The Express Dinner

   I didn't win PowerBall or any of the other contests or drawings I've been entered in. But today was different: an email from THE EXPRESS informed me I had won a prize at The Perfect Noodle.  The prize was a pound of home made noodles and 6 cannolis, also homemade.
   When my first 3 or 4 grandchildren were born, I remember paying a fee for birth announcements published in The Express, about $25 or so, as I recall.   However, by the time Theo was born, the editor and owner said there would be no fee, as they didn't get many birth announcements and they liked to publish them.  Then, when I sent in Madeleine's picture, I decided to subscribe to the paper, out of gratitude and maybe a little guilt.  Aliceanna's announcement was yet to come.
   Shortly after I  subscribed, I won a $25 gift certificate to The Olde Mercantile. The selected gift turned out to be a lovely floral decoration.  And now, a pound of fresh pasta.
   My life is so uneventful now that this was a major event.  I hied on over to The Noodle, and after a few problematic attempts to find a legitimate parking spot, entered the store.  I don't know if I ever was in there before, even when it was under other ownership.  (My college student used to be an avid consumer of the Michele's sub sandwich, though I thought they were horribly oily.)  Several Noodle employees were busy utilizing their skills.  I explained my reason for being there and chose linguine and 3 plain and 3 chocolate cannolis. Again, feeling the familiar combination of gratitude and guilt, I purchased a jar of sauce. I was told it would be the best sauce I'd ever had. Pretty much the same glowing review for the cannolis.  I was skeptical, not because I doubted her word but because I do not have a discriminating palate.  Besides, I don't really care for pasta, or sauce.  And contrary to what I might have expected of myself, given my affinity for desserts, I've never really liked cannolis.    
    Tonight for supper, we had linguini with the sauce, LA Fede, made in Italy.  I had been cautioned to cook the noodles for only 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.  I let them cook only slightly longer, but they still were definitely al dente, a contrast to my usual method of preparation.  The much vaunted sauce, costing more than twice the price of super market sauce tasted like------ sauce.  That didn't surprise me.  I can never remember what food tastes like anyway, so I have no basis for comparison.  I used only half a jar and refrigerated the rest, so we will be able to  conduct a taste test for any epicures who show up at our door.
     Years ago, when the Schaghticoke Fair participated in The Pepsi Challenge, I could always determine which was Coke and which was Pepsi, but that's the limit of my taste buds.