[Sca-cooks] Timpano

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Adler, Chris wrote:
>>This sounds a lot like the "timpano" served in "The Big Night". Found it
>>
> in
>
>>the comedy section of the video store, but it wasn't all that funny.
>>
> Good,
>
>>but not funny.  The dish is basically a pot lined with pasta dough and
>>
> then
>
>>filled with cheese, meatballs, hand-rolled ziti, and sauce and baked.  It
>>was round, golden-brown, and caused death threats on the chef. (Direct
>>quote: "That was so good I should kill you!")  I saw that thing turned out
>>of the pot and I started drooling.
>>
>
> Whilst visiting my mother at Christmas last year, she urged me to see that
> film. We rented it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. No, it's not a riotously
> funny film, but very good nonetheless.


FWIW, I don't recall it ever being marketed as a comedy; I'd say it's
about the conflict between art and commercialism, the incredible stress
involved in managing a successful small business, and balancing these
concerns against one's loyalty to one's family.

I seem to recall my favorite lines being Tony Shalhoub's deadpan
suggestions about eliminating the elaborate but
deceptively-simple-looking seafood risotto from the menu in favor of,
'ow you say, 'ot dog? Not to mention his dark critiques of the kind of
people who would expect meatballs with their pasta, on the same plate.

It actually reminded me of Lenny Henry's crazed diatribe in one "Chef!"
episode, when a customer asks for salt _before_ tasting his meal.
Something about the man's place on the evolutionary scale being below
the lowest known life forms, beneath even the sea slugs, the creeping
things, and the people who eat packaged soups.

Adamantius
--
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com

"It was so blatant that Roger threw at him.  Clemens gets away with
things that get other people thrown out of games.  As long as they
let him get away with it, it's going  to continue." -- Joe Torre, 9/98