I once posted a pic of some spaghetti meatballs to a dorm group chat. The Italian dude immediately jumps in and says "that's not real pasta". So I say to him "noodles are from China, so you guys are actually just fucking up 捞面 really bad."

Dude got legitimately mad and didn't talk to me for a week. Worth it.

I deal with ths as a job. It's insufferable. None one I work with is even Italian.

I didn't try the soaking method, but I did try the turning it off halfway method. The texture of the pasta is slightly different, but barely noticeable, unless you're using really high-quality pasta from higher-protein durum wheat (the one used the most in Italy). In that case it does turn a bit gummy.

If you're using regular-ass pasta made from red or winter wheat, which is the pasta you get in 99% of the world (unless you're importing or getting it from a high-quality brand), there's virtually no difference, in my very limited experimentation.

I haven't met any pasta scientists, but i've met a few Italian food scientists who do all the hand gestures. It's really funny

I've tried that and the outside of the pasta is a bit overcooked and slimy when i've done it. These days i just boil water on the kettle, pour it in a pot and add the pasta. Faster and no fuss.

honestly the hard part is finding one tall enough to fit the dry noodles without having to break them