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Italy

Watch Kanto’s Strongest Italian Chef transform McDonald’s into fine cuisine!【Recipe】

Chef Yuji Ota shows us how to turn McDonald’s food into Ribollita, Carrozza, and Gattò di Patate with three easy recipes.

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These “Mikoshi Dako” are the badges of honour from a Japanese festival

Rather than hiding the calluses, the bulges on these men are glorified for a very special reason.

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Italians taste test Japanese canned coffee and tell us what they think【Video】

You can find canned coffee almost anywhere in Japan. First invented and introduced to the Japanese market in 1969, canned coffee sales really started taking off in the 1980s. Admittedly my first canned coffee experience left me wondering what all the hype was about, but now, perhaps as a result of better production methods or acquiring a taste for it after living here so long, I have to admit nothing beats the satisfaction you feel sipping on a warm can of coffee from the vending machine just as the weather starts getting chilly.

Of course, when it comes to coffee, many people think of Italy. Along with pasta and pizza, coffee is a huge part of Italian food culture. In fact, the country has over 160,000 small cafes serving coffee, drinks, and light eats from morning to evening. So how exactly would Japanese canned coffee fare with Italian locals with a refined taste for excellent coffee? RocketNews24 decided it was worth making the trip over to ask.

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Japanese Netizens share Italian friends’ “most Italian moments”

Throughout the world, the Japanese are known as being a particularly diligent and hardworking people, perhaps even to a fault. They are viewed as being bound by honor to devote their lives to their company and inner circle of closest friends and family.

Italians, on the other hand, are often thought to be, shall we say, extremely laid-back. Insofar as these things can be quantified, Italians work, on average, a bit less than those in many other countries, are quicker than many to hug and show affection, and are generally understood to be considerably less formal (and more, um… amorous) than the Japanese and others in both work and personal life. And with Japan being one of the most homogeneous countries in the world, and also being an island nation, it’s pretty common for the Japanese to exaggerate stereotypes even more than people from the rest of the world, as interaction with foreigners tends to be limited.

Which is why these “OMG, that’s soooo Italian!” Twitter stories Japanese Netizens shared about their encounters with Italian friends and acquaintances are apparently considered the pinnacle of comedy here in Japan. Let’s take a look.

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Cup Noodle maker Nissin asks Italians to rate its new “pasta style” cups【Video】

The land that invented instant noodles is never one to rest on its instant laurels. Noodle makers in Japan have been constantly coming up with new flavors and dishes to keep their customers happy, and the company that started it all, Nissin, is proud to unveil its newest instant noodle product: pasta!

The folks at Nissin are so excited about their new product, they are giving it the ultimate taste test by taking it to Gragnano, Italy, an area famous for dried pasta. Are these instant noodles going to satisfy the palates of some real Italians? Join us after the jump to find out.

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Ippo the zonkey is proof that love knows no boundaries!

This might be old news, but just in case some of you missed the hoo-ha, this is Ippo, the baby zebroid who surprised the world with her beautiful mix of brown and stripes when she was born in July this year. A zebroid is the hybrid offspring of a zebra and any type of equine. Just look at the Italian beauty’s coat, she’s simply Mother Nature’s fashion statement!

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Japan waits with baited breath for local distributor of spreadable beer

These past few days, the Internet has exploded with word of Italy’s new beer spread. For a land like Japan, where beer is more than just a popular choice of beverage and is more-or-less central to their lifestyle, the invention of spreadable beer is cause for great excitement. Soon, rather than have a handful of snacks with their mugs full of beer, they’ll be spreading blobs of beer over their favorite snacks!

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Mamma Mia! Italians Think Japanese Eat Sushi Off of Naked Women?

Recently our correspondent Kuzo was interviewing pizzerias in Sicily.  As a result he found himself eating pizza all day every day. Being a gastronomic pro, our reporter was unfazed, but suddenly wondered how the sushi in Italy was.  Figuring Sicily’s excellent seafood may yield some equally good sushi, he tracked down a restaurant in Palmero.

However, what he found was so shocking, he couldn’t even remember how the sushi tasted.  Kuzo had stumbled on the fabled practice of nyotaimori – eating sushi off naked women.

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McD’s “Miami Fries”, Only in Italia! We Went to Have a Taste

They don’t mess around in Italy. Next to the regular french fries on the McDonald’s menu, you’ll find Miami Fries. Customers regularly substitute these fries with the combo sets. Read More

The Internet Goes Photoshop Crazy on Mario Balotelli, J-League Player Mimics Pose After Goal

The image of Italian football player Mario Balotelli throwing off his shirt and flexing his muscles in celebration after shooting his second goal during the June 28 UEFA Euro 2012 semifinals match against Germany has quickly achieved international meme status.

Italian sports newspaper Corriere Dello Sport has put together the best of Balotelli, which you can see below:

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