Petra X’s review of Italian Food > Likes and Comments
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You know you ought to write a book Petra X. Have you? I always gravitate to your reviews whenever I see your name (plus I wonder what your name is today versus yesterday). Keep on writing...please!
JimZ wrote: "You know you ought to write a book Petra X. Have you? I always gravitate to your reviews whenever I see your name (plus I wonder what your name is today versus yesterday). Keep on writing...please!"
Thank you. People are always saying that to me, but there are two reasons why I don't. The first is I can't. I'm no good at long-form writing. I used to be a music journalist and about a three-page interview was the max before everyone would lose interest. The second is that as a bookseller, I see all these books written by people who've done interesting stuff and written books and their friends and family buy them, but mostly they end up on my $5 shelf after 10 years.... Unless you are very famous or can afford to employ a PR agency to spin your brand day in day out, no one is really interested enough to want to buy your book. But thank you.
I bought this book recently along with French Provincial Cooking. I also like reading about cooking more than actually doing it.
I'd forgotten about Pastafarianism. We need more pirates!
I love books like these! Well written review.
Another glorious review from you, Petra! I’m about to write my first tentative review on a cookery book but after reading your sublime example of a Paean to pasta, my efforts will prove insignificant! However, in my defence, the book I’m attempting to review does not achieve the heady heights of this revered tome.
Also, how do you read cookery books cover to cover? I’ll usually flick through it, drool over photographs, get hungry and then respond to the urgent call to relieve the hunger pangs and go forage, or fossick in my case, through my cupboards of mysterious cans and jars for something edifying. Then I return to said book and look at the index for inspiration, dip into another few pages before I get round to making an approximation of the recipe. By this point, I’ve usually succumbed to an unhealthy amount of snack food in my expedition through the larder driven by the essential urge to survive, and find that I’m missing that one essential ingredient for said recipe, and cannot possibly make it there and now.
So, cookery books are equivalent in my eyes, to a live grenade….they need to be handled with care and in the right environment!
Another very entertaining review, Petra.
Your b’yad story reminds me of a holiday in Portugal. I went off to watch a football match and standing behind the goal, the ball went out in front of me and the referee gave a goal kick. I shouted out “C’mon ref, it was a corner, CORNER are you blind etc.” I got some funny looks and assumed it was because I was English.
At half time, this bloke siddles up and invites me for a beer “but” he says “a word of warning, in Portugese korna is the word for a woman’s..” and he points to his crutch.
Ann wrote: "I bought this book recently along with French Provincial Cooking. I also like reading about cooking more than actually doing it."
If you like Elizabeth David, I think you will like Claudia Roden equally. Same sort of cultural anthropology with recipes!
Great review Petra! Did you make up the prayer?
Dmitri wrote: "Great review Petra! Did you make up the prayer?"
No, it's to do with the The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Believers, pastafarians, wear colanders on their heads in homage to their deity. The driving licence authority accept such pics as they are wearing religious headgear. This is an interesting, amusing and informative article on the headgear and religion:
usatoday DOT com/story/news/nation-now/2015/11/16/church-flying-spaghetti-monster-massachusetts-religion/75862946/
Really loved your pastafarian prayer! 😂
Kateryna wrote: "Really loved your pastafarian prayer! 😂"
My favourite line is, "And lead us not into vegetarianism, but deliver us some pizza," :-)
Petra: Excited bf is coming to visit for a week wrote: "... it's to do with the The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster...."
Don't forget the importance of pirates:
"the argument that "global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of pirates since the 1800s".
The Wiki page for "Flying Spaghetti Monster" is pretty good, including info about headgear in driving licence photos (only in some places, and certainly not the UK).
Or go to the source of truth:
spaghettimonster org
Haha 😂 Although I’m vegetarian but I LOVE PIZZA!!! (just yesterday had one big with 4 cheese)😋
Cecily wrote: "The Wiki page for "Flying Spaghetti Monster" is pretty good, including info about headgear in driving licence photos (only in some places, and certainly not the UK)...."
