- He concludes that the 'tastelessness' once easily labeled as 'American' has now become a universal characteristic of a global moneyed class, driven by a market that caters to every tourist curiosity and need, effectively turning everyone into an 'American tourist.'
Ultimately, Pacifico posits that the incessant demand and validation from American tourists, coupled with the business interests that cater to them, reshape cities like Rome, blurring the lines between authentic local identity and a globally curated, commodified experience, where local life becomes a 'videogame' for the tourists' 'knowledge' quest.