The Secret Messages in Pasta: Cardinals, Politics, and Comfort Phrases

Ever wondered what cardinals eat while locked away selecting a new Pope? Or why certain foods are banned from the Vatican conclave? Today's episode takes you on a fascinating journey through seemingly unrelated but captivating news stories that reveal deeper truths about our institutions and human behavior.

We kick things off examining the Republican Party's internal struggles over defunding Planned Parenthood in Trump's proposed legislative package. The tension between moderate representatives and party leadership highlights the challenge of maintaining unity while advancing controversial policy goals. This political drama serves as a perfect example of why achieving consensus remains elusive even within the same party.

The discussion then shifts to one of the episode's most intriguing segments - the strict food protocols during papal conclaves. Cardinals complain about bland pasta and watery sauce while being denied stuffed ravioli, whole roast chickens, and other dishes that could potentially conceal secret messages from the outside world. These security measures transform what might seem like ecclesiastical food snobbery into a fascinating glimpse into one of the world's oldest and most secretive selection processes.

Finally, we explore the well-intentioned but unhelpful phrases people often say to those going through difficult times. From "everything happens for a reason" to the universally ineffective "calm down," these common platitudes reveal our collective discomfort with others' pain and our struggle to provide genuine comfort. This conversation offers valuable insight into how we might better support each other through life's challenges.

What unhelpful saying bothers you the most during tough times? Share your thoughts in the comments and don't forget to subscribe for more thought-provoking discussions about politics, culture, and the peculiar aspects of human behavior that shape our world.

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Liberty Line each week on Sunday, look for topics on my X file @americanistblog and submit your 1-3 audio opinions to anamericanistblog@gmail.com and you'll be featured on the podcast. 

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Americanist Podcast
• 1:00 GOP Divide on Planned Parenthood
• 2:35 Vatican Conclave's Secret Food Rules
• 5:46 Unhelpful Things People Say
• 10:14 Question of the Day

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:15

Hello, good morning, happy Thursday. Here we are again. Welcome one and all to the Americanist podcast, which is an offshoot or an extension of my blog, anamericanistcom. I hope you go over there and check it out. I try to write on a daily basis over there and I'm pretty. I mean, I like it. I want to say I'm pretty proud of it. I know you shouldn't be proud of stuff but that prideful, but I enjoy it and I just want to share it with you all and I hope you enjoy it as well. Okay, our stories today are kind of not that bad, except for one, but it's still. Even that's not real horrible, but it is All right.

Speaker 1: 0:56

From the New York Post, some congressional Republicans oppose defunding Planned Parenthood in Trump's big, beautiful bill. This is why we cannot have nice things, because the Republicans don't know how to come together on stuff. They want to bicker and I just I don't understand our party at all. Some centrist Republican lawmakers have signaled opposition to include to including provisions defunding Planned Parenthood in sweeping legislation intended to advance President Trump's second term agenda. A GOP aide familiar with the House deliberations surrounding Trump's one big, beautiful bill told the Post that moderate members of the caucus are opposed to language directing cuts to the abortion and reproductive health care provider that other lawmakers hope to include in the massive reconciliation package. Representative Mike Lawler from New York, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Jen Kiggins from Virginia were among the lawmakers that voiced opposition to Planned Parenthood cuts during a closed-door meeting Tuesday that included House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. So there you go. You can go finish reading that. I put it on my X account if you care to read it.

Speaker 1: 2:21

This next one I found very interesting and it regards the cardinals and the conclave and what they eat. Why ravioli and roast chicken were banned, and I never even thought about this. This reason is because they're afraid of people sending messages in. I would like to ask, first of all, what kind of messages are you sending and who would be sending the messages? Who in the upper echelon, I mean? Who would be sending messages? I mean this is like some kind of spy thing, spy novel gone wrong or something that when you think about sending messages in food, who would be doing that? Okay, maybe I'm naive, I don't know. I wouldn't think somebody in the upper echelon or elite catholic popism would be sending messages in food, but I could be wrong. The catholic cardinals meeting for the conclave are locked in the Sistine Chapel. We know that. The food of the okay, but they're complaining about the food, which I I think it sounds great.

Speaker 1: 3:27

The food at the cafeteria in Casa Santa Marta consists of little more than simple spaghetti, boiled vegetables, minestrone soup and lamb skewers. Oh, love me some lamb for the duration of the secret ritual. What's wrong with that? That sounds like a fantastic dinner, if you ask me. But what about breakfast? Do they get breakfast? Food you could eat at train station, food you could eat at a? You could eat spaghetti at a train station. Wow, uh, groused. Cardinal morro Piacenza, who was from the part of Italy where pesto originated, the New York Times reported Others described well then, get your vote done so you can get out of there. Right, Pick a pope so you can get out of there and go have your food somewhere else described being served watery sauce and bland pastas. At the cafeteria which Pope Francis sought to ensure served simple food during his tenure Well, you don't eat very well, said Cardinal Giofranco Ravazzi, another Italian.

