Italian Couple Ripped for Calling Pizza Dinner Racist: 'Insulting'

Internet commenters rallied behind one 28-year-old woman accused of racism after serving pizza to her boyfriend's Italian parents.

In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/MilanoItaliano1 (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said she was surprised to learn the couple would be dropping by for dinner and detailed the heated aftermath of her last-minute dinner decision.

Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for serving my boyfriend's parents pizza for dinner?" the post has received more than 13,000 upvotes and 4,000 comments in the last eight hours.

"Last night, his parents came over to the [apartment] for the first time," OP wrote. "They said they were visiting a friend and decided to stop by for dinner."

Continuing to explain that it was late, and that there was no time to cook, the original poster said she settled on the easiest delivery order she could think of—pizza.

But when the pizza arrived, it was clear the original poster made a grave mistake.

"The second his parents saw the pizza they got pissed," OP wrote. "His dad gave me a nasty stare then said that I 'intentionally' served them pizza just because they were 'Italians.'

"He claimed I was mocking them and their food...which he called 'racist,'" OP continued. "He and my boyfriend's mom got up and said they wanted to leave.

"My boyfriend tried to get them to stay...[but] he blew up saying I messed [up] by serving them pizza and 'insulting them indirectly,'" OP added. "He kept saying I insulted his parents and I need to apologize."

Meeting a romantic partner's parents for the first time can be as stressful as it looks in the movies.

For teenagers, full-grown adults and everyone in between, making a good impression is a daunting task. Potentially more daunting, however, is hosting a meal with a partner's parents with little to no time to prepare.

Despite the plethora of online guides for perfect meals to cook for the in-laws, a surprise drop-in throws all advice out the window, forcing quick thinking and resourcefulness. Surprise visits also reveal vulnerabilities, and allow for a partner's parents to see how things actually are in their child's life, clearing the path for scrutiny and unmitigated nitpicking.

This is especially true when there is any level of disdain for their child's partner, and can ultimately lead to broken relationships.

When a relationship is strong and both partners are willing to go to bat for each other, there is little chance that parental disdain can push the couple to the edge, but weaker relationships are a different story.

"Someone may have met the perfect person," Dr. Carla Manly, clinical psychologist and Joy From Fear author told Newsweek. "And their family isn't the ideal family that they envisioned.

"It's natural...for us to have a dream of having extended family and having our in-laws really love us and care for us," Manly added. "Sometimes that doesn't happen."

And while individuals should feel comfortable speaking with their partner about the disrespect they are feeling, scenarios like the one described by the original poster, in which a romantic partner automatically sides with their parents, are likely to end poorly.

Throughout the comment section of the viral Reddit post, Redditors defended the original poster in a way her boyfriend couldn't, and assured OP that her decision to serve pizza was not racist, but rather a window into her in-laws true feelings about her presence in their life.

"[Not the a**hole]," Redditor u/ed_lv commented, receiving more than 9,000 upvotes. "It sounds like they were looking for a reason to be upset.

"When people don't have time to cook, they order pizza," they continued. "Your guests being of Italian origin makes no difference, and they are just being a**holes."

Redditor u/SamSpayedPI, whose comment has received more than 6,000 upvotes, offered a similar response.

"Ordering out for pizza is as 'American' as it gets," they assured. "They were just looking for an excuse to be insulted.

"Anyway, why was it your responsibility to order dinner?" they questioned. "Your boyfriend was there, and they're his parents; he should have been responsible for providing dinner."

"I mean, if your boyfriend was so upset that HIS parents got pizza, why didn't he cook for them?" Redditor u/ShaowShaown echoed in the post's top comment, which has received nearly 27,000 upvotes.

Newsweek reached out to u/MilanoItaliano1 for comment.

Update 9/29/2022, 10:15 p.m.: this article has been updated to include comment from Dr. Carla Manly.