Found: 1 very old noodle. About 4000 years old. This is supposed to finally settle the debate about where, if not when, noodles were first developed. Italians don't ever believe me when I tell them that pasta came first from china. Ironically, this noodle comes from a site called the Pompei of china because the residents were in the act of fleeing when they were entombed by some sort of natural disaster. BBC
You know.... perhaps I am placing too much weight on the few italians I know - especially HM#1. She seems to have lived in a little bubble. Her younger cousin who is hear learning english for a few months knows more about italian culture and policy than HM#1 does.