Speaker 1: 4:34

But the shroud of secrecy gripping the conclave extends far beyond locked doors, cell phone signal jammers and threats of excommunication. Even the food has been closely regulated to ensure no messages from the outside world slip by. So that means some foods were banned or carefully inspected at previously conclaves at previous conclaves, including whole, whole roast chickens, I guess, because they can slip a message inside the cavity of the chicken stuffed ravioli pies or even rigatoni, all of which were deemed easy targets for clandestine communication. Does this not sound like a story for Jeffy? I hope he reports on it. On his Fab Five Well, he's not on there today. I hope he reports on it. And his fab five Well, he's not on there today. Tomorrow maybe he'll talk about it. All right, so the next story up.

Speaker 1: 5:35

The one thing you should never say to someone going through a hard time, even if everyone else is saying it. I really like to be silent around people who are uncomfortable because I don't know what to say. When I see another woman crying, I get uncomfortable and I just I don't know what to say to people. I try to avoid people that are going through a hard time. I know that sounds terrible. Or if somebody just breaks down in front of me, I'm like I can't, I just walk away or something. I don't know what to say to these people Maybe call me an ice queen, cold bee. I don't know what you want to say, but let's see what the article says.

Speaker 1: 6:07

When a friend, loved one or even a coworker is going through a difficult time, it can be tough to find the right words to show your support. Yes, In a recent Reddit thread oh so it's from Redditdit, so it must be, you know, worthy a user asked the community what is a saying that you've heard? That is totally unhelpful. And they boy did they come through for you. Based on the thousands of responses people answered with. The moral of this thread is if you don't know what to say to someone, you best, your best bet is to zip it. Here are some things no one wants to hear to be told. I don't want to hear to be told zip it either. So you zip it. Okay, we're getting a little carried away here.

Speaker 1: 6:50

After I was initially diagnosed with cancer, a family member tried to comfort me with. Everything happens for a reason shared one person. I think that would be pretty shitty to say too. Never say people have it worse than you. I think that's terrible too. Don't say that either. I agree with these people. The money can't buy you happiness. I'm pretty sure I'd be happier with too much money than not enough.

Speaker 1: 7:12

A user chimed in. I agree what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. No, it certainly doesn't. It may in some cases, but there are lots of scared people out there for whom life's challenges have not made them stronger. A valid point a commenter made. I'm going to tend to disagree with this one. I think it does make you stronger. You're just not willing to accept it. You still want to play the victim. That's what I think. God gives his toughest battles to his stronger soldiers. I don't care for that one either. I think it's. To me it's more like a pat on the head. I just I don't like it. A line may people, a line many people are guilty of but should avoid going forward. Is it, is what it is. I don't like that either.

Speaker 1: 8:00

If someone told you they lost something, please don't respond with. It's always in the last place you look, but that's the truth. You can't take a little ribbing. Come on, it could be worse. A person shared. That's another one. It could be worse.

Speaker 1: 8:13

People don't like to hear if someone is grieving. They most likely don't like to hear. If someone is grieving, they most likely don't want to hear you console them with the phrase they're in a better place. Now I don't know how to feel about this one. I don't think I would say it to somebody, but if it was said to me, I think I don't know how I would feel. And trust me, I've lost a loved one, so to me I think it was consoling because he was no longer in pain or struggling with whatever it was he was struggling with. So I'm not sure about that one. Let's see, Follow your heart is one of the most damaging sayings ever. Our hearts can be black or twisted. They may want things we logically know are wrong or hurtful.

Speaker 1: 9:04

A comment read oh, this next one is perfect, especially for a woman. Do not say this to a woman. Calm down. No one has ever actually calmed down after hearing that. I guess I can't speak for all women. I don't think I would like to hear it.

Speaker 1: 9:21

If I can do it, I mean, it depends. It depends. It was like in a joking man. I don't know. It depends on my mood at the time. If I'm, if I'm serious about something and I'm mad, I might. If I'm already mad, then I don't know. It depends on who says it. All right, moving on, Just don't think about it. It bothers me. I'm going to. Okay, I'm just don't think about it is one. I don't understand that. All right, I guess that's all of them. You can go read it if you, if you like. So, I think, the question of the day. Let's see if there's anything else I want to talk about up here. Oh, I do want to talk about this. Maybe I should save this for another time. Let me see where I am on time. Yeah, I need to save it for another time. I want to talk about Pam Anderson, so don't let me forget about that. All right, Question of the day what is a saying that you don't like to be said to you? What is a saying?