Olive Garden is a delicious, yet slightly expensive restaurant, but the best place to go get a yummy sit-down meal with friends. I’ve been an avid Olive Garden fan since I was little, and pasta of all types has always been my favorite type of food. So, to combine my love of pasta with my love for my friends, I’ve decided to attribute the pasta shape that I believe represents them, along with a sauce to go with it.
Of course, I have to include myself in this piece. I’d consider myself to be a Ravioli noodle since they’re fun to make and have such a variety of uses. I’d also pair it with a vodka sauce. Specifically, the vodka sauce from Paesano’s Italian restaurant. If you’re ever in New York City, please head to Little Italy and try theirs.
I also feel like I should include my two little cats, Kona and Sushi. I love my cats, and I love a good cheesy slice of garlic bread. So, they would definitely be a yummy side of cheesy garlic bread to go with my pasta.
My first friend and BFF, Noele Zuber, would definitely be a Cavatappi noodle. The swirling shape definitely reminds me of her personality, showing how entertaining she is to be around. I’d give her Alfredo to go on top, mainly because that’s what I remember her ordering at Olive Garden. The sauce, being super popular, also represents how reliable she is.
Nina McAnnally would definitely be Rigatoni. Rigatoni is a great pasta shape and its fun shape and texture I believe sufficiently represents Nina. Her sauce would, no questions asked, be pesto. She loves it, and the green color with the distinct flavor seems to fit her perfectly. Nina also often has talked about the pesto her mom makes, so pesto absolutely feels like the right sauce for her.
Next up is Victoria Schlue, who I believe is, not just elbow pasta, but shellbow pasta. She has so many interesting things about her, so the combination of two types of pasta is a perfect representation of that. Her sauce would be a good four-cheese sauce, almost like the sauce in Olive Garden’s Four-Cheese Ziti.
Hailey Bennett is definitely a lasagna sheet. I can’t really explain this one, but it seems to fit her personality perfectly. She also gets a good sauce option, marinara. A very popular choice, but a delicious one. She’s just all-around a good person, so she gets good pasta and sauce.
While no longer attending Green High School, Olivia Adams is another of my best friends. My go-to pasta option is bowtie, and Olivia is the friend I feel I can go to with anything. She’s also a simple butter sauce since that’s always been my favorite thing to eat on pasta since I was little.
Another friend of mine who isn’t a GHS student is my future PSU roommate, Mary Kate D’Ambrosio. She’s already one of my closest friends, even though we just met in January. Because of that, she gets Penne, which is an easy choice for a top-tier pasta shape. But also, we’re going to Penn State, so Penne is even more fitting. She’s such an interesting person, and she gets an interesting sauce, aglio e olio.
Someday, I hope I get to visit Olive Garden with all of my friends that I wrote about here. A great meal with even better friends is an amazing experience and, though it would be very hard to pull off, maybe it could happen someday. I’d also like to confirm in real life that my delegated pasta and sauces are accurate, even though I already know they are.
P.S. Thank you to Victoria, whose creative mind came up with this column idea. I literally couldn’t have written this without her!