On 5/17/2016 6:38 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 5/17/2016 6:59 PM, HerHusband wrote:

A typical Friday movie night almost always includes a glass of red wine,
cheese, and crackers.

Add some bread and you have dinner. When we go to Italy we usually eat our big
meal of the day at lunch while out, then go back to the villa and have the
cheese/bread/meat/wine.

When I was a kid, it was common to see (extended) family members eating
bread dipped in "red sauce" (big Sicilian family). This always seemed
"gross"; "where's the PASTA?"

As I got older, I eventually came upon the "attraction" of this.

First, I noticed that some folks eat pasta for the *pasta* (noodles).
Others, for the *sauce*.

[The different noodle shapes are designed to carry differing amounts of
sauce to your mouth ON the pasta]

I noticed that I preferred pasta harder (al dente). And, shapes that
were associated with carrying MORE sauce (esp fusilli bucati/lunghi;
though I'll eat "regular" fusilli/rotini in a pinch). I.e., that
I enjoy the pasta for the sauce, more than the noodles!

And, from there, to other sauce-based meals -- meatball grinders, etc.

So, now think nothing of just laddling sauce on a grinder roll and
calling it a meal!