Noodles of Contention
Listening to:DIA, Billy Corgan
Thinking of:
"You put egg into noodles?! That's disgusting!"
"Hate noodles!"
the list goes on...
How can someone not understand the fascination of long stringy bits of flour cooked to perfection, adante. Purist will tell me to hold up and explain to me the subtle and distinct differences between pasta and noodle types. True, they're not always interchangable but the fact of the matter is that noodles play such an important role in culture and civilization.
To illustrate my point, in 18th century England, macaroni was a synonym for perfection and excellence. That's why, for example, the feather in Yankee Doodle's cap was called "macaroni." In fact, the word "macaroni" means "dearest darlings" in Italian. That said, I always thought it was weird to have macaroni on one's hat... but I'll admit to attempting a Yankee Doodle when I was a lot younger.
Paranthetically, contrary to popular belief, Marco Polo did not discover pasta. The ancient Italians made pasta pretty much the same way as we do at this day and age. Although Marco Polo wrote about eating Chinese pasta at the court of Kubla Khan, he probably didn't introduce pasta to Italy. Quoting from pasta fanatics' webpages, "...there's evidence suggesting the Etruscans made pasta as early as 400 B.C. The evidence lies in a bas-relief carving in a cave about 30 miles north of Rome. The carving depicts instruments for making pasta - a rolling-out table, pastry wheel and flour bin" And further proof that Marco Polo didn't "discover" pasta is found in the will of Ponzio Baestone, a Genoan soldier who requested "bariscella peina de macarone" - a small basket of macaroni. His will is dated 1279, 16 years before Marco Polo returned from China.
Anyhow, noodles for breakfast might not be for everybody but they're not in away a bad thing!
Thinking of:
"You put egg into noodles?! That's disgusting!"
"Hate noodles!"
the list goes on...
How can someone not understand the fascination of long stringy bits of flour cooked to perfection, adante. Purist will tell me to hold up and explain to me the subtle and distinct differences between pasta and noodle types. True, they're not always interchangable but the fact of the matter is that noodles play such an important role in culture and civilization.
To illustrate my point, in 18th century England, macaroni was a synonym for perfection and excellence. That's why, for example, the feather in Yankee Doodle's cap was called "macaroni." In fact, the word "macaroni" means "dearest darlings" in Italian. That said, I always thought it was weird to have macaroni on one's hat... but I'll admit to attempting a Yankee Doodle when I was a lot younger.
Paranthetically, contrary to popular belief, Marco Polo did not discover pasta. The ancient Italians made pasta pretty much the same way as we do at this day and age. Although Marco Polo wrote about eating Chinese pasta at the court of Kubla Khan, he probably didn't introduce pasta to Italy. Quoting from pasta fanatics' webpages, "...there's evidence suggesting the Etruscans made pasta as early as 400 B.C. The evidence lies in a bas-relief carving in a cave about 30 miles north of Rome. The carving depicts instruments for making pasta - a rolling-out table, pastry wheel and flour bin" And further proof that Marco Polo didn't "discover" pasta is found in the will of Ponzio Baestone, a Genoan soldier who requested "bariscella peina de macarone" - a small basket of macaroni. His will is dated 1279, 16 years before Marco Polo returned from China.
Anyhow, noodles for breakfast might not be for everybody but they're not in away a bad thing!
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