Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Americans may like their overcooked pasta floating in sauce, nothing wrong with that. But please don't call it pasta! Call it noodle or soup, but not pasta. By doing so, it gives a skewed and unfair image of what people usually eat in Italy. No, Italians don't eat fettuccine Alfredo, chicken "bruSCetta", with balsamic vinegar and Tuscany potatoes: Alfredo must have not been born in Italy, bruschetta is done with saltless bread, olive oil and some garlic, balsamic vinegar (the real one) is too expensive and precious to use too often, and adding the word Tuscany does not mean it comes from Tuscany. This is what I am always explaining to people when they think those are the things Italians eat :-)

This video is a perfect example of over-exaggeration by an over-zealous, tempermental chef that has obviously been out of the American culinary habits loop. Perhaps, he feels the 0.1% who don't over sauce their pastas are the ones who visit his establishments? Nevertheless, the pompous critique of Italians on the use of "condiments" is and always will be considered arrogant. Wasn't it the Chinese that invented pasta? And, ironically, have never read or heard similar commentary. I love his shows but leave the attitude at home.

My guess is that American addiction to so much sauce is based on the relative abundance of food that Italian immigrants found when they arrived here. Throughout most of history, Italy has been very poor so they natural favored the cheap and prevalent ingredients. When they arrived in America, with exponentially more food available, they indulged on the foods they couldn't get back home. This also is a factor in why American Italian food uses herbs and spices in greater quantities than traditional old world recipes.

A ciascuno, suo proprio.

It's going to take a long time to re-train the American palate to accept a scantily clad bowl of top shelf pasta as the norm. You've got to remember, for most of us (in the NYC area anyway), Ronzoni was the staple "pasta." With flavorful imported brands and more fresh pasta becoming available, the sauce may eventually take its place as the condiment.

I have been guilty of eating "soupy" pasta all my life. My mother used to say, "I can't even yell at you for taking all that sauce because you finish it!" I remember when we started buying imported pasta, my initial reaction was that it was too sweet. I eventually realized how tasteless brands like Ronzoni and Mueller's were and began to embrace the different flavors of pasta.

My mother told me I'd outgrow my need to douse all that sauce on my pasta and, as usual, she was right.