Delicacy in the Strips (revised)

BY ALAN LIN
See what makes customers shout “VA BENE” when they pay a visit to an Italian restaurant in the lane.

Spaghetti has long enjoyed its credit as one of the most typical Italian dishes worldwide, and it is always there on the menu when one walks into an Italian restaurant. In the course of time, it has also got its roots in Taiwan as many people are indeed keen to have a taste for this dish. With a lot of spaghetti restaurants opening across the island, its “exoticism” seems to fade as it gradually becomes a usual choice in Taiwanese daily meals. However, some spaghetti offered in several restaurants is not Italian at all. Several stalls just cook pasta with flavor packs and thus make the dishes look like “spaghetti.” They just want to appeal to ordinary people with their cheap prices, and the Italian flavor does not exist in those dishes. This makes the cook in Va Bene unsatisfied, and wants to offer real Italian spaghetti to ordinary people.

Located in the vicinity of National Taiwan Normal University, Va Bene draws lots of people to fill its seating capacity every day. “It’s OK!” is the English translation of Va Bene in Italian. Although “It’s OK.” does not sound that excellent, the delicious taste of spaghetti in this restaurant lies in such modesty. The owner of the restaurant believes that high price hinders ordinary customers to come, while low price would reduce the quality and flavor of spaghetti; thus, the cook here insists on preserving the original flavor of spaghetti while offering a consumer-friendly price. In a city of high cost of living, the comparatively favorable prices on Va Bene’s menu draw a steady number of people to visit.

The spaghetti Va Bene offered includes several kinds, and each has its own appealing savor. The pasta is not overcooked, and thus retains its chewy texture; yet, if one prefers soft chewy taste, the cook is willing to serve the spaghetti as customers wish. The spaghetti here derives its delicious taste from fresh meat or seafood and seasoning. With a favorable cost, one could enjoy excellent Italian food to his/her heart’s content without going to an expensive restaurant, and this is what makes Va Bene not just OK but GREAT!