The Raber Family Euphemism, a.k.a. pass the grated parmesan
Every family has some sort of term of endearment: sweetie, sugar-pie, honey bunch, darling, dear, lovey-dovey, tootsie. In my house our term is: the pasta special.
It's like my parents always said: "Don't go putting socks on horses if you don't know how to knit wool hats!" (If you know what I mean!)
Yes I will explain.
Many years ago, when I was dating my future wife, her family hosted me for dinner at a restaurant called Don Pepe in Newark, NJ. It's an excellent Portuguese place, and where my wife and I eventually had our wedding reception (that alone is about 20 different stories). On this particular day, my wife's grandparents joined us. Her grandfather at the time was well over ninety years old. For dinner he ordered the pasta special. It's always the same special at this restaurant, it's penne in a red cream sauce and features shrimp and scallops. I find it excellent, but on this day, Grandpa found it a little al dente. Actually, he found it a lot al dente. So much so that he wanted to return it. Grandma, trying to be non-confrontational told Grandpa she would trade dishes with him. He insisted that the dish be returned as it was not cooked right. He was so adamant about this he announced to the table that when the waiter came back to take the dish he would "stick it up his a**".
After you have been married to someone for a while, and have children, and prefer not to use vulgar words in front of them, you find phrases to help censor yourself. My wife and I adapted "pasta special" from Grandpa's usage that day and use it to fit a wide variety of needs.
"What should I do with this? You should pasta special it!"
"Who the pasta special left this out!"
"Don't make me come in there and pasta special you!"
Over time we adapted a little to much.
"Do I look like a pasta special you?"
"Why am I always the one doing the pasta special?""This spaghetti recipe is not working, it's just a big pile of pasta special!"
It's like my parents always said: "Don't go putting socks on horses if you don't know how to knit wool hats!" (If you know what I mean!)


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