The Story

There isn’t a scene quite like recess at an elementary school. Hundreds of kids storm out of the classroom, energized and eager for action. For many children, this is the best part of the day. I too remember elementary school lunch as a great time in my life, but for reasons probably different than my peers. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed being able to run around like a wild hyena for 30 minutes, but for reasons I only now understand, what I loved more was getting to eat.

To grasp why I enjoyed eating so much at school, I need to give you a little background on my family. My mother lived in Italy for 10 years after college, a time she constantly talks about as some of her favorite moments in life. This time gave her the opportunity to learn the nuances of Italian cooking that only an Italian would understand. As a result, my siblings and I grew up in a household where Italian cuisine was served for dinner at least 3 times a week. The uniqueness of my childhood diet only began there. I was also raised a vegetarian so the other 4 dinners of the week usually went against the grain as well.

Naturally, school was the first place I realized how distinguished my childhood food experience was from my friends. Rather than having to eat the cafeteria food each day like friends, my unique diet required me to bring a packed lunch to school most days. The meal I remember the most was the pasta dish below that my twin sister and I called School Pasta. We loved it so much we would eat the leftovers as breakfast in the morning. However, when I got to school, all of my friends were irked by our “gross vegetable pasta.” During the time, I couldn’t understand why. I couldn’t understand why my friends were different than me and why they didn’t eat what I did at school. Although I loved my lunches, I resented their isolation.

As I look back and reflect on this time today, though, it is all crystal clear. I had different lunches than my friends because I grew up in an incredibly unique household compared to them. Although this made me uncomfortable at the time, in hindsight, I wouldn’t want my elementary lunches any other way. Meals like School Pasta taught me that I am unique with a distinct culture and heritage. This helped me realize that our own differences are not something to resent, but something to appreciate, because in the end, we wouldn’t be ourselves without them.

The Recipe

Ingredients

1 box of Fusilli Pasta

1 Tablespoon of Small Capers

1 Small finely chopped Onion

½ Stick of Butter (+ more if needed)

½ cup of pitted olives

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Steps

1. Fill a large pot with water and two tablespoons of course salt.
2. Bring water to boil.
3. Chop the onion finely and cut the olives in half.
4. Retrieve a large frying pan.
5. Melt butter.
6. Add capers, chopped onions, capers, and olives
7. Sauté until the onions are golden.
8. Turn off frying pan.
9. Cook Pasta per box directions.
10. Drain Pasta.
11. Turn frying pan back on.
12. Add drained pasta to frying pan.
13. Mix thoroughly, add more butter if needed
14. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.