Do You Chew Your Pasta or Do You Just Swallow It Whole?
As the mom of a little boy, nothing should surprise me anymore but there continue to be times when something happens and I find myself scratching my head and wondering, "How in the world is this happening right now?"
In my house, Sunday night is pasta night and while enjoying a nice meal by the glow of our Christmas tree, I looked over at my five-year-old and was shocked to see that he was literally shoveling his pasta into his mouth and then swallowing it whole. Every fiber in my being shouted out, "DANGER, DANGER, CHOKING HAZARD DANGER."
Horrified, I glanced at my husband to see if he was seeing what I was, and to my shock, he too was plowing through his pasta, also swallowing it whole. What?!? I couldn't believe my eyes. I asked both what in the world they were doing and they looked at me like I had multiple heads for asking if they were seriously swallowing their pasta instead of chewing it.
Thinking maybe I was the odd man out, I asked my friends how they eat their pasta and the general consensus is that the average person chews first, but my husband and son may actually be on to something based on an article that I stumbled on.
According to the (hilariously written) article published in The Japan Times, noddles of all sorts are literally inhaled by some because, "Real noodle connoisseurs know that the taste of the noodle is felt in the throat, not the tongue, so to appreciate the true flavor of noodles, you must swallow them whole. "
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I have seen people suck down their pasta whole. As a matter of fact, I saw a video just a few days ago of a woman attempting a Guinness World Record for whole pasta swallowing. I imaging eating like this isn't exactly digestive friendly and certainly recommend that you always chew your food before swallowing, but if you're having trouble visualizing the whole swallowing whole thing, watch the video below and you'll understand why I was both mesmerized and horrified by what my husband and son were doing.
In no way am I suggesting that it's a good idea to swallow pasta whole because I'm a believer in chewing any chewable food (in all fairness, things like yogurt and pudding don't count), but swallowing pasta whole is actually a real thing that people do. So, if you see it happening maybe you won't be as shocked as I was. Who am I kidding? You will be.