Don't put cheese on your clam pasta.
July 17, 2013 8:22 PM Subscribe
Food Police: The Rick Steves Episode Dastardly doings in Rome. (Single Link Vimeo Post).
posted by markkraft
Oh god it's too easy
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:40 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh god it's too easy
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:40 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
I ordered pasta with shellfish at a high end restaurant here in Vancouver. The server offered me parmesan. I asked if it was recommended. She confessed that it is not considered appropriate, but that they get torn apart by patrons if they don't offer it up front and it isn't worth the fight. I tried one bite with the parmesan and had to agree that it would ruin the delicate taste.
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 9:49 PM on July 17, 2013
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 9:49 PM on July 17, 2013
A colleague at work came down on me hard one day for using the little packet of parmesan that came with my takeout salmon pasta. I have since been religiously adding the cheese to spite him.
posted by Dr Dracator at 10:22 PM on July 17, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by Dr Dracator at 10:22 PM on July 17, 2013 [5 favorites]
The video would have been better if it was only 30 seconds - but the point is sound. I grew up with the Kraft shaker of parmesan which was offered up at restaurants when I was a kid by Italian immigrants who should have known better. Disgusting stuff.
First time I had real Spaghetti alla Vongole without the cheese, in Milan, divine.
posted by wingless_angel at 10:36 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
First time I had real Spaghetti alla Vongole without the cheese, in Milan, divine.
posted by wingless_angel at 10:36 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Rick Steves is hilariously unconvincing as a bad guy.
posted by foobaz at 11:09 PM on July 17, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by foobaz at 11:09 PM on July 17, 2013 [5 favorites]
There are so many amazing pastas to eat, please try to enjoy your seafood pasta WITHOUT cheese.
If you do put cheese on your pasta, please consider Pecorino Romano over Parmigiano Reggiano.
posted by gen at 12:55 AM on July 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you do put cheese on your pasta, please consider Pecorino Romano over Parmigiano Reggiano.
posted by gen at 12:55 AM on July 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
Cheese on fish is only allowed in Sicilian cuisine, it's anathema (dogmatically so) anywhere else here in Italy.
There are certain other similarly enforced Italian no-cheese dogmata (never on Boletus; never when there's any peperoncino/chili pepper; never on beans/chickpeas/lentils); it would be interesting to know how much myth/fetish there is to all of these prescriptions (as there usually is when any opinion is so strongly adhered to).
posted by progosk at 4:11 AM on July 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
There are certain other similarly enforced Italian no-cheese dogmata (never on Boletus; never when there's any peperoncino/chili pepper; never on beans/chickpeas/lentils); it would be interesting to know how much myth/fetish there is to all of these prescriptions (as there usually is when any opinion is so strongly adhered to).
posted by progosk at 4:11 AM on July 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
That was cute. The running gag about Steves' last name was a nice touch.
Also: Take the girls, leave the cannoli.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:48 AM on July 18, 2013
Also: Take the girls, leave the cannoli.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:48 AM on July 18, 2013
If I can't put cheese on it, I don't fuckin' want it. Bring me something I can put cheese on.
posted by rifflesby at 5:46 AM on July 18, 2013
posted by rifflesby at 5:46 AM on July 18, 2013
In his travel shows Rick demonstrates the personality of a potted plant, but check out one of his talks (long vid). He talks about the early days of his travel business, where he toured around in a van, slept in parks, and his first-aid kid was a bag of Valium. He also describes his tours of Iran and Palestine. Pretty interesting if you're into startup stories.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:34 AM on July 18, 2013
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:34 AM on July 18, 2013
First time I had real Spaghetti alla Vongole without the cheese, in Milan, divine.
I bet you gots all your real teeth too, mr pinky-in-the-air!
posted by nerdler at 6:35 AM on July 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
I bet you gots all your real teeth too, mr pinky-in-the-air!
posted by nerdler at 6:35 AM on July 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
Rick is also a big supporter of NORML, which might go a long way towards explaining an urge to put cheese on things.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:48 AM on July 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:48 AM on July 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
That was fun! And helped take my mind off all the depressing newsfilter FPPs lately.
I never knew there were so many rules about the proper use of grated cheese in Italy; I was always a member of the "aged cheese is full of umami so lets put it on everything" club. Oh well, when in Rome...
posted by TedW at 8:43 AM on July 18, 2013
I never knew there were so many rules about the proper use of grated cheese in Italy; I was always a member of the "aged cheese is full of umami so lets put it on everything" club. Oh well, when in Rome...
posted by TedW at 8:43 AM on July 18, 2013
I am an expediter/runner at an Italian restaurant in the Hudson Valley. Our chef/owner is a...character. Sometimes, when someone he thinks is an idiot orders linguine vongole he sends me over to offer a ramekin of parmesan just so he can watch them ruin his food.
posted by Esoquo at 9:39 AM on July 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Esoquo at 9:39 AM on July 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh, and: if you're near the Pantheon, forget Fortunato - it's Armando you want. (Sorry, Rick.)
posted by progosk at 10:58 AM on July 18, 2013
posted by progosk at 10:58 AM on July 18, 2013
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posted by markkraft at 8:29 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]