Walter Mitty needs to grow a pair (pasta fresca)

Ubaldo Artini is the relative of a fellow who works with me at the restaurant. He smokes Marlboro cigarettes, drinks Becks beer, and likes to run. A past marathon winner, he has also run four ultra-marathons. In the past few years lower back pain has made him shift his focus to half marathons, the upside of which is that he has more time to spend with his three-year-old grandson, Marco

Marco's dad works with me at the restaurant, which is how I met his father in law. Right now, Ubaldo is in Antartica (running a half marathon), but when he gets back he has promised to help me join the local Italian running club and to take me with him to races on Sundays. He always rests on Saturdays and trains in the evening after work.

Ubaldo works in a warehouse.
...
Anyway, in preparation for next fall, I've been spending my afternoons making fresh pasta (and running a bit). The ingredients are simple (flour + egg) but the proportions must be flexible. Because the humidity affects the moisture retention of the flour, it's better to allow the flour to be drawn into the dough, rather than forcing it to incorporate. Thus the "bowl of flour" method.

If you decide to buy pasta at the store, you'll come across three types: teflon, aluminum, and bronze-pressed. The metal refers to the material used in making the pasta machine, which affects the texture of the pasta. For optimal sauce retention, go for bronze (most texture), but aluminum is fine. Avoid teflon. Pasta made without egg (i.e. barilla) yields a lighter noodle and less-starchy cooking water.

Pasta shape is also key to transporting the sauce from plate to mouth. In general:
- Thinner, lighter noodles will allow you to taste the subtleties of the sauce (good for truffles)
- Shaped pasta should be paired with sauces that complement their size. (i.e. sausage and broccoli rabe go well with orecchiette)
- Taglitelle goes with anything

Finally, don't break or cut your pasta into pieces. Eating broken pasta is like drinking melted ice cream.