Mangia & Manifest

-Vivian Stuart

 From the trance of twirling saucy spaghetti to the satisfaction of the first bite, the act of eating and enjoying pasta is a transcendental experience. Italians have long shared their rich culinary traditions with us, as well as the tradition of tarot, which originated in Italy in the 15th century. Readers of the tarot divine guidance by shuffling and then interpreting the cards laid before them to tell a story which gives insights into the past, present and future to reveal a greater truth.  

Rob Truglia and Jeff Petriello were introduced to one another four years ago, or more accurately, four Bushwigs ago. At Bushwig, an annual queer drag festival in Brooklyn, Jeff not only became acquainted with Rob, but Rob’s drag persona Issa Mia Mario. Issa serves Italian camp glamour, honoring her heritage by adorning pasta wigs and red & white checkered fabric. 

Rob has been doing drag as Issa for five years, a passion project that started as something that brought him joy, There is a lot of ‘machismos’ in Italian culture and I think we need to be giving more emphasis on the Italian women and how fucking fabulous, fierce and stubborn they are. Issa is definitely that,” said Rob. “Pasta has definitely been a big part of my looks and performances in a sort of narrative way, so it all comes back to pasta.”

 Alongside his title as the Director of Marketing at the curated Pop Up Grocer based in NYC, Rob is respected as a Pasta Oracle known for his pasta aura readings.

 “When I was in Italy in 2018, I saw this man on the beach and I was like ‘He’s so hunky. He’s so thick. He is a gnocchi.’ It just made perfect sense in my brain. Throughout the rest of the trip, I was like, that person is a tagliatelle. That person is ravioli. You know, just sort of identifying people by what type of pasta shape they were. So, when I came back from my trip, I started identifying all my friends by what kind of pasta shape they were based on how they look, but also a lot influenced by their personality and energy. I’ve given over 100 readings at this point,” Rob explained. 

Jeff was on his way to one of Rob’s pasta aura readings at a Pop Up Grocer event, when he had the idea for The Pasta Tarot. 

Jeff has been practicing tarot since he was 14 years old. “My main practice when it comes to spirituality is the tarot. I grew up Roman Catholic but lost that religious practice growing up as queer.” 

 “Tarot is a practice that I meditate on, that guides me, that helps me have a relationship with my friends and others. Anytime I see something metaphysical my brain naturally goes; how does that intersect with tarot? What would the tarot have to say about that?”

 “You should have seen the line for Rob’s Pasta Aura reading. People were waiting like 40 minutes to sit down and talk with him. I was just like, this is bringing so much joy to people. Rob looks like he’s having a good time. There’s just good vibes all around here. I love this. Then we sat down, and I said ‘Rob. We should make The Pasta Tarot. We can use your expertise connecting to the metaphysical and spiritual properties of pasta and I can use my tarot reading skills that I’ve had for decades at this point, and we can combine them into one beautiful queer Italian American object.’”

  Jeff teaches Game Design at New York University, covering design thinking and various aspects of game technique such as playtesting, mechanics, and public space interventions. In 2019, Jeff and Rob had their first demo of The Pasta Tarot at a Playtest Thursday event at the NYU Game Center. “It’s been really cool to bring that culture and what I’ve learned being a part of that (game designer) community in NYC into this project.” 

 Rob and Jeff needed someone who could bring The Pasta Tarot vision to life, al dente. It was through a friend that they were introduced to the talents of Lindsay Mound, whose work you may recognize from the Grub Street Diet series or for the NPR program StoryCorps. 

“There are so many details in the tarot, so we knew that we really needed someone who could create beautiful scenes and symbolism.  It’s Lindseay’s portraiture work that really drew us in. She was so aware of pasta and tarot,” said Rob. “ If you think about us as a three-person team; Jeff is the tarot expert, I’m the pasta expert, and Lindsay is the artist illustrator.”  

Thus began a year and a half process. Rob and Jeff were tasked with going through every card in the Rider-Waite Coleman Smith decks and extracted the meanings. The pair would decide what pasta shape best represented this meaning, and then would come up with a creative brief for every single card to share with Lindsay. These creative briefs often included visual references from scenes of movies they were inspired by, places that they’ve been and their families. The result was Lindsay illustrated intricate visual motifs that represent people, like pasta, that are in all shapes and sizes, which the tarot cards depict.  

Now, the team is ready to launch a 78-card tarot deck to answer all of life's questions, no matter how saucy or serious. The cards showcase the quintessential pasta in company with cultural and queer icons such as the late justice of the Supreme court Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the innovative musician Sophie, as well as more familial figures such as the Nonna who wields a wooden spoon on the Judgement card. Even Rob and Jeff drew themselves into the deck. 

Like tarot, food tells a meaningful story. The flavors that conjure sweet or savory sentimentality and the meals that celebrate culture and tradition, ultimately reveal truths about our lives and bring us together.  The creators of The Pasta Tarot cooked up a way to connect deeper metaphysical messages through the familiar and comforting medium of pasta. The way lasagna can symbolize the life of the party (The III of Ripiena card) and the spaghetti flung against the wall can resonate with stagnation (The Hanging Man card). 

Vivian Stuart is a Paris-based writer and first time contributor to Digest Mag. Follow her on Instagram

To learn more about The Pasta Tarot and stay updated on their journey, follow @thepastatarot on Instagram.