A Note about Pasta-diversity

You know that whole thing with spaghetti noodles being almost exclusively for spaghetti? And fettucini always being paired with alfredo sauce in restaurants? There are certain pasta dishes that call for certain types of pasta. Some pasta must be included in certain recipes.

Fuck that.

It sounds pretentious as hell.

Don't be a pasta prick. If you have a pasta noodle that you prefer, like Ziti Rigati for example, USE IT WHENEVER YOU WANT. There is no standard set of rules dictating what sort of pasta MUST be used in what dish. In fact, I recommend that next time you make fettucini alfredo, screw the fettucini and boil up some angel hair. Or some penne. Or some other pasta that has a cool shape, like bow tie (or farfalle), that maybe you've never tried before!

Ever heard of Garganelli? Pappardelle? Capellini? Radiatori? Orecchiete? Try 'em out! I sure as hell haven't but I intend to! Especially now that I know Radiatori pasta noodles are shaped like little radiators, and Orecchiete are shaped like little ears (orecchio means 'ear' in Italian).

For more information on the wide variety of pasta shapes, visit this Wikipedia page: "List of Pasta". Yea, I know... Wikipedia would, right?