Spaghetti, tagliolini, linguine, fettuccine, tagliatelle, pappardelle, bucatini and other foot-long noodles iconically represent Italian pasta. This is the pinnacle of the Italian food pyramid, eaten and cooked worldwide.
And yet some folks still don’t know how to twirl it on their forks.
Italians do. They learn how to twirl before being potty trained. Not so in America, where some people still use spoons. That’s heresy here.
Over the years, I’ve seen pasta vignettes worthy of a Vaudeville review. I’ve watched tourists dig in and toss around in their bowls of noodles only to end up discouraged and defeated on an empty stomach. I’ve witnessed many shrug off table manners and just lift and slurp. Some others use a knife to shorten the strands of pasta. Those nostalgic for olden days tie a large napkin around their neck before going to battle, something no one does in Italy anymore — not even when eating dangerous bucatini, proverbially known to lash out and spatter.
So what is the best way to deal with a plate of unruly pasta ribbons?
