"This is bad. This is really bad," Marcella says. She stares into the bowl. "This is Bolognese sauce?" She reaches for a menu in disbelief. Bolognese it is. "Poor Bologna," she sighs. Her complaints: The pasta is "gummy" and the Bolognese has no subtlety or flavor. Tortelloni requires a lighter sauce of tomato or butter, she says.

Everyone looks glum. "I must console myself," Marcella says. She orders a Jack Daniel's."