I was converted by a fellow GR member who preached to me. But I forgot about it, I lapsed in my belief in pasta. I shall go to "church" tonight and have spaghetti marinara to atone.
For a minute there I was willing to believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster was a real religion.
Dmitri wrote: "For a minute there I was willing to believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster was a real religion."
Ask yourself this, would you rather go to church, synagogue, temple, mosque etc or an Italian restaurant? What feels right to you?
Dmitri wrote: "For a minute there I was willing to believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster was a real religion."
It IS!!!
Cecily wrote: "Dmitri wrote: "For a minute there I was willing to believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster was a real religion."
It IS!!!"
Nice to see such a strong affirmation of faith, Cecily :-)
As always, I loved your review. I also studied at an Ulpan in Israel, but I only wish I had as funny a story to tell about it. Perhaps I’ll memorize the Pastafarian prayer.
Sherril wrote: "As always, I loved your review. I also studied at an Ulpan in Israel, but I only wish I had as funny a story to tell about it. Perhaps I’ll memorize the Pastafarian prayer."
Which ulpan (or city), what year? You don't have to say year if you don't want to!
Petra back to life, back to reality or GR anyway wrote: "Sherril wrote: "As always, I loved your review. I also studied at an Ulpan in Israel, but I only wish I had as funny a story to tell about it. Perhaps I’ll memorize the Pastafarian prayer."
Which ..."
Petra back to life, back to reality or GR anyway wrote: "Sherril wrote: "As always, I loved your review. I also studied at an Ulpan in Israel, but I only wish I had as funny a story to tell about it. Perhaps I’ll memorize the Pastafarian prayer."
Which ..."
Petra back to life, back to reality or GR anyway wrote: "Sherril wrote: "As always, I loved your review. I also studied at an Ulpan in Israel, but I only wish I had as funny a story to tell about it. Perhaps I’ll memorize the Pastafarian prayer."
Which ..."
I studied at WUJS (World Union of Jewish Students) in Arad. I believe the year was 1977. It was a six month program after which they helped us to find work in our areas. Mine was a Speech/Language Therapist.
Sherril wrote: "I studied at WUJS (World Union of Jewish Students) in Arad. I believe the year was 1977. It was a six month program after which they helped us to find work in our areas. Mine was a Speech/Language Therapist..."
You were there quite long while before me. Did you enjoy it? Did you stay/go back?
🤣 So nice to see you back Petra. I am a vegetarian but nevertheless enjoy my pasta. Husband is Italian so it's a staple in our home. Love the Pastafarian prayer.
Heinz Spaghetti hoops on toast! I spent my first year away from home eating those. Then I moved back, and haven't ate a spagetti hoop since.
Thanks for reminding me.
/Neil
Cathrine ☯️ wrote: "🤣 So nice to see you back Petra. I am a vegetarian but nevertheless enjoy my pasta. Husband is Italian so it's a staple in our home. Love the Pastafarian prayer."
Recite it like grace before you eat your husband's offering!
Spad53 wrote: "Heinz Spaghetti hoops on toast! I spent my first year away from home eating those. Then I moved back, and haven't ate a spagetti hoop since. /Neil"
When I was in Malta, years ago, in this nice cafe in a grand part of town, I ordered spaghetti and what came was Heinz spaghetti hoops on toast with side of chunky fries! The waitress apologised for them being hoops, as they'd run out of spaghetti!
I do love your reviews, and I'm so glad to see you back on Goodreads. This one was particularly fun. Thank you.
Beth wrote: "I do love your reviews, and I'm so glad to see you back on Goodreads. This one was particularly fun. Thank you."
Thank you. I'm trying to 'be back'. I can't carry on vegetating in lonely isolation anymore, it's a waste of a life.
