A few years back  I was at Marco Island for the first time and ran across an Italian place --lots of families totally Sinatra on walls and music - a family from Chicago ran the restaurant and I suppose we had spaghetti but I do remember the before-dinner serving of crusty dense bread served with olive oil, freshly chopped basil and coarse black pepper ground on site over the oil and basil.. there are simple things in life you never forget if they are good enough to remember--this little saucer was full of an arrogant introduction to the unexpected.. dipping crusty bread into  this  triple combo which pleased the palate to no end  wish I could remember the name of the place--franchised restaurants offer olive oil and the ground pepper but no basil until asked for -- waiters go to check--the basil leaf comes  sort of chopped up-like a vague  afterthought-  why don't "Italian" restaurants offer this palate-pleaser  in my part of the planet as introduction into  Italy-most everyone understands olive oil and pepper but  Basil? -slightly peppery -mint? clove? ...franchises  aim to "please" palates  with "inoffensive"no surprises-allowed-servings  of food and this after all those fascinating menu options presented and  written in a fine calligraphy  which-if you let it take you-  confidently -  to  Tuscany or Umbria, Calabria or Romagna! -your imagination running away from  the mundane and just as you are getting a good idea of it all your confidence is   immediately shot down with officiously dutiful English translation directly beneath in plain old typewriter letters-no mystery involved whatsoever--over the edge into the unknown I say-what's the matter with  educating  the palate, creation of and  deserved appreciation of food has to be something more than  homogenized offerings-is the Capellini Pomodoro really Toscana? ..what about the  Tortelli Romana ..are we really talking Rome here?