He Who Eats Alone Dies alone

Don't choke on that pasta Alberto!

 
There is an old Italian saying which goes like this, "Chi mangia solo crepa solo." Translation: "He who eats alone dies alone."  I would hear this saying and picture a lonely old man eating alone and choking to death on a long strand of spaghetti, it really truly scarred me! But in reality I had nothing to worry about because growing up in a First Generation Italian Family we never ever ate alone, it was simply unheard of in fact not only did we eat as a family around the table every night but all of our big holiday  meals were always shared with other large Italian families. Eating was something to be enjoyed with those you loved, a public act to be shared and savored for what sometimes lasted for several hours. If you think about it there is so much truth in that old saying, viewing eating as a public act it suddenly becomes everyone's business. Lets say you are piling a bit too much pasta on your plate  your Nonna might say something like, "You gonna get fat, you betta watch out!" Or if you are looking a little thin your Zia might say, "Hey you gonna blow away, here eat some more pasta." Or even worse, how about if you did happen to choke, it happens, one time my Nonna Flora was choking on her spaghetti and we had to pull it out..... true story : )
So if you are wanting a simple way to stay healthy and live longer go ahead and make that triple chocolate cake and then invite some friends and family over to share it with.

And so I leave with you with the recipe for my EASY  Pizza Bruschetta!

~~Pizza Bruschetta~~

Ingredients

1 loaf Italian Bread
 mozzarella shredded
dry oregano
1 garlic clove whole for rubbing
Marinara sauce  (Or use your Ragu, Meat Sauce, and skip the other toppings!)
toppings: basil leaves, pepperoni, olives, anchovies etc....

Directions
Preheat oven to  450
Cut your bread into1 inch thick slices on the diagonal, this gives them a larger surface.
Brush both sides of bread with olive oil and place on a sheet pan, bake until golden brown on both sides. (I sometimes do this with the broiler if I am in a hurry.)
Now rub the garlic over each slice of bread on 1 side. Add the sauce, oregano, cheese, and other toppings of your choice, except basil that goes on after the bread is removed from the oven. You don't want too much sauce or else it becomes mushy. Bake until golden brown on top. (Again sometimes I use the broiler, but you really need to watch!)
I like to cut each in half on the diagonal for presentation...... plus I love to hear the ~~CRUNCH~~

I like to serve these simply with nothing more than a green salad and a big bottle of chianti which always seems to encourage lingering around the table for hours : )

Photo of Alberto Sordi eating spaghetti in the film "Un americano a Roma"