# I eat pasta without sauce. Is this weird? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968 "2013-05-21T22:46:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/21 "2013-05-22T02:08:06Z")
One of my nieces does this, too. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/22 "2013-05-22T02:22:30Z")
Who cares if it’s weird, so long as it’s good! I recently made a batch with olive oil, cracked pepper and some sliced garlic that was to die for. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/23 "2013-05-22T02:39:13Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > But I only eat it in my underwear, because the way I see it, if I’m going to degrade myself like that, I might as well go the full monty. Groucho/ how it got in my underwear I’ll never know/GM ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/24 "2013-05-22T02:40:15Z")
When I was a kid my mom always served the spaghetti and the sauce separately. While everybody else in the room would put the meat sauce on the noodles, my mom ate her spaghetti with butter, and ate the meat sauce separately with a spoon. I always thought that was weird. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/25 "2013-05-22T08:58:49Z")
Never heard of pasta with butter but one of my stand-by quick recipes is spaghetti with paremesan, olive oil and flaked chili. Nearly naked…let’s say barely dressed. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/26 "2013-05-22T10:18:10Z")
Years ago one of the pasta companies (Mueller’s?) used to run an ad featuring a side dish of ‘buttered noodles’. So no, not unusual at all, in my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/27 "2013-05-22T17:29:41Z")
I eat spaghetti with butter, salt and parmesan cheese all the time. It’s the only way I’ll eat spaghetti if my husband is making the sauce because his recipe involves dumping a jar of sauce into a pan then rinsing out the jar with some water and dumping THAT into the pan, adding a metric buttload of garlic to it and then heating it. If I make my homemade sauce, however, then I’ll eat it with sauce. I’m kind of a snob that way. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/28 "2013-05-22T17:42:59Z")
I was probably 10 before I started eating spaghetti w/meat sauce. Eating w/butter+cheese, not weird at all, and as mentioned above, awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/29 "2013-05-22T17:46:03Z")
Pasta, butter, Parmesan cheese and some garlic salt (or real garlic if I have it) and I am a very happy camper. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/30 "2013-05-22T18:02:55Z")
Does anyone eat sauce without pasta? ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/31 "2013-05-22T18:04:56Z")
I enjoy plain pasta, I think it is yummy. I will usually toss it with a small amount of butter, maybe some pepper and/or chili pepper flakes, and a sprinkle of parm. Okay, I guess that really isn’t plain pasta after that. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/32 "2013-05-22T18:23:13Z")
During my one trip to Italy (Northern Italy), some of the best pasta dishes I ate were ones served with butter only, with fresh parmesan on the side. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/33 "2013-05-22T20:21:37Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Does anyone eat sauce without pasta? Sure. Cold leftover sauce out of a jar with a spoon. But it has to be a good sauce with roasted tomatoes and cabernet, or something chunky and rustic. Not as a meal but something to have while getting dinner ready. ---
**Author:** ![Uther\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Uther\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uther_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/34 "2013-05-22T22:47:00Z")
Pasta just with butter seems very bland and a bit odd to me. How do you define sauce? Sautee a bit of garlic or shallots in good olive oil, put this on spaghetti and add parmesan. Great. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/35 "2013-05-23T03:32:37Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Macaroni with butter and salt is one of my favorite sins. I can eat an entire package of the pasta in one sitting. One pound rotini, one stick butter, 3/4 of the 8 oz parmesan container. Wouldn’t want to go overboard with the cheese. 🙂 Yes, it belongs on [thisiswhyyourefat.com](http://thisiswhyyourefat.com) ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/36 "2013-05-23T03:43:05Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Does anyone eat sauce without pasta? When I was a kid, I would make a meal out of garlic bread and spaghetti sauce. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/37 "2013-05-23T04:03:16Z")
Pasta dry? yep wierd. But pick one from COl A and 1-3 from COL B = perfect. COL A Butter Olive Oil COL B Parmesan Basil Garlic ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/38 "2013-05-23T04:38:00Z")
Hell. I’ve been eating pasta (spaghetti mostly; sometimes macaroni) raw for as long as I can remember. Also sometimes put italian dressing on raw macaroni. Eating it naked, while probably blander and less crunchy than eating it raw, is not something I’m going to give you a hard time about. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/39 "2013-05-23T05:13:11Z")
Olive oil Pasta Salt Oregano Feta Fresh tomato wedges peppered on the side. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968/40 "2013-05-23T05:36:00Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Seems fine to me as long as you put something on it. Just salt and pepper might be sufficient, but a little olive oil and crushed garlic wouldn’t hurt, along with some basil and parsley, and a hint of rosemary of course, then topped with some crushed red pepper and a sprinkling of parmesan. That’s pretty plain. I grew up on this. In my Italian family, it was known as [Aglio e olio](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglio_e_olio) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-eat-pasta-without-sauce-is-this-weird/658968.md?page=3)