Notes From the Test Kitchen: Marmite Pasta
It’s a curious dish
with a French name
for an English condiment
Served on an Italian staple.
Its recipe moves people
To extremes of feeling,
Yet it’s popular globally,
Thanks to the social media
Presence of its most
Famous proponent, and that
Makes me wonder if
Cross-cultural understanding
Is a matter of exposure.
You wouldn’t know it
By looking, and yet relentless
Exposure, experimentation, and
Risk-taking are necessary. How
Else do you get noodles, butter,
Yeast extract, and cheese onto
The same plate? Never mind
That urge, in grubbier hands,
Begat a half-millennium of savage
Exploitation. Better natures
Recognize the tools, and turn them
To better ends. It’s hard to hate
Someone if you really like their
Food. If you can rise to that,
Then you can love yourself better,
For the joy of eating your way
Out of bland isolation.
