Why Wednesday is Spaghetti Day
We’ve all heard of Red Bean and Rice Monday and Taco Tuesday… But have you ever heard the phrase “Wednesday is Spaghetti Day”?
Where does this phrase originate from? What does it really mean?
Read further to learn more!
Why is Wednesday Spaghetti Day?
The idea that Wednesday is spaghetti day seems to originate from a company called Prince Pasta. In 1969 Price Pasta released a commercial which featured a little boy “Antony” running through his city to get home for his mother’s dinner. The narrator states “Most days, Anthony takes his time going home, But not today. Today is Wednesday, and as every family in the North End of Boston will tell you, Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day.”
This commercial ran for 13 years, and left its mark on many, especially those who are nostalgic for the 1960s family life that Italian “North End” of Boston was known for.The Commercial led to many other slogans for the company, such as “Pasta worth running home for” and “Wednesday your Prince will come”.
You can watch the commercial here.
A brief history on Prince Pasta
Prince Pasta was a local company founded in Boston in 1912. It was founded by italian immigrants and later moved to Lowell, Massachusetts in 1939.
In 1941, the business transferred ownership to another Sciillian immigrant named Guiseppe Pellegrino. Pellegrino is responsible for planning the iconic commercial that branded Wednesday as Prince Spaghetti Day.
Pellegrino ended up selling the company in 1987, and the plant stopped operating in 1997.
Today, Prince pasta is now part of a Pennsylvania company called New World Pasta.
New World Pasta production is located in St. Louis, but today customers yet enjoy the pasta as if it was still made in Boston.
Spaghetti Wednesday Today
Today, spaghetti Wednesday is just as important as Red Bean and Rice Monday and Taco Tuesday. But it’s also associated with books for children.
Written in 1999 by Maryann Cocca-Leffler, “Wednesday is Spaghetti Day” is a children's book that features a playful house cat named Catrina who invites all of her cat friends over for festive Italian meal.
Spaghetti has a super rich history in America, and Spaghetti on Wednesday is just a small part of it. We hope this brief history encourages you to sit down with a big plate of delicious Dagostino Spaghetti and to research more about its legacy.
Buon Appetito!