The same equivalent size package of the same pasta sells in Rome for roughly
$ 1.50 (1.25 Euros). Here in Florida, at a 'specialty' Italian food market, it sells for $ 4.95. Tell me again why I need to spend super-premium money to eat something made somewhere along the Appian Way that taste exactly like Ronzoni dry pasta that's made in Winchester, Virginia.
Here's the reality, in case you haven't figured it out. Imported pastas - no matter where they come from, are a luxury item. The look, act, cook and taste basically just like products made here in the States. They are 'luxury items', not necessities. Tax the fuckin' shit out of 'em. Don't matter to us.
Wanna read an absolute bullshit artricle supporting paying more for 'premium' spaghettis? It's here on HuffPost, and it's friggin' ridiculous. Juss' sayin'.
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then all of a sudden POOF! Hey - where'd it go?
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In yet another attempt at relevancy, former first lady Michelle Obama declared in an interview yesterday, that America isn’t ready for a woman in the Oval Office, arguing men nationwide don’t want to be “led” by a female president. Obama, who backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in her failed 2024 White House bid against President Trump, unleashed her remarks while promoting her new book, “The Look,” at a Nov. 5 event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. “As we saw in the past election, sadly, we ain’t ready,” the 61-year-old told actor Tracee Ellis Ross, who moderated the event, which was posted on Obama’s YouTube page Friday.
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These are seriously comfortable pants.
No matter how warm or cold it is where you are.
At under 25 bucks each, a good deal, too.
See for yourself - click on the picture or this link:
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Nestled on Bloomfield Avenue just shy of the Newark/Belleville line, the Belmont Tavern is a time capsule of classic Italian-American dining. Known for its Chicken Savoy, a dish that has achieved legendary status, this place is adored for its robust flavors. The dimly-lit atmosphere and nostalgic decor transport you to another era. It takes 'non-pretentious' to a new level.
As you savor the dishes, it’s easy to see why patrons rave about Belmont Tavern’s unique charm. The restaurant has been serving locals for decades, earning a place in the heart of the community. Don’t miss the chance to experience this culinary icon if you're anywhere near the area. With its unpretentious vibe and welcoming staff, it feels like home. The red sauce here truly tastes like Sunday - and it's almost as good as mine...
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Is it time to start thinking
about 'stocking stuffers'?
Click on the picture for more information on Barb has in her Etsy store.
They're all simple yet elegant - and they all come to you with free shipping!
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The Huffington post IS Trump Derangement Syndrome, it's purpose is to object to ANYTHING Trump does. Kind of like TDS is it's reason for being.
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't read HP the article.
Don't forget there's a lot of shipping and handling charges on imports too.
ReplyDeleteI would've voted for Michelle Bachmann over Barack Hussein if they hadn't driven her out of the race with lies.
Hey, Big Mike. We had a woman president. A black woman; your other half. How'd that work out?
ReplyDeleteI think the rubber glove is Obozo’s favorite part of his annual physical
ReplyDeleteWhat is the difference in durham wheat and preparation methods in the US versus the EU, specifically Italy? Why do some people have a gluten intolerance in the US, but not in Italy?
ReplyDeleteShort answer: you’re not imagining it. A lot of “wheat in Italy feels different” comes from how the grain is regulated, milled, processed, and fermented, not from a magical Tuscan gluten gene. In many people who are not celiac, the troublemakers are often FODMAPs and wheat proteins like ATIs, plus a nice helping of American processing shortcuts. Here’s the clean version.
What’s different about durum and pasta rules
• Italy (and the EU): Dry pasta is tightly defined. Italian law ties “pasta di semola di grano duro” to durum-wheat semolina + water with strict specs on moisture and labeling, and Italy has required origin labeling telling you where the wheat was grown and milled. No random extras. 
• United States: “Macaroni products” can be made from semolina, durum flour, farina, or generic wheat flour in various combinations, and may be sold enriched (added iron/folic acid/B-vitamins) as a standardized category. It’s legal product, just looser. 
Milling & making: texture and drying
• Italian producers often extrude through bronze dies and slow-dry; that yields rougher, more porous pasta and different starch/protein structure than high-throughput, high-heat drying and Teflon dies. Bronze vs Teflon affects microstructure and moisture diffusion, which isn’t only about sauce cling; it changes how the pasta cooks and digests. 
• Many Italian brands explicitly emphasize low-temp drying; industrial lines worldwide often use very high temperatures for speed. 
Flour treatments and dough “helpers”
• EU/Italy ban several flour bleaching and dough-conditioning agents that are still permitted in parts of the U.S., including potassium bromate and azodicarbonamide; chlorine/benzoyl-peroxide bleaching is also not allowed in the EU. 
• In the U.S., enrichment with folic acid and minerals is allowed and required only if the product uses the “enriched” standard, but enrichment itself isn’t mandatory. Italy generally sells pasta without synthetic vitamin enrichment. Different labels, different additives. 
Farm practices and residues
• Glyphosate: EU approval exists but with restrictions; Italy has prohibited pre-harvest desiccation with glyphosate, which is one route to higher residues in some North American grains. That policy difference plus Italy’s origin-labeling makes it easier to avoid certain supply chains. 
Bread and pizza: fermentation matters a lot
• Long yeast or sourdough fermentation reduces FODMAPs (fructans) and degrades ATIs (amylase-trypsin inhibitors), both linked to GI symptoms in non-celiac folks. Traditional bakeries that ferment for many hours can make wheat products that feel gentler for sensitive people. 
• Controlled trials suggest many people with “gluten sensitivity” actually react more to FODMAPs than to gluten itself; when FODMAPs are lowered, symptoms improve even if gluten stays. 
So why do some people feel fine in Italy but not in the U.S.?
1. Different inputs: Stricter Italian definitions for pasta limit flours and add-ins; U.S. categories are broader and often enriched/processed differently. 
2. Processing style: Bronze-die, slow-dry pasta and long-fermented breads can alter texture and digestibility vs high-heat drying and fast-rise, additive-heavy bakery methods. 
3. Residue profiles: Italy’s ban on glyphosate pre-harvest use and origin rules can lower exposure to certain residues compared with some North American wheat streams. 
4. It’s not always gluten: For many non-celiacs, fructans and ATIs are the real irritants. Long fermentation knocks these down. 
None of this changes anything for celiac disease: gluten anywhere is a hard no. But for the large gray zone of “I feel crummy with U.S. wheat,” the combo of additives, fast processing, and ferment times is a perfectly boring, perfectly plausible explanation. Not a conspiracy. Just industry incentives meeting your intestines.
Hoffmann was just acetylating whatever he had on the shelf. When you're a synthetic chemist with a new reaction or a new reagent, that's what you do. Has it got functional group X (in this case -OH)? Have you tried it yet with reaction Y? A LOT of organic chemistry got done this way. I remember a line of about a dozen pots at Pitman-Moore in the sixties; we ordered the Aldrich catalog of amines and went to town. It's a bit more thoughtful these days, but damn it was fun being a bucket chemist back then. Get crystals? Save 'em and test. Got goo? Down the drain and move on.
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