Breaking Pasta In Half

When some people cook pasta like spaghetti or linguine or any of the other long noodles, they break the pasta in half before putting it in the boiling water to cook. I don't understand this and it can't be very authentic. I never saw my Grandpa do it, I don't think there is really a rational point to it, other than making it easier for you to cut up food for youngsters who need to take small bites.

You are supposed to put the pasta in the pot of boiling water and as the part that is in the water softens, push the noodles down so they are all fully submerged. When you eat the pasta, yes, it can be long and there may be lots of fork-twirling. This can be helped by using a tablespoon to twirl your pasta with. With a little practice, that traditional technique will almost always result in a clean, compacted bite of noodles. No problema!

If you do not enjoy long noodles and would rather stab your pasta with a fork or be able to eat smaller bites, you might want to try a different kind of pasta like Fusilli or Penne. Wikipedia says "there are approximately 350 different shapes of pasta." That means you have many options for what pasta to prepare, and what to serve it with. And many types of pasta are already so small, like Orzo, they don't need to be modified for cooking.

Mangia!