Cut, Twirl, or Spoon? Fun Spaghetti Etquette!

Greetings and Happy Friday!

I hope you have plans this weekend that will make it extra memorable for you!

My family isn’t much on vigorous entertainment. Any sweat-producing activity won’t likely appear on our weekend radars. However, passive, air-conditioned entertainment is right up our ally!

Several months ago our DVD player broke. With all the writing I’m currently doing on my books and curriculum (your blog, too!), I’m not beyond TV as babysitter doing summer break. Saying to my sons, “OK boys, why don’t you watch Madagascar 2 while mom finishes chapter 2” will sound like a great idea after they start their third chorus of “Mom, we’re bored!” on the second day of summer vacation.

I have to laugh; Kent, my husband, gets laser focused when it comes to buying new technology. With the same adrenalin rush sense of survival that drove our paternal ancestors to leave their huts and caves to hunt down food for their families, Kent seeks out our audio-video equipment—not in the great prairies and plains of old, but in the giant aisles of Costco. (Do you know anyone just like him?) Wednesday, he returned home triumphantly with the object of his hunt held tightly in his grasp. His well-hunted prey? A Blu-ray® DVD player.

“How much did it cost?” I aksed in a disbelieving voice, looking at the receipt. “I thought DVD players were about $49 these days.” Kent insists every penny spent is well worth it because the high definition TV he bought last year is “wasted” without the technological advancement of the Blu-ray®. Tonight we’re watching our first movie. “Wasted” without Blu-ray®? I’ll let you know!

Friday’s Quick Tip

The weekend makes me think of food! Spaghetti (my youngest son’s favorite) is something I serve a lot. When I teach corporate etiquette classes and dinners, the question “How do I eat spaghetti without looking like a mess?” always comes up. It’s a popular topic, so here’s your quick tip guide for eating this carb delight.

I have to admit, it’s not an easy food to handle graciously. If you’re at a need-to-impress meal, I’d pass on the spaghetti and stick with ziti or some other more undemanding cut of pasta!

Can I use a spoon to help twirl the pasta with my fork? It depends! If you’re at home, of course! If you’re at a restaurant or someone else’s home, only use a spoon if one is served on the plate with the spaghetti; don’t ask for one. Why? Do you know the comedian Jeff Foxworthy and his famous “You might be a redneck if…” jokes? In some parts of Italy spoons are fine, and in other parts of Italy, well…“You might be a redneck if you use a spoon to twirl your pasta.” It’s a whole Northern Italy vs. Southern Italy custom.

What do I do if I don’t have a spoon to help twirl the pasta? It’s hard to maneuver, but your goal is to use your fork to separate a few strands from the rest. Then, twirl those around your fork, being careful not to have any dangling spaghetti as you put the fork in your mouth.

Can I cut the spaghetti? Technically it’s not correct. Again, you wouldn’t want to do it at a need-to-impress event. At my house, absolutely, cut away! In fact, I always break mine into two before I boil it just to make it easier for my boys to eat.

What about eating the meatball? Cut just one piece of the meatball at a time for each bite; don’t cut the whole thing at once. You can use the side of your fork to cut the meatball if it’s small. For larger ones, definitely use your knife and fork. Make sure to pierce the fork well into the meatball, otherwise it’s liable to roll off the plate, and, following Murphy’s Law, it will land exactly on whatever item it will stain the most!

It’s graduation season! Have you received any invitations or announcements? If so, join me Monday. It’s all about graduation! Also, if you have any etiquette questions on any topic, you know you can always send them my way.
Keep in touch and have a fantastic weekend! See you Monday!

Blessings,