The meticulous methods by which the well-known Neapolitan playwright directed were reflected in his preparation of dishes, the way in which simple steps had to be carried out and his well-defined preparations for each plate.

Just as he demanded rigor in the memorization of scripts by his company’s actors, including punctuation (“Ellipses, in your opinion ellipses are not read!” Uomo e Galantuomo, 1922), his recipes had to be followed to every minute detail. If they were not, he was quick to express his displeasure: take just this ode ‘O rraù, a small poem in which the lyrical ego insults his wife’s ragù. The real ragù is his Mama’s.