Spaghetti with meatballs are part of the culinary tradition of the Abruzzo, Apulia, Sicily, and other parts of southern Italy. A recipe for rigatoni with meatballs is in "Il cucchiaio d'argento" ("The Silver Spoon"), a comprehensive Italian cookbook known as the "bible" of Italian cooking. Other dishes that have similarities to spaghetti and meatballs include "pasta seduta" 'seated pasta' and "maccaroni azzese" in Apulia. Some baked pasta dishes from Apulia combine pasta and meat where meatballs, mortadella, or salami are baked with rigatoni, tomato sauce, and mozzarella, then covered with a pastry top. Other pasta recipes include slices of meat rolled up with
What Is the What writes: "Over the course of many years, Dave and I have collaborated to tell my story... I told [him] what I knew and what I could remember, and from that material he created this work of art." The book is typical of Eggers' style: blending non-fictional and fictional elements into a non-fiction novel or memoir. By classifying the book a novel, Eggers says, he freed himself to re-create conversations, streamline complex relationships, add relevant detail and manipulate time and space in helpful ways—all while maintaining the essential truthfulness of the storytelling. However, not all critics were impressed. Lee Siegel sees