Pasta

Do we have any Simpsons fans out there? This Sunday's show cracked me up - Flanders took the Simpsons on a tour to the Holy Lands. While there was also some fun theological play throughout, the first half had many "Idiot American Tourists" references. I'm such a fan of people who find humor in people behaving badly abroad . . .

But this blog entry is to address a far more serious topic. There has been a culinary abuse which has been going on in America for years, and I, for one, just will not tolerate it anymore. An entire group has been mistreated and taken for granted for decades, and I feel I must speak out. I speak on behalf of PASTA today, my friends. Pasta, which has more variety than ice cream flavors. Pasta, which is structurally designed to hold the sauce which is appropriately paired with it. Pasta, which really should only be cooked one way. Pasta, which is important enough to the Italians to be used as an entire course on its own.

The Romans know how pasta should be revered. Rome has the Museo Nationale della Pasta (http://www.pastainmuseum.com/index.php) - that's how serious they are. And, when you enjoy a primo piatto during our first weekend in Rome, you, too, will see how serious they are. Long pastas, short pastas, soup pastas . . . semolina wheat, durum wheat, potato . . . red sauces, white sauces, pestos . . . mmmm . . . I've got to get dinner going . . .

Italophiles know that pasta isn't just designed for the eater's delight; each variety of structure of pasta is made so that it pairs ideally with the sauce which it holds. This hoo-hah of "choose your own pasta, choose your own sauce" is just that - hooey. Kudos to Barilla, a company who has been seeking to properly educate the United States in how to treat pasta properly. http://www.barillaus.com/home/Pages/Perfect_Pairing.aspx offers a thorough chart on types of pasta, and the sauces which should be paired with them. Just like ideal cheese and wine pairings, sauce behaves the right way when it's with its right pasta. Some of my favorite pairings are Bucatini all' Amatriciana, Gnocchi con Pesto, and, my favorite in Siena (a must do, at least once), Pici con cacio e pepe (hard, aged cheese and pepper grated over it).

Italophiles also know the importance of cooking pasta al dente - no serving mush to your table! It's no wonder why Americans feel we can cut pasta out of our diets - we have become pros at destroying the beauty of it. It has been medically proven that pasta done al dente is better for digestion . . . please, if you have tolerated soggy pasta for years, make the change to a better pasta experience!!! Pasta has to be strong enough to hold up to its paired sauce!!! It is said that Pasta is architecture for the mouth, and how can it serve its job when it's too mushy to hold its own shape? http://www.archimedes-lab.org/pastashape.html will give you some great images, if you want to feast with your eyes.

I am still on a mission to find a place which makes pasta at a restaurant in Dallas which fulfills my senses as much as when in Italy. The closest experience to pasta pleasure I've found is at Mi Piaci, just off Beltline and the Dallas North Tollway. If you're a regular Italy tourist, do you have another restaurant around here to recommend?

With the carb scare and all these anti-carb diets out there, you are completely denying yourself the experience which all stomachs deserve. Even if you suffer with Celiac disease, you can find pastas which are gluten-free at any restaurant in Italy (often, the risotto plates can be gluten-free). Really, it's not natural to not consume carbs - your internal organs suffer badly from not having a balanced meal for an extended amount of time. At your homestays, you'll probably have pasta for dinner every night. I can confess that my favorite sauce done by my homestay mom consists mostly of chopped asparagus . . .

The Museo Nationale della Pasta is closed right now for renovation - they must have heard about the "choose your pasta/sauce" and "overcooked pasta" debacles, and are taking time to mourn.

RESPECT PASTA!!!

ho fame,
Laura :)