Ok, ok. So in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’ll let you out on a little secret. I’m Italian. My extended family tree boasts 198 people, 127 of which are blood related, all of which I can name, and have met. And have probably hung out with on more than one occasion. Seriously, this is a fifteen-year old  picture of my family:

I can add about 25 off the top of my head to this picture. So you can imagine.

So you think, because I can sputter 15 or so words of Italian and because I can speak to you in Italian-American made-up words my mother imparted on me, I would know the difference between macaroni and pasta. But I didn’t. So, today, for some unknown reason to me, I wondered, “Wait, what is the difference?” APPARENTLY there is a difference, but don’t tell Jeff because I think we argued this point, once.

Macaroni is defined as: “pasta in the form of narrow tubes.”

Pasta, however, is defined as: “dough formed into various shapes (e.g. spaghetti, lasagne), cooked as part of a dish or in boiling water and served with a savoury sauce.”

So there you go. Rest easy, folks. This girl does the research for you…So just so we’re clear:

MACARONI:

PASTA: