“God, homeland and fontina” and “Il Tomino”: boom in memes on social media after the release of Lollobrigida on mandatory Italian cheeses on menus

From news to memes, the undisputed protagonist of the moment is the minister Francesco Lollobrigida. The minister, who hit the headlines for his comments on “the poor who eat better than the rich”, his doubts about the concept of anti-fascism, the ad personam train stop and lastly his declarations on the compulsory nature of cheeses on the menus of […]

From news to memesthe undisputed protagonist of the moment is the minister Francesco Lollobrigida. The minister, who hit the headlines for his comments on “the poor who eat better than the rich”, his doubts about the concept of anti-fascism, the ad personam train stop and lastly his declarations on theobligatory cheeses on the menus of Italian restaurants, unleashes the most creative social users: from The Tomino (along the lines of The Godfather) a The curdled milk factory (aka The Chocolate Factory), passing through The man who whispered to Caciocavallifrom “Parmesan, my parmesan” (aka “Captain, my captain” from Dead Poets Society) a The squacquerone (which is perhaps scarier than Jaws), the mockery on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook multiplies.

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In a mix of comedy of errors and teasing, we start with the photomontage in which the minister, ordering at the restaurant, asks why there are no cheeses on the menu, and the waitress replies that the one he is consulting is the wine list. Then there is a comic in which one imagines the search by the Carabinieri of the premises: “Favour the list of seasoned people, Please!”. In a very famous type of meme, with the rapper Drake, it is instead noted that cheeses on the menu perhaps they are not exactly the country’s priority.

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Beyond photos and nicknames, especially inspired by the world of cinema, there are also those who joke about political slogans and party names. “Zola who gives up”, writes a user. Another renames the party of Lollobrigida and the prime minister (and sister-in-law) Meloni: “Rennet brothers”. Yet another, perhaps more frightened than joking, reports: “We are in the dictatorship of cheese”. Then there are those who point out that the old principles of the right are changing: no more “God, country and family”, now we are at the “God, homeland and Fontina”. But not only that: from “fascio littorio” to “lactose bundle”, from “win and we will win” to “pasteurize, and we will pasteurize”references to the arsenal of right-wing and far-right mottos are plentiful.

In addition to memes, the release at Vinitaly also led satirical artists to sharpen their pencils: Nicocomixx, for example, represents Lollobrigida in the shape of Topo Gigio, changing her name for the occasion: Lollo Mouse. Durando, however, imagines and draws the hypothetical meeting between the minister of agriculture and a farmer: the latter points out to the politician that cheese production is at risk, the former proposes a new law: “We will force the bulls to produce Italian milk.”

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