Pasta

We Can't Stop Laughing at This Old British TV Clip

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September 18, 2017
2 Comments

The internet has a penchant for harvesting pearls from its own depths. Every once in awhile, something resurfaces and what was forgotten just yesterday becomes relevant today. This weekend, it was this 2010 video of Gino D’Acampo, the Italian chef and media personality. A tweet of the clip went viral all over again and we can’t stop watching.

In it, D’Acampo prepares a cheesy Italian pasta dish for the hosts of This Morning, a popular British daytime TV show. He presents to them the creamy penne creation when Holly Willoughby, one of the show’s co-hosts, offers a seemingly well-meaning suggestion: “You know,” she says. “If this had ham in it, it’s closer to a British carbonara.” Before she can even finish her sentence, D’Acampo’s face drops, his eyes roll to the floor and Philip Schofield, her co-host, murmurs a very worried “Oh no.”

D’Acampo scoffs, exclaiming, “Well if my grandmother had wheels, she would have been a bike!” A tidy turn of phrase that jabs at the root of authenticity and intention—one ingredient does not a different dish make. And while the co-hosts burst into nervous giggles, hiding their faces behind napkins and the kitchen counter, D’Acampo remains particularly upset: “It doesn’t make any sense what you said! It’s a different recipe.”

The Trouble with Nigella Lawson's Carbonara

The Trouble with Nigella Lawson's Carbonara

The whole thing is more light-hearted than not, but I, for one, applaud D’Acampo’s commitment to the integrity of his dish. Although I do love watching one of the hosts almost choke on a slippery penne, doubled over with laughter.

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Valerio Farris

Written by: Valerio Farris

Valerio is a freelance food writer, editor, researcher and cook. He grew up in his parent's Italian restaurants covered in pizza flour and drinking a Shirley Temple a day. Since, he's worked as a cheesemonger in New York City and a paella instructor in Barcelona. He now lives in Berlin, Germany where he's most likely to be found eating shawarma.

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2 Comments

amysarah
amysarah September 20, 2017
My grandmother's standard reply to "what if...?" questions was always: "If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a trolley car."
 
Rosann
Rosann September 18, 2017
Sooooo, they are choking because the chef used the comparison of his grandmother to a bike. Ask a British friend what it means to be the village "bike". Hilarious, all food references aside🙃