Mamma Mia
Monday June 15, 2009 | Contributor: Jennifer Wright

As a long time Iron Chef fan, I was delighted to attend the Barilla Pasta Luncheon featuring Mario Batali. At this event he would not be doing battle against a worthy opponent, but rather discussing an issue close to his heart: the importance of family meals. Renowned pediatrician Jennifer Trachtenberg and nutrition expert Joy Bauer were also asked to speak on the panel. Of course, we would have all attended just for the significance of the topic, though it was added incentive that the luncheon was held at the lovely Esca, a terrific Midtown restaurant, beautifully decorated for the occasion.





No sooner did guests sit down, we were asked to describe our memories of family meals in two words. The descriptions ranged from the sincere “happy memories” to the more boisterous “love and fighting.” My own two words were “take-out.” (Nice take-out, though! Excellent take-out, Mom, just the way we would have made it ourselves!) Even though everyone’s memories of family meals were different, all of us recalled them with great fondness. Which is why it seems distressing that according to a recent study by Barilla, fewer and fewer families are sitting down together for dinner.





There are many reasons behind this trend. Parents are working longer hours and have less time to prepare meals, and kids themselves are increasingly overscheduled. Even if families do sit down to dinner together, distractions such as the Blackberry, the iPhone, and the television can compromise the quality of the time spent together.


How to go about solving the problem? Mario Batali said he felt that family meals had become too much about mom – or dad – providing a service to everyone else in the family. “A parent makes the meal, and then gives it to their kids who act like consumers and judge the parents on their performance,” Batali remarked, stating that things went much better when he took his kids out shopping, showed them how to help with the preparation, and generally made it a participatory process. Jennifer Trachtenberg agreed that planning meals together was a great idea, and also commented that she saw huge emotional benefit from spending time together as a family. Joy Bauer, meanwhile, encouraged a more festive atmosphere, remarking that at her house they had “sombrero night.” Everyone agreed that it could very difficult to schedule dinner with the variety of pressures facing people today, but attempting a family meal once or twice a week could make a great difference. Certainly, the amazing meal that Batali prepared for the event showed us all how delightful a proper meal can be!





We loved the unique appetizers; octopus was on the menu as well as more traditional favorites like mozzarella with dried tomatoes. The two pasta dishes that Batali created especially for the occasion were also impressive. The Linguine con Vongole was artfully seasoned with hot red peppers, which gave it a nice element of spice.





While the talk of family time may not make me stop ordering from the Indian place up the street (old habits die hard), the luncheon did make me wish I had Mario Batali to cook for me.