According to Rachel Leviss, it was not about the pasta; it was about respect! Travel back to Season 6 in 2018, an era when much of the Vanderpump Rules crew actually worked at SUR. The drama was entertaining, but the stakes seemed much lower than the present-day Scandoval implosion.
It also gave us one of James Kennedy’s most memorable outbursts – “IT’S NOT ABOUT THE PASTA!” James’ fervor aimed at Lala Kent for consuming his then-girlfriend (now known as Rachel) Raquel’s pasta was so unhinged, many believed “pasta” was a code word for something else.
Now six years later, Rachel took to her podcast to again try to clear up that rumor.
Rachel Leviss says it was just about the penne
On Season 6 /Episode 6, James had a fiery exchange with Lala over an incident involving her, James’ friend Logan Noh, and the pasta Rachel, a SURver, had ordered while James was DJing at SUR one night. James famously and repetitively exclaimed, “It’s not about the pasta!”
This seemingly irrational freakout led to widespread speculation online that “pasta” was a code word for drugs, specifically cocaine.
It was about the pasta??
During her February 14 episode of Rachel Goes Rogue, Rachel addressed the speculation head-on. “Pasta is not a code word for any substances. It really was about the pasta, you guys.”
She described the specific dish at the center of the controversy.
“So, I was working one night at Sur, and Lala was there with Logan and some friends. And I had my employee meal, which was the Penne Siciliane, with capers, pine nuts, and olives. Delicious. If you want to add a protein, I highly recommend the shrimp. Chef’s kiss. They don’t have it on the menu anymore, unfortunately. But at the time, that was the pasta that I ordered.”
Rachel said she only ate a few bites before needing to attend to her tables, which is when Lala consumed the remainder. She went on to explain why that caused James such exasperation.
Rachel explained, “Lala ate the rest of my pasta. So it became, like, a bigger thing …because James was trying to make the point that ‘It’s not about the pasta,’ it’s about you disrespecting my girlfriend and laughing about it,’ because she’s belittled me for years.”
“But people thought, like, there’s no way this is actually about pasta. They can’t be this passionate about someone eating someone else’s pasta. So it’s not code word for anything, guys. We can put that rumor to bed now.”
Well, there we have it. Back to our regularly scheduled spectatorship of arguments regarding more evolved, adult issues like fractured penis flutes, poo-poo heads, and bush-pissing.
Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules continues Tuesdays at 8/7c. on Bravo.
TELL US – DID YOU EVER SPECULATE THAT “PASTA” WAS CODE FOR SOMETHING ELSE? DO YOU BELIEVE RACHEL THAT IT REALLY WAS JUST ABOUT THE PASTA?
