I’m 21, and I Just Cooked Pasta for the First Time
February 3rd, 2025
Writer: Sophia Singh
Editor: Carly Anderson
You’re probably thinking many things about me after reading that title. To be honest, I cannot confirm nor deny many of the things you might be thinking. But, I can say this: I am as useless in the kitchen as you are probably assuming. I do not know how I have made it this far into my adulthood without learning how to cook, but am slowly trying. Turning 21 a few weeks ago forced me to face the fact that I am too grown to not know how to cook pasta, at the very least. I chose pasta for two reasons: it’s not that hard to mess up, and it reminds me of my family. Pasta night was one of the few nights we gathered around the table to eat–together. It is one of the best parts about being home.
So before the arctic blast hit, I drove to Trader Joe’s. Instead of immediately heading to the frozen food aisle (I admit I did pick up some things . . . maybe more than enough frozen foods), I stood like an idiot, staring at the different stuffed pastas on the shelf.
“Stuffed Cheese Tortellini," “Cacio e Pepe Ravioli,”"Spinach Tortellini,” and basically whatever I could read in fake Italian I swept into my cart. I wandered to the pasta sauce and noodle aisle and chose four different sauces, and an additional Farfalle and Fusilli noodle pack (just in case). Oh, and of course, a Brookie for the road. A few hours after I had unpacked everything, I was ready to make dinner. I filled a huge silver pot with water and set it to boil. Four minutes, six minutes, eight minutes pass by. My water still wasn’t boiling. Do I blame the old coil stovetop I have or do I start to blame myself? I had the temperature on high, so what’s taking so long? Here’s the first lesson I learned: Cooking takes patience. Patience that I do not naturally have. Already, I’m annoyed.
Eventually, I noticed bubbles and rushed to add some Kosher Salt to the pot. I selected the Spinach Tortellini for the night. Every few minutes, I scraped a tortellini from the pot to check if it was cooked through. After I cut through one that seemed soft enough, I turned off the stove.
I quickly realized I missed something crucial: I did not have a pasta strainer.
Well, shit.
For the next 10 minutes, I proceeded to slowly pour water from the pot into the drain–simultaneously trying to avoid splashing boiling water on myself and avoid spilling my tortellini down the drain. I put the stove back on the coil top, turned the heat on low, and added my alfredo sauce. After a few minutes, it was finally done.
Phew. Jeez.
After I put some into a bowl, I dove right in. Yes, it was indeed very yummy. No, I did not mess it up (woohoo!). Is there a life lesson in this? Perhaps. Maybe it’s never too late to learn how to do something. Maybe it does take some time and patience with yourself to produce things that are rewarding. It’s ok to take things slow and enjoy the process, rather than rush and forget how you even got to your final destination in the first place. And it’s ok to mess up along the way.
Or maybe, it’s only a bowl of pasta.
Photo Credits: Emily Veguilla
