L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano Y o u k n o w I t a l - i a n s a r e p a s - sionate, some- times even too much. You just need to look at them when it c o m e s t o s o c c e r . I n t h e kitchen, if there is some- t h i n g l i k e l y t o s t a r t u p a heated discussion around the table – besides soccer, of course – it must be the way you eat your spaghetti (and long pasta in general). Y o u a r e p r o b a b l y acquainted with the tradi- tional way to do it, the one m a d e i c o n i c b y A l b e r t o Sordi in Un Americano a Roma: stick the fork in the pasta, roll it between your fingers as if you were screw- ing something, lift the rolled b a l l o f s p a g h e t t i t o y o u r m o u t h , e n j o y . H o w e v e r , both in Italy and abroad, you may have come across other techniques and, right- ly so, you may be wondering if they are used in Italy or not. Today, we'll try to make some clarity on the subject, and we are going to be very straightforward: the only a c c e p t a b l e w a y t o e a t spaghetti, or other long vari- e t i e s o f p a s t a , i s r o l l i n g them around your fork. No other piece of cutlery – oh, h i , s p o o n a n d k n i f e ! – should be used while enjoy- ing a plate of carbonara or amatriciana. This is, at least, what the Galateo, our big book of good manners, says. Let us take, for instance, the habit of using a spoon to roll your spaghetti into, a habit that, in fact, used to be quite common in certain parts of I t a l y , e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e S o u t h , s o m u c h s o i t w a s considered even a sign of elegance. Well, according to the Galateo it is a giant no- no, because spoon and fork s h o u l d n e v e r b e u s e d together! T h e w h o l e " c u t t i n g s p a g h e t t i w i t h f o r k a n d knife" thing, on the other hand, comes from the years of our childhood, when par- ents would cut long noodles into bite-size morsels, and then serve them to us with a spoon, all to avoid we kids got a spaghetto stuck in our throat and choke. In this context, cutting spaghetti is obviously accepted. On the other hand, an adult reach- ing for a knife while sitting in front of a plate of fettuc- cine, spaghetti or tagliatelle is going against the rules of elegance. I still remember t h e c o n t e m p t a f r i e n d o f mine was lovingly showered with when we discovered s h e c u t h e r p a s t a w i t h a knife before tucking in. The same considerations should be made for spoons, w h i c h , w e s a i d a l r e a d y , s h o u l d n e v e r b e u s e d f o r spaghetti. Some people find that rolling their spaghetti in a spoon is more elegant, but there is nothing further from the truth: the only rea- sonable way to eat spaghetti is by taking a small amount with the fork – something on the line of 4 or 5 spaghet- t i , a n a r t i c l e p u b l i s h e d online in the Italian version of La Cucina Italiana says - t h e n r o l l i n g t h e m t i d i l y , a v o i d i n g t o h a v e l o o s e s p a g h e t t i h a n g i n g a t t h e b o t t o m o f t h e f o r k , a n d finally bringing them the mouth. For decades, howev- er, rolling your pasta into a spoon, was considered the height of bon-ton: the little spaghetti pile was perfect and you were less likely to be messy or to stain your clothes with sauce. Now we k n o w , h o w e v e r , t h a t w e shouldn't do it at all. If you find rolling that fork properly difficult, the internet and technology may come in your help, because, today, you can find electric, spaghetti-rolling forks for purchase online. They look like something you would use for a prank, but there may be some good options out there if you've settled on getting one. So, what's our last word of the endless discussion on how to eat spaghetti? To be honest, we think t h a t t h e b e s t w a y t o e a t spaghetti is whichever way i t m a k e s y o u e n j o y t h e m most: for the vast majority of us, admittedly, that's by rolling our forks, but other may prefer to cut them or to h e l p t h e m s e l v e s w i t h a s p o o n . " Y o u d o y o u , " w e h e a r , o f t e n , s a y a s a n e n c o u r a g e m e n t , a n d t h e spaghetti issue should be c l o s e d u s i n g t h e s a m e expression! W ith Valen t i n e ' s Day arou n d t h e c o r n e r , writing about a lovers' word came naturally. Bacio (bah- tcho) is the most immediate sign of affection; the kiss is u b i q u i t o u s a n d u s e d b y everyone who wants to show – more or less passionately, depending on who you're directing your love to – they care. There are two linguistic theories related to the ety- mology of the word bacio: the first, of course, involves Latin as, we've learned, is common with our lexicon. A kiss in ancient Rome was a basium, which according to some came from the Greek βαζω, or perhaps βασκαίνω (baskaino), both connected to the concepts of "speaking," or "whispering." Indeed, it makes sense: in the end, we use the same parts of our body, the mouth and the lips, to both speak and kiss. According to another theo- ry, basium – and therefore bacio – could come from the Sanskrit word for "chewing" ( b a b h a s t i ) a n d t h e root bhes-, indicating the action of "rubbing." I n I t a l y , b a c i o ( a n d i t s plural baci) is also a common n a m e f o r c h o c o l a t e s a n d cookies. You may be familiar with the country's most loved Valentine's Day sweet treat, the Baci Perugina: they are so "San Valentino" they come with little love phrases print- ed inside their wrapping. Another famous Italian bacio is the Bacio di Dama, a tradi- tional hazelnut and chocolate f i l l e d c o o k i e , t h a t g o t i t s name from the way its two halves "kiss each other" and stick together with the choco- late. Indeed, every town with a good bakery is likely to have either a specialty cookie or chocolate called "bacio," usually associated with the name of the town or the vil- lage itself. Bacio, and the verb bacia- re (to kiss) are also used in some popular expressions, like "al bacio," when some- thing is done perfectly, or "baciarsi i gomiti" (to kiss one's elbows") when some- thing very lucky happens to you. - Delizioso questo arrosto, davvero cotto al bacio! - This roast is delicious, it's cooked perfectly! - Quanti baci sulle guance vi date voi Italiani quando vi incontrate? - Two, sometimes three. - E' un lavoro che ti piace, c o n u n b u o n s t i p e n d i o e v i c i n i s s i m o a c a s a : p u o i baciarti i gomiti. - You can consider your- self lucky: you like your job, it has a good salary and it's very near home. LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Word of the day: bacio – February's favorite thing Italian curiosities: should you or should you not use a spoon to eat spaghetti? Some people think that using a spoon to eat spaghetti is a sign of elegance, but they are wrong! (Photo: Dusan Zidar/Dreamstime) © Oksix | Dreamstime.com

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