Pasta

I've always felt that pasta, of one variety or t'other, was my favourite meal. Indeed, I often ask, at a gathering of friends: "If you were stranded on a desert island and there was just one ethnic restaurant on the island, what would you want it to be?" My answer is always: Italian ... because of the pasta, of course. However, though there are a few hundred types of Italian pasta, they're (almost) all made of Semolina flour (from Durham wheat) and differ only in their shape: I recall spending a month at an Italian research centre in Southern Italy and my host was very proud of the local pasta (orecchiette, shaped like a little ears). Okay, so now my wife has convinced me that rice is good. In fact, there are tens of thousands of types of rice !!! Now, when we play the "What ethnic restaurant" game, I may still say Italian ... but it'll be for the risotto.