Think about it - it's easily available, keeps forever, is practically effortless to prepare in a myriad of different ways, and is nourishing and economical to boot. And while the great debate about the true origins of pasta may well be lost in the mists of time, it's also true that these days, pasta is firmly associated with Italy. So when the Hotel Intercontinental Pudong decided to throw a month-long pasta party, it had to be Italian pasta, of course.

Centuries ago, primitive people learned that grinding grain and mixing it with water, and then drying the product, resulted in food that could be cooked quickly but also preserved longer than the raw grain.

Popular legend would have us believe that Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy following his explorations of China in the late 13th century. But the history of pasta can be traced back much further than that.

There is written evidence of a dried-noodle-type food in China 3,000 years ago and a Lasagne-type product in Italy during the period of Etruscans, a civilization that migrated to northern Italy in approximately the 12th century B.C. Etruscan tomb drawings show what appears to be natives making a pasta type food.

And Greek mythology suggests that the Greek God Vulcan invented a device that made strings of dough - perhaps an early form of spaghetti. It is perfectly plausible, of course, that this simple food was developed simultaneously in several different parts of the world.

Nevertheless, it is the Italians who took pasta making to the greatest heights. Look through the catalogue of any Italian pasta menu, you'll be amazed by the astonishing variety of shapes and names. Only people gifted with great imagination could come up with names like gnocchi, maccheroni, lasagna, tagliatelle, vermicelli, tortellini, cannelloni, ravioli, fettuccine, rotini, capelli d'angelo, conchiglie, levatelli, casatelli... the list goes on.

The myriad shapes of pasta is a reflection of the fact that through thousands of years of culinary history, people have realized that in order to eat well, a dish must be more than just wholesome and nourishing. The mind must also be engaged, and the eyes tantalized.

There is more than one way to eat a bowl of spaghetti: an Italian can attack it straight on, with thrusts of the fork spinning the noodles within a spoon, while another might fiddle around with the tip of the fork, and still another will swirl it around the bowl tidily.

There are even more ways to serve spaghetti - some like it with nothing but garlic and olive oil, others prefer tomato sauce, some turn up their nose if there isn't a meat sauce.

The seasonings added depend on the cook's origins. Basil is essential for Tuscans, oregano for Neapolitans, and chili pepper for Romans. For Sicilians, saffron is seasoning of choice.

Throughout July and August, a new menu with classic Italian delicacies is the featured attraction at the Hotel Intercon-tinental's Ticino Restaurant.

At the Terrace Cafe on the third floor of the hotel, Chef Richard and his team will prepare an exciting array of Italian specialties, highlighting pasta, at the Bella Food Festival, which runs from August 17 through 27.

The food festival features 24 different types of pasta with 12 different sauces, a risotto station, wild mushrooms and porcini, chicken and saffron, lobster and prawns.

(Eastday.com 08/17/2001)