Love the prayer and so good to see you're back.
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JimZ
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Apr 14, 2023 09:00AM
You know you ought to write a book Petra X. Have you? I always gravitate to your reviews whenever I see your name (plus I wonder what your name is today versus yesterday). Keep on writing...please!
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JimZ wrote: "You know you ought to write a book Petra X. Have you? I always gravitate to your reviews whenever I see your name (plus I wonder what your name is today versus yesterday). Keep on writing...please!"Thank you. People are always saying that to me, but there are two reasons why I don't. The first is I can't. I'm no good at long-form writing. I used to be a music journalist and about a three-page interview was the max before everyone would lose interest. The second is that as a bookseller, I see all these books written by people who've done interesting stuff and written books and their friends and family buy them, but mostly they end up on my $5 shelf after 10 years.... Unless you are very famous or can afford to employ a PR agency to spin your brand day in day out, no one is really interested enough to want to buy your book. But thank you.
I bought this book recently along with French Provincial Cooking. I also like reading about cooking more than actually doing it.
I'd forgotten about Pastafarianism. We need more pirates!
I love books like these! Well written review.
Another glorious review from you, Petra! I’m about to write my first tentative review on a cookery book but after reading your sublime example of a Paean to pasta, my efforts will prove insignificant! However, in my defence, the book I’m attempting to review does not achieve the heady heights of this revered tome.Also, how do you read cookery books cover to cover? I’ll usually flick through it, drool over photographs, get hungry and then respond to the urgent call to relieve the hunger pangs and go forage, or fossick in my case, through my cupboards of mysterious cans and jars for something edifying. Then I return to said book and look at the index for inspiration, dip into another few pages before I get round to making an approximation of the recipe. By this point, I’ve usually succumbed to an unhealthy amount of snack food in my expedition through the larder driven by the essential urge to survive, and find that I’m missing that one essential ingredient for said recipe, and cannot possibly make it there and now.
So, cookery books are equivalent in my eyes, to a live grenade….they need to be handled with care and in the right environment!
Another very entertaining review, Petra.
Your b’yad story reminds me of a holiday in Portugal. I went off to watch a football match and standing behind the goal, the ball went out in front of me and the referee gave a goal kick. I shouted out “C’mon ref, it was a corner, CORNER are you blind etc.” I got some funny looks and assumed it was because I was English. At half time, this bloke siddles up and invites me for a beer “but” he says “a word of warning, in Portugese korna is the word for a woman’s..” and he points to his crutch.
Ann wrote: "I bought this book recently along with French Provincial Cooking. I also like reading about cooking more than actually doing it."If you like Elizabeth David, I think you will like Claudia Roden equally. Same sort of cultural anthropology with recipes!
Great review Petra! Did you make up the prayer?
Dmitri wrote: "Great review Petra! Did you make up the prayer?"No, it's to do with the The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Believers, pastafarians, wear colanders on their heads in homage to their deity. The driving licence authority accept such pics as they are wearing religious headgear. This is an interesting, amusing and informative article on the headgear and religion:
usatoday DOT com/story/news/nation-now/2015/11/16/church-flying-spaghetti-monster-massachusetts-religion/75862946/
Really loved your pastafarian prayer! 😂
Kateryna wrote: "Really loved your pastafarian prayer! 😂"My favourite line is, "And lead us not into vegetarianism, but deliver us some pizza," :-)
Petra: Excited bf is coming to visit for a week wrote: "... it's to do with the The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster...."Don't forget the importance of pirates:
"the argument that "global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of pirates since the 1800s".
The Wiki page for "Flying Spaghetti Monster" is pretty good, including info about headgear in driving licence photos (only in some places, and certainly not the UK).
