Thoughts on the Table

David from Cocoa and Lavender joins me to discuss a guest article I wrote in collaboration with other Italian bloggers on the "Basic Rules of Italian Food." For instance, among the various topics, we talk about the fact that no Italian would dare to cut spaghetti with a knife, to have a cappuccino after a meal, or to cook pasta other than in plenty of salted water at full boil. To conclude the episode, David introduces his latest recipe which is dedicated to the traditional Ligurian pasta shape called "Corzetti". (Music by www.purple-planet.com)

During the episode, Simon talks about his Italian roots, his deeply Australian upbringing, and how his discovery of traditional Italian food led him to embrace authenticity in his trattoria, even against the general expectations of his patrons. In our exchange, we touch on several hot topics including: the three fundamental pasta sauces of Rome (Gricia, Amatriciana and Carbonara) and how they should be properly executed; the overrated role of fresh pasta and the surprising presence of dried pasta in the diet the of Italians; the omnipresence of balsamic vinegar outside of Italy versus the appreciation of plain wine vinegar in Italy; the difference between serving pasta in large amounts of sauce and lightly coating it, in a balance of flavor and texture. (Music by www.purple-planet.com)

During his day-trip to San Giovanni in Galdo, Nick Zingale has a series of encounters that make him closer to his roots and that he will remember forever. (Music by www.purple-planet.com)

Nick Zingale shares another chapter of his past Italian trip which allowed him to explore his southern Italian roots. In this episode, he takes us through his emotional journey to Molise, the small Italian region where his maternal ancestors were from. Particularly, he talks about the paese of Matrice and its strong connections to Cleveland. (Music by www.purple-planet.com)

Linda talks about what brought her to Brussels, Belgium and about her motivations for starting a blog, which she describes through hilarious examples and colorful stories. She also talks about her inspiration as a cook, her most important recipes, and her plans for future projects and collaborations.

Nick Zingale is back with his great storytelling and distinctive charm to talk about his journey throughout the Italian peninsula that took place about a year ago. With the ultimate goal of reaching his ancestors' towns in southern Italy, Nick explored several destinations along the way, and some out of the way. In this episode, he shares entertaining tales from short trips to the beautiful Cinque Terre, Lake Orta, and Como. (Music by www.purple-planet.com)

Is it true that Italians drink espresso all the time? Live with their parents until they're 30 years old? And they all know how to dress up? In this entertaining episode, Nick and I try to debunk these and more stereotypes. But will we succeed?

Mark Preston, food writer, blogger, and cookbook author, talks about his encounters with Italian cuisine while growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, and how this experience prompted him to travel to Europe, as he says, 'just to go to Italy to eat!' He also analyzes how the popularization of the Mediterranean diet may have caused a shift in preference from Thai to Italian in Los Angeles, where he now lives. Finally, Mark reveals his thoughts on what, in the fifties, caused the Americans to go crazy for pizza!

Nick Zingale is an American of Italian descent who lived and traveled in Italy and Europe for seven months last year. He joins me in this episode for a fascinating overview of his experience abroad, which he documented on his personal blog - from working as an English teaching assistant, to his discovery of his ancestors' native towns in Sicily and Molise, to his solo travel around the Italian peninsula. Throughout the episode, Nick shares plenty of insights on Italy and the Italians from his special point of view of someone who grew up in an Italian-American family.

In this feature, Francesca talks about her unique upbringings, with her family straddling between Boston and a small village in southern Italy, and between adopting new traditions and maintaining their old ones, while living abroad. In the second part of the episode, Francesca describes how she made professional use of her Italian background both by teaching Italian cooking classes and by organizing and conducting culinary tours of Italy.