Ibraheem Solaiman

Sarah Jacobson

English 110

6 October 2022

Despite the many conflicting opinions about food, one that I must assume is universally agreed to be amazing is pasta. Pasta is a wildly popular and incredibly versatile food, even the term “pasta” alone could refer to one of hundreds of dishes. Given the hold it has over my diet, as well as its incredible variation, this Italian staple was the perfect subject of research. The science and nuance of pasta, and food in general is much more complicated than what most people assume. The sources I found all discuss pasta with various levels of complexity ranging from scientific analysis to simple recipes. Unsurprisingly, there are also many people with strong opinions regarding pasta that often conflict with others. The sources include a scientific research paper, a magazine column, a recipe, and a newspaper article, and despite all talking about pasta, differ in their content and rhetorical elements.  

Influence of Wheatgrass Juice on Techno-Functional Properties and Bioactive Characteristics of Pasta by Keshavdeep Bawa is a technical paper that delves into the benefits of Pasta enriched with wheatgrass juice. This paper describes a study with the goal of developing wheatgrass juice enriched pasta that would be assessed based on its “functional properties, cooking characteristics, antioxidant properties, textural and morphological attributes” (Bawa 1). Based on the highly technical language used, the audience for this paper would be peer food scientists or someone involved in food manufacturing in some way, because the paper describes the chemical makeup of pasta in different forms and the language used would not make sense to someone without a background in this field. Additionally, the formal and academic tone of the paper make it reasonable to assume that this paper is meant to make the case for wheatgrass juice pasta to someone with a background in the chemistry and microbiology of food. The paper thoroughly describes the process of experimentation with pasta and what results they yielded using the scientific method. For example, the paper describes the process of finding the optimal cooking time of pasta, and they found that, “Increased replacement of WGJ[wheatgrass juice] from 0-100% with water significantly (p<0.05) reduced OCT from 6.10 to 5.42 minutes (Table1)” (Bawa 7). This was attributed to “an increase in acidity with the addition of ascorbic acid rich WGJ [30]. This changes the crystalline structure of starch” (Bawa 7). The purpose of this research is to prove the benefits of wheat grass juice incorporated pasta based on its technicality and microbiology and is written for the review of experts in the field. Most of this language is inaccessible to many people.

“3 versatile no-cook sauces for weeknight pasta dinners.” is an article published by the Washington Post on September 7 by their recipe editor Ann Maloney. As the title suggests, it is meant to provide quick and simple pasta recipes for readers. The exigence in this case would be the need for pasta when one lacks the time, resources, and skills to make it. This article was written for home cooks who are less experienced, given the emphasis on the simplicity of the recipes. Furthermore, the article has a casual friendly tone evident by the opening, “You know that little tingle of excitement you feel when Netflix is about to drop a new season of your favorite show” (Maloney 1). Immediately the author makes the subject matter relatable by comparing it to a more common hobby like watching tv. It also makes the article feel more like a conversation rather than an informational piece. Maloney expresses her purpose by saying that, “I’m phenomenally lazy. I don’t like washing things if I don’t have to.” (Maloney 3) regarding the concision of her recipes. She goes on to explain that because of, “her day-to-day life as a working stepmom, she leans into efficiency and away from… cooking it the way it has always been done.” Here she relates to a specific demographic that she hopes this article will benefit, which is people who are too busy to make complicated dishes. She also gives her stance regarding the importance of tradition when it comes to cooking, expressing her belief that traditions do not have to dictate cooking. Maloney says, “My whole ethos and style is stripping things back from the perspective of what we don’t need.” (3). In summation, this article is an informative piece intended to provide a simplified way to make pasta for inexperienced home cooks, and the author intends to innovate cooking pasta to prioritize convenience as well as flavor.

 “Turning Red”, not to be confused with the Pixar film of the same name, written by Eric Kim, is a Column published in New York Times magazine in August 2022. The column is focused on a specific dish called “pasta al pomodoro” that the author loves and is advertising this recipe which involves a simple fresh tomato and olive oil sauce. Eric Kim, a food writer for the New York Times, wrote this piece to share what he believes is a superior way to prepare spaghetti. According to him, “Unlike marinara, which is often chunky with aromatics and can be used to sauce all manner of dishes, a good pomodoro is smooth from the perfect emulsion of tomatoes and olive oil — and almost always dresses pasta… the purest distillation of summer umami” (Kim 1). The author has a nostalgic tone, expressing an emotional attachment to this dish. He also uses formal language, giving the piece a sense of sophistication. This was written for connoisseurs (for lack of a better term) of Italian cuisine, because the author has an almost condescending tone when explaining why this recipe is the best way to make pasta. Eric Kim also relates his experience to the audience using a movie reference, mentioning, “the pivotal scene from the Ryan Murphy film in which Julia Roberts eats a plate of perfectly tousled spaghetti with tomato sauce” (1). The goal of this column is to make the audience crave this dish the way the author does, evident by the repeated use of hyperbolic words like “Perfect” and “purest”. Kim then provides information on how to make the dish and his personal experience with figuring that out, his goal being to promote a simplistic but apparently perfect way to make pasta.

“Chefs’ blood boils over Nobel scientist’s pasta tips.” is the headline of a newspaper from The Times (London) by Tom Kington. The article details a chef’s strong reaction to a psychist suggesting that, “Italians to save gas by turning it off as they cook pasta… incurring the wrath of chefs who have told him to keep his genius out of the kitchen” (Kington). The author’s goal with this article is to challenge the rigid traditions of Italian chefs. After providing statements from scientists explaining why this method would work, Kington includes a comment at the end, saying, “tradition isn’t always as embedded as we might think. According to the food historian Luca Cesari, serving pasta al dente gained orthodoxy across Italy only about a hundred years ago”. The author has an ironic tone throughout the article and takes the stance of the scientific opinions on this issue. This was written for the traditionalist pasta chefs to present a counter opinion to their rigid beliefs. Kington uses the physicist’s statement as well as his own knowledge of history to poke holes in their beliefs. The casual and accessible language used in the article also creates a sense of levity. This is not an article written for experts, it is written to inform general audiences of a simple method change that could help them in the kitchen.

All four sources, despite being completely different mediums with varying degrees of complexity, are similar in their rhetorical elements. The purpose of each article is to provide a better way to cook pasta, and the articles even take similar stances. They favor innovative methods and new ways of making pasta better rather than sticking to the traditional methods. However, the tone and language of each article varies greatly. The research paper used technical language and was clearly written for experts in the field, while the recipe has a casual tone and is meant to be accessible for everyday people who are not experienced in cooking. Also, the magazine uses more formal language but also establishes a nostalgic tone to communicate the author’s attachment to that dish. These differences in tone are due to the differing genres and audiences, ranging from food scientists to pasta novices. Even in something as seemingly simple as pasta, the possibilities for learning were endless in this research.