"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
> On 9/6/2011 10:44 AM, Pico Rico wrote:
>> > wrote in message
>> ...
>> On Sep 6, 9:38 am, > wrote:
>>> What's the reasoning to choose one pasta type (for example, sphaghetti)
>>> over another (say vermicelli or those elbow things) to serve as the
>>> pasta component of a meal? Does the shape really matter to the taste
>>> of the dish?
>>>
>>> TIA.
>>
>> I choose for
>> a. sauce compatibility
>> b. ease of eating - some ppl don't like to twist etc)
>> c. speed of cooking (saves time and elec.)
>>
>>
>> Agree. I would add: variation. what did these guys eat recently? Or,
>> what
>> might these guys not typically eat (so you can "wow" them with a shape
>> that
>> these peasants are not accustomed to).
>>
>>
> I don't see much real difference among the various types of pasta but
> short pieces seem to work well with cream sauces (a la macaroni and
> cheese) and thin spaghettis seem more appropriate to soaking up the more
> liquid sauces. The pasta tastes just the same but, in many ways, "variety
> is the spice of life"! I think cooking time is rather irrelevant and
> picking up spaghetti with a fork is a skill learned when one begins to
> grow up.


let's not forget "mouth feel".