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We're going, and one of the things we arranged is to have an Italian chef come to our villa and cook a meal for us!

This is the one we selected (and yes, the pasta is made fresh) -

TRADITIONAL MENU 1

● Pappa al pomodoro (Very traditional Florence soup Bread and tomato thick “soup”)

● Ravioli Maremmani (Ricotta cheese and spinach) with butter and sage

● Peposo alla Fornacina (braised beef in red wine, garlic, black pepper and tomato) with cannellini beans

● Tiramisù

Includes bread and one bottle of wine for the four of us - (I’m sure we’ll drink two)

The cost is 117.50 Euros per person = about $190 Cdn
Yum! Sounds delicious. 😋

I remember my friend being asked if he wanted his ramen al dente. WTF?

I'm surprised they didn't ask him if he wanted chips (fries) with it too.

Firm noodles can better carry the flavour of the broth, but I agree, cooking noodles al dente is difficult to get right. If you cook them too little, they can be crunchy instead of pleasantly chewy.

Hawaiian, or Ham and Pineapple as everyone calls it, is Australia's national pizza. The kids love it. Also, Vegemite tastes great but not on pizza.
You can have the pineapple and ham pizza. Please pass the bread sticks.

Agreed. I'm not surprised that kids love it (most kids love anything sweet, and most kids love ham), but I'm an adult. To me, pizza should be flavoursome and savoury, not sweet. Margherita or Capricciosa are great. Veggie pizzas are good too, as well as anything that balances the meat and veggie portions.

I've tried the various meat lovers' pizzas and wasn't too impressed. Personally, I'd like some veggie goodness to counter the meaty taste. :) A pizza with just meat makes me feel bloated.
 
What the heck is "vodka sauce"?
It's a very common tomato cream sauce. You just flame off some vodka in the pan, which emulsifies all the ingredients and releases more flavors. Even the Canadians have it, so I'm surprised it hasn't made it to Australia yet. It's very easy to make.
 
Firm noodles can better carry the flavour of the broth, but I agree, cooking noodles al dente is difficult to get right. If you cook them too little, they can be crunchy instead of pleasantly chewy.

You miss the point. Nobody in a noodle cooking country uses the term "al dente". Or even "noodle soup". They're just noodles. Why the hell would I use an Italian term for a Japanese dish?
 
You miss the point. Nobody in a noodle cooking country uses the term "al dente". Or even "noodle soup". They're just noodles. Why the hell would I use an Italian term for a Japanese dish?
Italian - Japanese fusion is becoming a thing. I think it started with cross-pollenating noodle dishes and went from there. Just introducing tomatoes to Japanese cuisine opens up an entirely new culinary avenue. Other things involve swapping yuzu for lemon on the sauce level, or some of the more unique Japanese sea creatures for the Mediterranean. Having worked extensively with both cuisines, they have a lot in common. Except for the cheese thing, obviously.
 
Italian - Japanese fusion is becoming a thing.

It's always been a thing. I don't particularly fancy the salmon roe carbonara.

But that's not really what I mean. In italian food in Japan, they might say "al dente", because it's descended from Italy. Just like they'll use English terms for how steak is cooked.

Ramen isn't. And the concept of noodle softness only exists with certain types of regional noodles, to suit tastes in other regions. The term for soft is "yawarakai". Etiquette means you're supposed to trust the chef to do it "right", whatever that means.
 
Once upon a time, universe far, far away, I had a boyfriend who was first generation Japanese. He liked taking me to a local restaurant where the staff all spoke Japanese, then ordering for me in Japanese without telling me what he was ordering. It was a lot of fun, and I ate some interesting things I'd never have ordered for myself.
 
I think I'm going to make steak and shrimp stir fry with chili garlic sauce now. I have so lomein noodles to throw it over. Easiest shit in the world. My hard-boiled eggs take longer to make.
 
Can I come over for lunch? I can be there by day after tomorrow unless it snows in Denver.
Sure, but that'll be for dinner, so you've got time. Lunch is the same every day: three eggs, one avocado, one apple, maybe some leftover protein if I have it, which today is a Milanese cutlet. I fast from 8pm to noon the next day pretty religiously. It's the only way I can keep my weight at decent levels and process cholesterol properly. Need that protein and good fat. And as I've discovered recently, proper rest, nutrition, and physical activity are mission critical to my executive mental functioning. Adrenaline and high stress environments are like crack-cocaine to me, so unless I want to die of a heart attack in my 50s...

Plus, the best part of the intermittent, overnight fasting, is you can essentially eat whatever the hell you want in that eight hour window, so long as you properly break it with a protein overload.
 
Personally, if I were to get a pizza, I would go for something simple, like Margherita. I had one or two Margheritas in Italy, and they were absolutely delicious. 😋 I tried to find the same taste here in Australia -- still looking. ;)
There are two places in Sacramento where you can get an authentic Brooklyn-style pizza, both owned by a gentleman named Giovanni who learned his craft in that holy city of pizza. We usually order the Margherita, and it's never disappointed. Thin malty crust, vibrant flavors, decent cheese.

I actually met Giovanni one night and we had a good talk about pizza. He laughed when I told him that my nickname in my Italian family was "Gianni." That was his nickname, too.

Hawaiian, or Ham and Pineapple as everyone calls it, is Australia's national pizza. The kids love it. Also, Vegemite tastes great but not on pizza.
Well, I've had Vegimite when I was in Australia, and it's no surprise that a culture that likes that also adores Hawaiian pizza.

In that visit, my host was complaining about the KFC around the corner, and the "Hungry Jacks" popping up here and there. He railed against the intrusion of American culture. But he said that KFC served bloody good chicken, which made him hate himself for enjoying it.
 
Just got home. Out of vodka and tequila, don't feel like going back out, so having a gin

Gonna work on my story!!
Can't drink any of those in the winter. Whiskey and red wine all day.

I can either do a stir fry or a curry. Dunno what I fancy yet.
I might pivot to rabe and sausage over radiatore.
 
Shit, I liked a post before realising it was this thread.
Just got home. Out of vodka and tequila, don't feel like going back out, so having a gin

Gonna work on my story!!
What's your back up if you're out of gin?
I might pivot to rabe and sausage over radiatore.
Is there any point to you ever eating at a restaurant?
 
Well, I've had Vegimite when I was in Australia, and it's no surprise that a culture that likes that also adores Hawaiian pizza.

In that visit, my host was complaining about the KFC around the corner, and the "Hungry Jacks" popping up here and there. He railed against the intrusion of American culture. But he said that KFC served bloody good chicken, which made him hate himself for enjoying it.

In a few days, I'd have lived in Australia for 36 years or so, and I've never tried Vegemite. Don't want to, either.

"Hungry Jacks" is what the Aussies call Burger King. They've taken Burger King and made it even worse, if that's at all possible.
===============
And to change the subject completely: I don't understand why supermarkets play dance music. Does anyone come to the supermarket to dance? "Oh yeah, you read my mind! Get ready to boogie, 'cos I'm about to cut a rug!" ;-P
 
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