Smitten by Books

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti
Author: Giulia Melucci
Publisher: Grand Central
Pub. Date: May 5, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0446534413
Retail: $13.99
304 pages

From failure to fusilli, this deliciously hilarious read tells the story of Giulia Melucci’s fizzled romances and the mouth-watering recipes she used to seduce her men, smooth over the lumps, and console herself when the relationships flamed out.

From an affectionate alcoholic, to the classic New York City commitment-phobe, to a hipster aged past his sell date, and not one, but two novelists with Peter Pan complexes, Giulia has cooked for them all. She suffers each disappointment with resolute cheer (after a few tears) and a bowl of pastina (recipe included) and has lived to tell the tale so that other women may go out, hopefully with greater success, and if that’s not possible, at least have something good to eat.

Peppered throughout Giulia’s delightful and often poignant remembrances are fond recollections of her mother’s cooking, the recipes she learned from her, and many she invented on her own inspired by the men in her life. Readers will howl at Giulia’s boyfriend-littered past and swoon over her irresistible culinary creations.

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I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti is a roller-coaster ride through Giulia Melucci’s love life, mental gymnastics and kitchen cupboard. With each culinary creation as inspired by its romantic escapade, Melucci passionately energizes her relationship status while ‘dishing’ out the details.

The thread of leaping from one relationship to another has resulted in a book that is as much an interesting gastronomic journey as it is a trip through the world of dating in the big city.

I am often amazed and pleased when reading a memoir, how honest and forthright an author is to opening up and sharing the varying emotional chapters of their life through a book filled with intimate details and insights. Authentic and organic come to mind when we peer into the world of another and then like a car crash, see something we know we shouldn’t, but are compelled to keep looking.

Giulia Melucci’s whirlwind, if frantic trip through the romantic world is one such memoir. From the brief sketches of her tony publicity world to the slog of dating, she tries obsessively to fit square pegs into round holes even as glaring red flags go up for the readers (the beauty of being the outsider looking in). The passage of one relationship to another is offset by the comfort food she provides.

An unabashed Italian with a flair for the dramatic and spices, Melucci serves up raw information with biting, sarcastic wit aimed more at her string of broken relationships than herself and her choice to pursue them. However, a maturity sets in toward the end of this debut novel as the author recognizes and finally voices, “While I’ve struggled with relationships, cooking has been a fairly consistent source of satisfaction.”

The reader goes along with Melucci for a variety of dates, one-night stands and relationships from long-term Ethan, who seemed as good a fit as much for his love of the kitchen as his good-nature, to accomplished novelist Mitch and the much-older, tortured Marcus. In fact, Marcus has the reader scratching their head asking, “What was she thinking?” Yes, she does too, and that’s where the ‘here it is and I know it, but I’m going to share it anyway’ attitude gives the reader an appreciation for what she goes through. It also provides some familiarity for anyone who has embarked on a search for a meaningful partnership only to enter into an inappropriate one despite the Red Threat Level warning.

Good sport, and friend Ginia, dispenses advice, emergency dating diagnoses and a shoulder to cry on as Melucci steers through her dating scene. Humorous anecdotes are peppered throughout this book while tales of family life also feel the sting of Melucci’s assessments. Through it all, you connect with a vague acquaintance of her wistful search and struggle continuing to cheer her on. Not surprisingly, her dishes vary in complexity reflecting the status of her state-of-mind as much as her current or lack-thereof, boyfriend.

From Ethan who inspired ‘Risotto with Intricately Layered Hearts’ to the obvious ‘F@#k You Cupcakes’ for Marcus, a bevy of tempting recipes almost make the reader look forward to Melucci’s next experience.

Her culinary conquests appear as unscathed as her relationships are doomed. I tried the ‘First Date Butterflies’ dish (created for Mitch) with tuna and farfalle and never knew a simple can of tuna could be transformed into such a tasty treat!

As a side note, some of the details both about family, boyfriends and dips into drugs are sharp and not for the faint hearted. But I have come to value this honesty in a memoir as what keeps the book real, relatable and readers turning the pages.

Still, this is a poignant, hip memoir that can be appreciated for its wit, self-deprecating manner and recipes as much as its honesty and details, Melucci provides an authentic voice to her sometimes questionable romantic liaisons, decisions and attempt to find Mr. Right while pouring her energy into dishes that will satisfy where her relationships do not.

Rating: 8 (Very Good)

Heat-Level: 0 (None)

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