The pasta plate is called Primo Piatto meant to be eaten as the first part of the main course. The Secondo Piatto is the second part of the main course usually a meat dish, is meant to be eaten after the pasta. Hence why, the pasta course is small and needs to be small. However, there are exceptions, where pasta dishes can be the full main course on its own. The reason most italian pasta dishes are only a part of the main course is because they're not a balanced meal, and therefore will not properly feed you.
The concept of having multi-course meals is foreign to the USA both historically and culturally. The word "Entree" actually means appetizer in french, while in the USA it means main dish for whatever reason. Its even more ridiculous that USA restaurants that pretend to be fancy put "entrees" instead of "main dishes" on their menus.
> Its even more ridiculous that USA restaurants that pretend to be fancy put "entrees" instead of "main dishes" on their menus.
I smell "epic-ism": you know the French definition proximal to your own lifetime, but not the earlier one that essentially meant hearty meat courses.
Also, there were even "large entrées" from the same period. From Wikipedia[1]:
"Large joints of meat (usually beef or veal) and large whole fowl (turkey and geese) were the grandes or grosses entrées of the meal."
Maybe that definition was just from an influx of "ridiculous Americans" traveling to France during the Enlightenment so they could pretend to be fancy.
The concept of having multi-course meals is foreign to the USA both historically and culturally. The word "Entree" actually means appetizer in french, while in the USA it means main dish for whatever reason. Its even more ridiculous that USA restaurants that pretend to be fancy put "entrees" instead of "main dishes" on their menus.