Americans' Pasta Gaffe Does Not Please Italy

A trio of American exchange students made the unlikely mistake of trying to cook a pot full of pasta without actually adding any water. In fact, the mistake was so bad that the resulting flames forced the three panicked 20-year-olds to call the fire department, reports UPI. The reason this is making international headlines? The students just happened to be studying in Italy, where the basic cooking gaffe with pasta has not gone over well, notes Munchies, which cites choice comments at Italian newspaper La Nazione.

"Return to the USA to eat hamburgers & chips from [McDonald’s],” reads one typical sample. On the flip side, local chef Fabio Picchi heard about the fiasco and took the opportunity to offer the women free lunch and some basic cooking classes, as well as a lesson in transnational cooperation. "I think this can be useful to them, but also to us. Understanding is what is beautiful and necessary," Picchi said. No word yet on whether the invitation will be accepted, notes Travel and Leisure. (More pasta stories.)