Globalization has significantly influenced food consumption in most parts of world, but one country whose food has a long history of being globalized is Italy. If you walk down any main street in any major world city, you will find at least one Italian restaurant. Furthermore, Italy has seen changes in its own eating habits due to influence from other countries.

Food has always been very important for Italian families. Italians take a lot of pride in the making and preparation of food. Until recently, pastas — a basic Italian food — would have been made by people in their local area. Families would also have made the sauces to eat with the pasta at home. 【小题1】

Nowadays, however, Italian eating habits appear to have changed. People no longer spend so much time preparing their meals. Indeed, frozen or takeaway Italian meals have become very popular in Italy. Furthermore, dried pasta is now mass-produced and sold relatively cheaply in the last five years, according to one manufacturer. 【小题2】 This trend is more common in urban areas such as Rome, Milan and Venice, although many smaller towns are also experiencing similar changes.

These changes have both advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, globalization has increased the range of food available in Italy. Italians now have much more choice in terms of what they eat. They also do not need to spend so long preparing and making food, unless of course they want to. In contrast, it can be argued that large restaurant chains are becoming increasingly powerful, resulting in the destruction of local and national specialties. 【小题3】

【小题4】 Convenience foods have replaced many of the traditional home-cooked meals, and the availability of foreign fruits has greatly increased. While this extra choice is welcomed by some, others fear that the damage it may cause to Italian traditions.