You know what’s harder than spelling ‘spaghetti?’ It’s explaining why spaghetti is the poor student’s food.
During my first year of college, I ate spaghetti quite frequently. From our dinky and illegal burner in our dorm suite, my roommate would make spaghetti at least once a week. Being Korean, she even put chunks of Spam in the sauce which I never really got used to. I was just eating it for the sauce and noodles between study sessions. It was quick, fast and when the sauce was on sale, a student could live on it for weeks.
On the flipside, I secretly snicker when I go to an Italian restaurant and overhear someone ordering spaghetti. I also never understood the popularity of The Spaghetti Factory. The location in downtown San Diego has since closed a few years ago but the concept of paying $7 for just marinara sauce and noodles is insane. The food isn’t memorable and it appears you are just paying for the experience.
I haven’t personally made spaghetti until recently. It was out of sheer desperation for dinner ideas. Ideally I would have liked to have made my own sauce but resorted to store bought stuff. But personalized it with the addition of fresh mushrooms and ground beef. In Italy, they would call it spaghetti alla bolognese. I’m just calling it dinner.
My Burning Kitchen 
For me, spaghetti and meatballs is comfort food. It just makes me feel better. I guess that's why I order it. But I agree, after college, I took a big break from it.
I absolutely love spaghetti with meat sauce – I always make my own sauce, and I cook it for hours. If you take the convenience of store-bought sauce out of the equation, you are more likely to find out what can elevate this meal to "favorite" status. The best is to make a huge amount, and then freeze leftovers in two-portion sizes. That helps with bring it back to a convenient place.
You really ARE a foodie, Darlene!
What no celebrities? Couldn't you at least get a celebrity impersonator for this post — the fans expect it. I could never understand the S. Factory. It wasn't even good spaghetti. I do think you need French bread with spaghetti — it can aid in controlling the often unruly pasta. Suddenly, I have an urge for breadsticks, too, those cruchy excuses to eat butter. S
i believe the word is CRUNCHY excuses to eat butter.
True fact: The diameter of spaghetti is too fat for me, to the point that it freaks me out. I prefer Angel Hair. That's probably why all my pasta recipes use shaped pastas. Hm.I am crazy.
Never a fan of the Old Spaghetti Factory but i do appreciate that it was one of the first fun places to go downtown before EVERYTHING changed and that particular area morphed into "GASLAMP."As justjenn commented, i also am strictly into angel hair pasta or use "shape," – i can't even deal with "spaghettini," too thick!
I love spaghetti. Espcially from Chris & Pitts. At home, it's all about the Prego.
That picture of pasta is making me REALLY hungry. Have you ever made marinara with beer in it? Really tasty.