It was a very busy day today. In the morning, we went to visit an art gallery where a young Bolognese artist was being displayed.
In the evening we went to the first annual pasta sfoglia competition in San Lazzaro ( a suburb of Bologna). Pasta sfoglia is the dough that is used to make pasta. Four of our students competed in the contest. They were Liz Bilson, Dan Duggal, Kara Krakower, and Ed O'Hare. They were competing with people who have been making sfoglia for years. In fact, our students were the youngest competitors. The students also made the Bologna newspaper!!! Instead of reporting what the paper stated, I asked all four of the students to write their experience about the evening. I received three reflections, which I would like to share them with you.
Liz:
I was asked to define the pasta rolling contest. i would describe it with four simple words: excitement, intensity, annoyance, and determination. Let me explain, when making pasta dough there are 3 major parts that must be done correctly or else the pasta will not be good. I messed up in the very first part. So I was given 4 eggs and 500 grams of flour. Eyeballing the amount, I poured out what I thought to be a little less than 400 grams (400 is perfect) with the idea that adding flour would be way easier than removing it. I proceeded to make my fountain (a sort of bowl made of flour on the table) and cracked all four eggs in. Stirring the ingredients wit the fork I was given, slowly thinning the walls of flour before, drum roll please, it broke! The eggs gushed out onto the wooden table and proceeded to make a total and complete mess. I looked like a fool. Kara, who was across from me was already kneading her perfect dough. Marzia was just nodding encouragingly and telling me to add more flour. I swept the egg back together as best I could and managed to cover my hands so much with egg flour dough substance that I ended up with webbed fingers. Alright on with the show. So my dough took forever to prepare and once I got to kneading. Part 2- My table was yolk yellow with lots of little dough bits around the edges. Then, as if I wasn't already worried my gold medal was lost, the dough started sticking. I would add more flour but it still stuck and the dough was already getting to hard. I ran to wash my hand with Kara, both of us sweating bullets and red as roses. Thinking only of time, I decided against washing the back of my hands. Promptly, I returned to my table and glanced at my fellow Abbey Road contestants. Dan and Ed were miles ahead of me and Kara already had a fair circle going. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I proceeded to phase 3, rolling. Of course, my materell0 (rolling pin) was dirty as my station so I spent a good 3 minutes cleaning and by the time I was rolling a larger circle (the shape must be round) Dan had finished. Everyone was applauding and a knot stuck in my throat, now it must be great, I thought. I glanced at Kara, not a muscle twitched towards the crowd, she was just concentrated on her own dough. I tried to return to mine but I had to see this amazing dough. And then the crowd parted and I saw, the shape was far from round and there were even two large holes in it and they were cheering it.
Instantly I relaxed. They weren't going to be mean if we were terrible. No one expected is to win but they were just supporting our efforts. After every mistake I would try to fix it and was clam though I was pressing to hard simply because of time. Alessandro cheering Kara and I on along side Marzia really helped. I heard the crowd talking and they were all very impressed that at our level were not crashing and burning next to our competitors.
When time was called, Alessandro gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek assuring me I did well. Marzia did the same and after a second or two I realized, I just competed in a pasta making contest where second prize was 200 Euros and did not not make a total fool of myself. I hugged Kara and we let the newspaper take a picture of us next to our dough before finally full relaxed. The entire thing from class to the competition was amazing. I am so glad that I became close with Alessandro and definitely want to return to Bologna to visit everyone at La Vecchia Scuola.
I would do it all over in a heart beat and would not change a thing ( well, maybe the fountain) who knows, maybe one day, I'll win!
Dan: Italians are very passionate people and one of their major passions is pasta. So when the opportunity of a pasta rolling competition presented itself, I had to take it. After only 8 lessons at the Vecchia Scuola, I was going to be competing against 30 Italians for whom pasta practically runs in their blood. Clearly I wasn't going to do well so my main goal was to limit my public embarrassment. When I arrived at the competition I realized just how in over my head I was. I had pictures taken, an interview with a journalist, and a television interview. Meanwhile, I realized that other competitors had brought their own rollers. As an Italian might put int, I was in the wol'fs mouth but hopefully the wolf will die. The only reassurance I had was that my my teachers seemed to be rock stars within the community, with one of them even being a judge in the competition.
So it began, before I even knew it, competitors around me were rolling their dough out and I still had flour and eggs. Then my egg yoke leaked out of the nicely carved flour fountain and it proceeded to go all over the table. This is when the laughter began. I was learning quickly that this was a very different environment from the scuola and it wasn't going to work.
I am going to skip all the details of my dismal effort, but this clearly became my worst dough ever and by far the worst in the competition. It looked like the United States instead of needed circular or oval shape. The pasta I made had holes all around the pasta. I was later told it served as lakes for my US impression. When I was finished, I was asked to hold up my work to show everyone. When I showed the audience, instead of hearing laughter I actually heard cheering. Clearly it was out of a kind of pity but it felt great to have a room full of people cheering and shouting for me.
I stayed and saw all the other competitors thinking I could see how they did it and learn, and came to the clear conclusion that mine was the worst. I still got a plaque as a memory and I will never forget this experience. When I received my plaque I got another big ovation and lots of shouting which felt great. Clearly I can't compare to the real Italians at their own game. Yet as one woman reassured me: "There is always next year!"
Kara: Participating in the pasta rolling contest was definitely one of the most fun activities I have done here. Training for it was awesome at the Vecchia Scuola with Alessandro and Alessandra, and the other members of the intensive pasta training and I had a great time singing with Alessandro. At the actual competition, I would have done better but I also could have done a lot worse. Everything was going pretty well for me until I was half way through the rolling part. My dough stuck to itself! I was pretty scared that I would rip a whole through it, but when I finally got it untangled, I realized my dough was too soft which why I had that problem. At this point, there wasn't much I cold do, so I just put more flour on and kept rolling. All the spectators were cheering ( although I am not sure who since it was all in Italian) and despite the heat, it was a great experience. We all got participation certificates and a little plaque to prove we did it. I even got a picture with Alessandro and Alessandra and I would totally do it again in a heart beat!!!
