A Boston father has gone viral after attempting to order a distinctly American version of Italian cuisine—Olive Garden’s chicken parmigiana—while on vacation in Italy.
The moment, shared on TikTok by his daughter Gabby Donahue, 26, has racked up more than 5.6 million views. Donahue, who grew up in the Boston suburbs but now lives in New York City, filmed her dad Bob as he showed a waiter in Florence a photo of Olive Garden’s chicken parmigiana, hoping to order it.
But there was a catch: the dish doesn’t exist in Italy. “I don’t know what it is,” the puzzled waiter said after inspecting the image. Looking slightly horrified, he added: “On the pasta? No, that’s horrible,” before quickly adding: “No, that looks good.”
Bob laughed, unfazed, and said: “I tell you what, I’m gonna mail you some. I’ll send it to you.”
Donahue explained that her father always orders chicken parmigiana at Italian restaurants in the U.S.—described on the restaurant’s website as “two lightly fried parmesan-breaded chicken breasts with our homemade marinara and melted Italian cheeses. Served with a side of spaghetti”—and believed his trip to Italy would deliver the ultimate version of his favorite meal.
“When he was told the waiter didn’t know what that was, he pulled up the Olive Garden dish as an example,” Donahue told Newsweek. “I expected maybe it would get a good laugh out of some Boston peeps but did not expect it to go so viral.”
Internet reacts
It wasn’t long before people started to share their reactions in the comments.
“I learned at my trip to Italy chicken Alfredo is an American dish,” said one commenter.
While others couldn’t help but note the waiter’s reaction. “He was speechless and that’s like impossible for Italians,” said one viewer. Another said: “He just looks understandably horrified.”
“Bro remembered halfway through his disgust that he’s at work,” wrote another TikToker.
Bob’s Olive Garden mix-up isn’t the first time an American has shared a culture shock after going on vacation.
Last year a viral debate tore across the internet as people blasted Americans online over complaints that “you can’t find drinkable water in Europe,” only to be met by locals pointing out how many places have safe tap water.
Another American woman’s first trip to Europe left her taken aback when she realized cafes weren’t open at dawn, forcing her to wait until at least 9 a.m. for her coffee fix.
While another couple from the states sat down for a meal in Portugal at 6 p.m., only to realize their error.
The pair shared a video of themselves at an empty restaurant, with the caption “POV: Americans book 6:00 dinner in Portugal,” as they soon learned Europeans typically eat dinner much later.
Dining and Cooking