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Gastroillogica's avatar

I, and most Italians, are very to much over the Tuccification of an idealistic “Italy” shaped as “eat pray love” and “under the Tuscan sun” that only exists for white wealthy wasps and completely obliterates anything (real) happening in a country dilaniated by low wages, migrations, and loss of identity.

I’m glad this kind of fake is getting the right spotlight.

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Will Rankin's avatar

This sort of comment is why I love your writing! :-)

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Gastroillogica's avatar

Thank you so much :)

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Pamela De Simone's avatar

Agreed, no heart at all. People don't see the whole, only the sadistic need to please themselves no matter what. Very sad 😔

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Nicole's avatar

When I saw the film clip without sound, I thought he was trying the vegan version. I was horrified when I read the text. I’ve always admired him as an actor. That’s over now.

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Sasha Carnevali's avatar

May the scales fall from his eyes.

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Linda Lazarides's avatar

The saddest thing I ever saw was when Gordon Ramsay met late night elver (baby eel) hunters on TV. They met secretly because this practice is illegal, eels are almost extinct in the UK. They caught a few elvers, pitifully few, and put them alive in a hot frying pan. My heart broke in two as I watched the little eels stop moving. It took several seconds for them to die.

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Luisa Goeta's avatar

I liked Tucci a tiny little bit but once I saw him tasting something and talking non stop with his mouth full of food, it was just so repugnant that I almost threw up.

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CW England's avatar

One of my favorite quotes is: "The true test of a person's character is what he/she does when no one is watching." Well, as Chef pointed out, Tucci's inhumane, compassionless behavior was on full display even WITH everyone watching. Make that, BECAUSE everyone was watching. UNBELIEVABLE. It's just too disgusting for words.

Thank you, Chef, for all your insightful and inspirational posts, and for bringing to light things of which many of us are not aware. Formerly from Southern California (vegan mecca!), I recently moved to Massachusetts near Cape Cod, where everything is SEAFOOD! SEAFOOD! SEAFOOD! Lobster tanks in every grocery store and market . . . poor creatures awaiting their horrific fates.

By the way, I've decided to start a vegan "superstar" gallery wall in my kitchen . . . photos of TRUE celebrities (unlike Tucci) who use their platforms to promote compassion, kindness, health . . . Chef Alexis Gauthier will be in the #1 spot . . . followed by Joaquin Phoenix who also unabashedly uses his celebrity to bring awareness to the horrors of animal agriculture.

Keep on writing, Chef, we - and the planet - need more celebrities like you!

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Sarah May Grunwald's avatar

I just wrote about Tucci in Italy but scared to publish.

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Barb Overholt's avatar

"I'm so grateful for enlightened chefs like you, but it still seems odd that in 2025 you're still considered a 'pioneer' in terms of choosing not to warm up dead bodies and invite people to chew on them!"

Well said Mr. Rankin.

Some years back, I heard so many raves about Mr. Tucci's recipe book "The Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends" that I purchased it. Upon reading through it, I realized there were way too many recipes involving animal meat; they were too involved and took way too much time to prepare – more time than I want to take. Totally uninterested, I donated the book to my local library.

I hadn't planned on viewing Mr. Tucci's latest series "Tucci In Italy" as I was unimpressed with his first series "Searching for Italy." After reading this latest write-up, I definitely don't plan to watch. I have admired Mr. Tucci as an actor, but this latest information gives me pause to his ethics.

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Tony's avatar

You don't like animals/fish harvesting etc- dent do it.

But leave the rest of us alone, with your self centered arrogant elitist BS

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Linda Lazarides's avatar

I've never seen so much hate as what meat-eaters direct against vegans. I could say the same about you, if you don't like what vegans say, don't subscribe to their social media.

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Roberta Mason's avatar

I agree but one never knows how the programme may have been edited- what may have been cut out of the film. I didn't hear mention that they are endangered - and if Stanley knew this would it change his mind? Hopefully he will learn.

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Will Rankin's avatar

Yes, this is the same issue I'm sure many of us who choose to live with compassion have. I adore the 'Chef's Table' show on Netflix, and try to make allowances for the 'normalisation' of animal murder, but sometimes it gets too much. There are still episodes I'm unable to watch. I'm so grateful for enlightened chefs like you, but it still seems odd that in 2025 you're still considered a 'pioneer' in terms of choosing not to warm up dead bodies and invite people to chew on them!

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