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MrsGrady08
09-29-2009, 02:45 PM
The other day at lunch me and a couple of other ladies I work with got on this subject. They both have lived in Philadelphia, one is part Italian and the other is originally from Puerto Rico. So I was wondering if this is a regional thing.

Anyways, My whole life I have always called/heard it pasta. Where all "noodles" are pasta, and you have different kinds like macaroni, spaghetti, penne, rotini, ect. WELL to them its all macaroni, then there are the different kinds. But there is one rule. If its cold, its pasta salad, but if it has mayo in it it's macaroni salad.:blink:

I hope all that made sense;). So what do you guys call it? Is it PASTA or MACARONI to you??
FFC
09-29-2009, 03:16 PM
This is macaroni:

http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/2037069/noodles_Full.jpg

Everything else is pasta or noodles :)
WebLady
09-29-2009, 03:34 PM
I think I called it all pasta or noodles in general, but if I am talking about a specific type of pasta/noodles I will use its name ... spaghetti, fettuccine, bow tie, spiral, etc ... the elbow noodles that Justina pictured, I call that macaroni.
savepaws
09-29-2009, 03:46 PM
I call those macaroni noodles. Most pasta is just pasta to me unless I'm calling it by its specific name.

Speaking of pasta, I just dropped spaghetti on my white pants so I'm not real happy with pasta at the moment! Grrr...
gwenshack
09-29-2009, 03:51 PM
Definitely pasta. :giggle:
Jacklynn
09-29-2009, 03:57 PM
This is macaroni:

http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/2037069/noodles_Full.jpg

Everything else is pasta or noodles :)

Agree with Justina :)
Katie-ryn
09-29-2009, 04:17 PM
It's all pasta, unless it's a mayo based pasta salad, then it's macaroni... lol

When talking in general I call it pasta, but when talking about specific shapes they're called their name, ex. penne, fusilli, spaghettini, fettucine, etc.
Heywie
09-29-2009, 06:37 PM
PASTA!!!

macaroni is macaroni.
MrsFuchs09
09-29-2009, 07:32 PM
UGH. This thread is hurting my head! LOL.

I call everything pasta, except for the Kraft's Macaroni & Cheese. :)
melissa1031
09-29-2009, 08:24 PM
I agree with ffc macaroni is macaroni,everything else is just pasta.
MrsGrady08
09-29-2009, 08:47 PM
Thank you Ladies!! I knew I was right:yesnod:. LOL

Thats what I kept telling them "Macaroni is macaroni...its the elbow noodles.":p

Katie-ryn- I usually call mayo based pasta salads macaroni salad, because the majority of the time it is made with macaroni. So it becomes habit!

FutureFuchs09- Believe me, My head was hurting during my whole lunch break. It was all too confusing:confused:.


Thanks for answering my random question, and reassuring me Im not crazy! lol
Katie-ryn
09-30-2009, 12:23 PM
I usually call mayo based pasta salads macaroni salad, because the majority of the time it is made with macaroni. So it becomes habit!

My mom always made it with macaroni, but I usually make it with penne.... but I still end up calling it macaroni salad. :rofl: If I catch myself I'll switch to "pasta salad", but I usually forget...
FFC
09-30-2009, 12:24 PM
My mom always made it with macaroni, but I usually make it with penne.... but I still end up calling it macaroni salad. :rofl: If I catch myself I'll switch to "pasta salad", but I usually forget...

A cold pasta mixed with veggies/sauce/whatever is "pasta salad" in my book... Macaroni Salad is just another syllable I can avoid by saying "pasta salad" LOL.
Danielle9608
09-30-2009, 12:38 PM
PASTA. I only call macaroni, macaroni when it has cheese on it, otherwise it's macaroni pasta. :p
SkippyNXC
09-30-2009, 12:47 PM
i'm w/danielle... it's only macaroni when it has cheese on it...
Ohio888Bride
09-30-2009, 12:52 PM
My whole life I have always called/heard it pasta. Where all "noodles" are pasta, and you have different kinds like macaroni, spaghetti, penne, rotini, ect.

I'm with you, it's all pasta. Different kinds are further identified by cut, thickness, etc. This reminds me of how in some regions of the U.S., people call soda Coke and diapers Pampers. Those are the brand names. LOL!
sandy03
09-30-2009, 12:59 PM
As a general rule it is all pasta. The only exception is macaroni and cheese - I will call anything made that way "mac and cheese" no matter what shape the noodles are. Even if it's shells, penne, bowties, etc. the end product is always "mac and cheese"
dearmissie
10-01-2009, 01:52 AM
This is macaroni:

http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/2037069/noodles_Full.jpg

Everything else is pasta or noodles :)

Yup!! I agree!! The only time I really use macaroni is in Macaroni and Cheese!!
ChristineLS
10-06-2009, 12:13 PM
UGH. This thread is hurting my head! LOL.

I call everything pasta, except for the Kraft's Macaroni & Cheese. :)

Maybe this is a NY thing (my mom's from NYC), but that's exactly how I call it! When people say Macaroni and mean... pasta... it confuses me ;)
WBandMe
10-06-2009, 12:18 PM
I call it pasta unless it's the elbow noodles that Justina posted.

If it's macaroni and cheese, I'll call the noodles macaroni.

But if it's just the noodles, I call them macaroni noodles.

So, to clarify, if I'm making mac and cheese I'll say "Is the macaroni soft yet?" ... but if I was making a pasta salad, I'd say "It has macaroni noodles in it."

But I don't do that for other noodles. I call spaghetti spaghetti, whether I mean the meal or the noodles alone.

I have never sat and thought about my pasta language usage before. Wow. :)
starsthrumysoul
10-06-2009, 01:33 PM
Well I grew up in Upstate NY and still live here. I agree with you - macaroni means elbow noodles. All types of noodles fall under the category of "pasta" and macaroni is just one kind.
ikkin510
10-06-2009, 01:55 PM
It amazes me how places can differ so much on what you call things. I grew up only about an hour away from Philly. Most people (including me) call it pasta. We say the type of noodle, etc. It's only macaroni salad if it has macaroni noodles in it. Otherwise it's pasta. But I did have a few friends who called everything macaroni.
DanDanNoodleBowl
10-08-2009, 03:55 PM
My mom slaps anyone who says pasta, being traditionally italian. It's ALL Macaroni. LOL.
CaseyK37
10-08-2009, 04:04 PM
Haha! Macaroni has cheese in it - everything else is noodles! Haha! We aren't real sophisticated here in Minnesota :laugh2:
MrsGrady08
10-08-2009, 04:24 PM
My mom slaps anyone who says pasta, being traditionally italian. It's ALL Macaroni. LOL.

LOL. It must be an Italian thing! Because the lady that is part Italian is like that. I say something about pasta and she gives me this look and says "you mean macaroni!":bblol:

We have been aggravating each other about this for the past couple of weeks...but its all in good fun!
DanDanNoodleBowl
10-08-2009, 04:41 PM
LOL. It must be an Italian thing! Because the lady that is part Italian is like that. I say something about pasta and she gives me this look and says "you mean macaroni!":bblol:

We have been aggravating each other about this for the past couple of weeks...but its all in good fun!
I actually had this talk with my boss the other day too lol. She said noodles and I was like :blink::doh: LOL

Man I am hungry now
WBandMe
10-08-2009, 05:02 PM
You know... I didn't realize before that some people call pasta macaroni... but it makes sense now why thats where the Macaroni Grill got it's name from! When DH first took me there I asked about the menu, and he said they don't just have macaroni. If it was called the pasta grill, I'd have understood lol