Just a Bowl of Spaghetti
So, it's become somewhat of a joke in my circle of friends that we should go to Pisticci every time we're trying to decide where to eat. It gets thrown in the mix mostly as a joke because I'm always trying to get people to go! I'm basically convinced it's one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever been to. I just get a bowl of spaghetti (one of my favorite things) but it's a really good bowl of spaghetti. I thought surely this little gem deserves a mention on the blog.
I suspect that my love for Pisticci goes deeper than the amazing spaghetti. As I was thinking more about this place I realized it's really a sentimental attachment (although the the food really is amazing). I remember the first time I visited. I had just moved into my new apartment in Morningside Heights, it was late in the afternoon and of course my fridge was empty. So I went to explore. I didn't have to go far because Pisticci was across the street. It was completely empty so I walked in to see if they were still serving. A very friendly face said "sure!" I'm not actually sure if they were open (they close between lunch and dinner) but they let me sit and enjoy my spaghetti in my little corner, refilling my water in a giant mason jar and checking on me every so often. I remember that moment very well. I had been apartment hunting for over a month. Which in NYC means I had been stressed, discouraged and often in tears for a month and now I was home. I was sitting in this adorable, delicious Italian restaurant next door to my new home eating the best bowl of spaghetti I had ever had...it was blissful! I was a happy girl.
There is something so beautiful about having a place to just be, to rest, to call home. I’ve learned over the years that home isn’t always a place on a map. It’s where the people are that mean the most to you or a quiet retreat from the busyness of our lives and somedays, it’s just a really good bowl of spaghetti. Of course we all know the saying...home is where the heart is. The problem is, I’ve discovered lately that your heart can be in many places at once. A little here and a little there, pieces left with people and places we love all over the world. It keeps you missing little parts at all times. Maybe this is how “home” will feel this side of heaven. There is no one home, not yet. God still gives us rest and joy in the little moments that make up our "homes" here on earth but one day our hearts will be whole, all in one place.
For we know that when this tent we live in - our body here on earth - is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever. 2 Corinthians 5:1
I look forward to that day but until then I am so grateful for all the people and places that have my heart and for really great bowls of spaghetti!
Not only is the food delicious but the atmosphere is quite lovely too. These are a few shots from one of my many visits to Pisticci :)
