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What's in Your Fridge interview -Maria Liberati interviews Dick Van Patten

By: Maria Liberati

(Excerpted forn The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm Nov/Dec 2007-newsletter.)
This month I was thrilled to interview one of my favorite actors-Dick Van Patten. Who knew - he's a 'foodie' also..

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Celebrity Q & A (Maria Liberati interviews Dick Van Patten)
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WHAT'S IN YOUR FRIDGE?
Maria Liberati: What is in your refrigerator now? What types of food do you like to keep on hand in your refrigerator?
DVP: Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream! All kinds and all flavors. I just can’t get enough of it. There’s probably lots of other stuff in the fridge that Pat [Dick’s beloved wife of fifty-three years] puts in there, but the minute I see ice cream everything else disappears . . . including the ice cream!
ML: What are your favorite foods?
DVP: You mean, aside from everything? [Laughs] Well, I love pizza and spaghetti and could probably eat it every day. In fact, Italian food is my very favorite cuisine. It’s funny, because I basically like anything that tastes really good—which means that most of my favorite foods are what they call “bad” for you! How can something that tastes so good be bad?
ML: Do you stick to a special eating regimen?
DVP: Well, yes, sort of. I start the day with a breakfast at my local Starbucks—usually a slice of Banana Loaf Cake and a triple Espresso. Then for lunch, I usually have a peanut butter and butter sandwich. Dinner is the best meal of the day. My favorite is usually spaghetti and meatballs. I’m pretty disciplined with my eating, though -- I never eat anything else after dinner . . . until breakfast.
Q: What foods do you like to indulge in?
DVP: You mean, aside from everything? Well, I’ve got a real sweet tooth so I like anything like cake or cookies or ice cream. In fact, I often have to be careful to leave room for dessert when I’m eating my dinner. I just love food, always have.
ML: Is the kitchen an important part of your house?
DVP: No, not really. The dining room is where we have nearly all of our meals, for the most part. Come to think of it, since the food comes from the kitchen, I guess it really is important!
ML: Do you cook and/or enjoy cooking?
DVP: No, I don’t cook at all and I don’t think I would really enjoy it. I like to eat! There’s a reason I’ve been married to the same woman, Pat, for fifty-three years now. She’s a terrific cook and I’m a terrific eater. We’re a match made in culinary heaven!
ML: Do you share your fridge with anyone?
DVP: No. Well, that’s not true. My youngest son, Vincent, comes over quite a lot to play tennis. I have a great tennis court in my backyard. When Vincent works up a sweat out on the court, he’ll usually come in for a nice cold beer. So we keep a few beers in the fridge for whenever Vincent comes over to play tennis. He’s old enough to drink now if he likes, so the protective Dad in me doesn’t get too worried about it. But if he touches my ice cream, watch out! [Laughs]
ML: What are your favorite things to cook? (If you have one, feel free to share your favorite recipe with us- not mandatory)
DVP: My wife, Pat, makes this incredible eggplant Francaise that is totally delicious. She makes it with this incredible egg batter that she learned how to make from my grandmother.
ML: Is there someone in particular who has influenced your cooking and/or eating habits? In what way?
DVP: My grandmother, without question. She was born in Italy – I’m actually half-Italian on my mother’s side. Yes, my grandmother was one of the greatest cooks you could ever hope to meet. Without a doubt, she was a total natural in the kitchen and she could make anything taste amazing. One of my very best childhood memories is when my grandmother would make her special dish of braciole for our Easter Sunday feasts.
ML: In your dream dinner party who would you like to invite to your home for a dinner party? (It can be someone dead or alive, in the past or present)
DVP: Abraham Lincoln. I would put him at the head of our table and just talk with him. I think he would be such a fascinating person and would probably be a wonderful conversationalist. But I wouldn’t want to go to the theatre with him afterwards . . .
ML: What would you serve or what would be on the menu?
DVP: Not knowing what he might like beforehand, I think I would like to serve him a wonderful dish of roasted lamb basted in a great lemon butter sauce that would give the dish a really rich and full flavor. Speaking of rich and full flavor . . . I’m suddenly hungry. Time to eat . . .

---------- http://www.marialiberati.com http://www.marialiberati.com/blog2 http://mariaandco.blogspot.com

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