Or go to the source of truth:
spaghettimonster org
Haha 😂 Although I’m vegetarian but I LOVE PIZZA!!! (just yesterday had one big with 4 cheese)😋
Cecily wrote: "The Wiki page for "Flying Spaghetti Monster" is pretty good, including info about headgear in driving licence photos (only in some places, and certainly not the UK)...."I was converted by a fellow GR member who preached to me. But I forgot about it, I lapsed in my belief in pasta. I shall go to "church" tonight and have spaghetti marinara to atone.
For a minute there I was willing to believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster was a real religion.
Dmitri wrote: "For a minute there I was willing to believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster was a real religion."Ask yourself this, would you rather go to church, synagogue, temple, mosque etc or an Italian restaurant? What feels right to you?
Dmitri wrote: "For a minute there I was willing to believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster was a real religion."It IS!!!
Cecily wrote: "Dmitri wrote: "For a minute there I was willing to believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster was a real religion."It IS!!!"
Nice to see such a strong affirmation of faith, Cecily :-)
As always, I loved your review. I also studied at an Ulpan in Israel, but I only wish I had as funny a story to tell about it. Perhaps I’ll memorize the Pastafarian prayer.
Sherril wrote: "As always, I loved your review. I also studied at an Ulpan in Israel, but I only wish I had as funny a story to tell about it. Perhaps I’ll memorize the Pastafarian prayer."Which ulpan (or city), what year? You don't have to say year if you don't want to!
Petra back to life, back to reality or GR anyway wrote: "Sherril wrote: "As always, I loved your review. I also studied at an Ulpan in Israel, but I only wish I had as funny a story to tell about it. Perhaps I’ll memorize the Pastafarian prayer."Which ..."
Petra back to life, back to reality or GR anyway wrote: "Sherril wrote: "As always, I loved your review. I also studied at an Ulpan in Israel, but I only wish I had as funny a story to tell about it. Perhaps I’ll memorize the Pastafarian prayer."
Which ..."
Petra back to life, back to reality or GR anyway wrote: "Sherril wrote: "As always, I loved your review. I also studied at an Ulpan in Israel, but I only wish I had as funny a story to tell about it. Perhaps I’ll memorize the Pastafarian prayer."
Which ..."
I studied at WUJS (World Union of Jewish Students) in Arad. I believe the year was 1977. It was a six month program after which they helped us to find work in our areas. Mine was a Speech/Language Therapist.
Sherril wrote: "I studied at WUJS (World Union of Jewish Students) in Arad. I believe the year was 1977. It was a six month program after which they helped us to find work in our areas. Mine was a Speech/Language Therapist..."You were there quite long while before me. Did you enjoy it? Did you stay/go back?
🤣 So nice to see you back Petra. I am a vegetarian but nevertheless enjoy my pasta. Husband is Italian so it's a staple in our home. Love the Pastafarian prayer.
Heinz Spaghetti hoops on toast! I spent my first year away from home eating those. Then I moved back, and haven't ate a spagetti hoop since.Thanks for reminding me.
/Neil
Cathrine ☯️ wrote: "🤣 So nice to see you back Petra. I am a vegetarian but nevertheless enjoy my pasta. Husband is Italian so it's a staple in our home. Love the Pastafarian prayer."Recite it like grace before you eat your husband's offering!
Spad53 wrote: "Heinz Spaghetti hoops on toast! I spent my first year away from home eating those. Then I moved back, and haven't ate a spagetti hoop since. /Neil"When I was in Malta, years ago, in this nice cafe in a grand part of town, I ordered spaghetti and what came was Heinz spaghetti hoops on toast with side of chunky fries! The waitress apologised for them being hoops, as they'd run out of spaghetti!
I do love your reviews, and I'm so glad to see you back on Goodreads. This one was particularly fun. Thank you.
Beth wrote: "I do love your reviews, and I'm so glad to see you back on Goodreads. This one was particularly fun. Thank you."Thank you. I'm trying to 'be back'. I can't carry on vegetating in lonely isolation anymore, it's a waste of a life.
Love the prayer and so good to see you're back.
