Politics and Parmigiano Reggiano

Yesterday, my sister made spaghetti with meat sauce. She used a finely ground turkey instead of our usual Italian sausage, and big juicy chunks of tomato in the jarred sauce. It was good, especially with a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano, but it had quite a bit going on. I ate it, but couldn't help feeling that it wasn't quite right.

Tonight, I heated up the leftover pasta with some French butter and another dusting of imported cheese. This time, it was perfect. The spaghetti was a blank canvas for the gorgeous parmesan, and the slick butter sheen was just enough to tie it all together. The simplicity of the food was what was so satisfying. No complicated sauce, no squirting vegetables... just something warm, creamy, and good.