132 - Pasta Tier List 🍝🍝
Hey there, !
By the time this comes out I should be down in Hobart having a bit of a R&R with family - hope you get some time to do so in the next weeks or so. I mean, not necessarily go to Hobart, but maybe some rest :D
[EDIT: I've written some more content for the As I Am podcast Writing Corner - Advice from our Ancestors - a bit personal, a bit Asian - please take a look and let me know your thoughts!]
To ensure continuity of content, we are doing, as always, a tier list; this time, PASTA.
Now - this list is going to be based on the following criteria:
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How much do I like the texture of the pasta
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How much do I like the pasta shape aesthetically
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How often I would puchase this to pair with food I normally eat
These ratings probably change depending on the dish and the sauce used, but I'm focused primarily on the pasta shape itself, and the texture of eating it. Assume that these are all cooked al dente and that it's paired with the correct ratio of sauce (whatever that may be).
All opinions below are Vince's only and are not reflective of any of my employers, friends, acquaintances or enemies (but may have been heavily influenced by them).
C tier - Fusilli, Macaroni, Gnocchi
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I think the main reason that these are in C tier is because of bad memories with them. Fusilli was something we used to eat when we were young and I remember it was usually over-cooked and mushy. Lovely texture :S
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Macaroni, I think, only has one real use which is Mac and Cheese, which by itself is great, but other than that it's not a very...versatile pasta shape. At least not compared to others on this list!
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I've never found a gnocchi that I love, either. It can be nice...sometimes, but it's never the one that I really want to eat. I mightn't have had a good one yet but the mind is open :D
B tier - Spaghetti, Ravioli, Fettuccine
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This is just...normal stuff. Spaghetti is your basic, normal pasta that I've put in the B tier - and Fettuccine is the thin version of "hor fun" for Italian pasta. It's pretty much the same stuff as normal Asian noodles, but Italian.
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I have fond memories of ravioli from when I was younger - it was one of the first Italian meals I had from a friend's mum who gave me a massive bowl of mini ravioli and I fell in LOVE. I think I ate ravioli from a thermos for lunch for the next 2 years of my damn LIFE, which is why I'm a little over it now. Also, at restaurants they only give you like 10 pieces? It's nice, but others are better :D
A tier - Linguine, Tagliatelle, Farfalle, Tortellini, Strozapreti
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Linguine and Tagliatelle are just better versions of Spaghetti. They've got a better bite, they're a bit thicker, and it just goes with nicer stuff. Squid ink linguine? So delicious. Add some tagliatelle in bolognese instead, and you got an udon-kinda texture - loooovely. You can be a bit fancier with them if you don't just want spaghetti, and the texture is fantastic.
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Farfalle has one of the prettiest shapes - they're so cute-looking and bow-tie shaped; there's a place near me where you can get some bags of giant farfalle which are so big and beautiful - ahhhh I love adding it as the pasta for sauces.
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Tortellini are also cute little Italian dumplings which appeals to the Asian in me. I love getting these - I saw a recipe that puts them in a soup or something, like wontons? I definitely want to try that. They go with so many types of sauces as well!
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Strozapreti means 'strangled priest'; I had these for the first time at Pentolina in the city, and they were super delish, and super textural. Really enjoy these, but primarily because of the name. The shape looks like a thick, short spaghetti that has been twisted around a bit, and it serves as a really nice mouthful of food.
S tier - Penne, Rigatoni, Bucatini
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Penne and Rigatoni are my favourite pasta shapes - tubular, big, chewy, textural and they trap sauce in the grooves and gaps of the pasta. They work well in bakes, they fork up well - they're just so good. This is what I'm usually looking for on the menu at a restaurant, and what I'll get from the supermarket any time. S tier bayBEE.
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Bucatini is an S tier version of spaghetti - it's this kinda hollow spaghetti, which makes it have even more chew than normal. It has all the benefits of spaghetti (long, noodly and slick to eat) with the fun texture of penne and rigatoni (but a lot denser - I mean, it's a noodle). I don't find this pasta often but when I do - hoo BOY it's a good one.
Chat soon :)
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✔️Real Life Recommendations
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Nightmare Alley - on Disney+, directed by Guillermo del Toro. It's a neo-noir psychological thriller, and is a kinda wacky story, but very much a del Toro film. It tells the story of a hustler going coming from nothing and learning some new tricks to hustle new people (don't want to give anything away more than this!). In classic del Toro style, the movie is extremely atmospheric and the ambience / production is top notch. The pacing of the story is weird - sometimes slow, sometimes fast, sometimes tense, sometimes dragging. However, it has some great performances and has a satisfying ending - really liked the film and is a recommend!
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Love Stories - by Trent Dalton. Trent sat on the corner in the Brisbane CBD and set up a desk and typewriter, with a notice 'Sentimental Writer Collecting Love Stories' - the result is this book. As a soppy romantic it is an incredible read to see all these different people's stories and what love means to them. It won't be for everyone, but I loved reading this book - it's the perfect wholesome read :)
🚌 Adventures on the Information Super-Highway
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What Makes a Great Opening Line? - bit different article to read, but goes through a number of impactful first sentences of books, and why they're so good :)
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OEC Tradle - in this week's edition of Wordle clones, test your knowledge of what goods a country exports! (Did you know PNG has 36% petroleum gas and 23.3% gold exports? I sure didn't!)
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What use is mental math in 2022? - personally, it helps me know if another person has made a mistake, or that I have a reference for the approximate ballpark of where a number should land. So...what do you use it for? :D