Mama Mia! It's More than Meatballs! By Jim White "There are two laws in the universe:", says Neil Simon, "The law of gravity, and everyone likes Italian food." Noted restaurant writer John Mariani gives the world an invaluable resource to aid appreciation of the latter. "The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink" (new from Broadway Books; $17; paperback) can help you tell the difference between tagliatelle and fettuccine. Give you the ingredients in a classic pesto sauce. And provide answers to thousands of questions related to Italian Food. In addition to pronunciations, definitions, spellings and descriptions of the extensive regional cuisines of Italy, Mr. Mariani also offers fascinating stories about the origins and etymologies of intriguing Italian dishes. He documents Italian wines, desserts, antipasti, breads, sauces, more than 200 kinds of pastas and distinguishes authentic Italian dishes from Italian-American creations, explaining why you won't find veal parmesan or pasta primavera in Italy. Also included are instructions for 50 classic recipes such as Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, Ossobuco and Salsa al Pomodoro. Anyone with a passion for Italian cooking (including professional food writers and critics) will wonder how they survived this long without this essential volume. You can order the book by clicking on the Barnes and Noble.com or Amazon.com websites offered as a viewer service in EatsandDrinks.com. "The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink" is the followup effort to Mariani's "The Dictionary of American Food and Drink". He has also authored the essential tome for the backyard cooking enthusiast, "Grilling for Dummies". Of course, as a food writer for Esquire, Wine Spectator and many other publications, John Mariani likes all kinds of food. He travels the country far and wide to bring his readers the best of the best regional favorites and destination dining ideas. We had the pleasure of introducing John to his first, State Fair of Texas Fletcher's Corny Dog during his recent visit to "The KRLD Restaurant Show with Jim White". His comment? "A delicacy to be savored with plenty of mustard. And, one of the prime examples of a regional, American classic". Vicki Briley-White had the pleasure of escorting John on his whirlwind tour of State Fair "cuisine". Here she and John share an ice cream treat outside The Centennial Building after "The Restaurant Show".. Copyright © 1998 Inter Active Media Solutions. All Rights Reserved. The interactive components of this site require that you use a current browser version of Explorer; be sure to maximize your window out so you can see the entire page. This page was created by Inter Active Media Solutions.