Lio by Mark Tatulli for January 10, 2011

Spaghetti charmer extraordinaire

Dinner entertainment.

Lio has been practice with his pet snake.

I prefer a dinner that doesn’t get in my face.

Can Lio make it wrap around the fork?

Ah, nothing quite like a dish of lively Gagh to keep you on your toes.

Ahhh!!!! The spaghetti is alive!!!

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I think I’ll go eat worms! Big fat juicy ones, Eensie weensy squeensy ones, See how they wiggle and squirm!

Hahaha, I love this one. Nice play on the clasic snake charmer.

Cdward —- that was always a favourite of mine along with this one (apt for Lio, I reckon)

The worms crawl in and the worms crawl out The ones that crawl in are lean and thin The ones that crawl out are fat and stout Your eyes fall in and your teeth fall out Your brains come tumbling out your snout Be merry my friends, be merry.

Thanks, Lio. Now I’ll never eat spaghetti again.

No meatballs? Did they roll under the table?

Ishy’s tentacles are dancing , too!

That’s why I always order penne.

Lio, please don’t play with your father’s food.

Actually, that’s the best way to know if your spaghetti’s cooked properly. The noodles wave with a smooth, undulating motion. If they’re too jiggly, you know you overcooked them.

Personally, I like them just a little on the stiff side, you now, al dente. So when they seem to stand more or less upright, i know I’ve got it perfect.

I learned that from Alton Brown.

Awww, come on Dad, let the boy express his creativity.

Lio’s playing an all-time classic. Let’s all sing along: “On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese…”

I like that version Dr. Toon - very macabre! I guess the variations of these old folk ditties are endless. Mine was the Pogues’s version, which I grew up with - a favourite of my Father’s. Lio could have penned either of these - delightful kid.

Dinner and a show!

Not spaghetti but a new species named Spaghettius strangularis, a constrictor of the most dangerous kind.

Lio is so talented he could probably charm the snakes on Medusa’s head with that thing.

………… i lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed!

We had spaghetti tonight, but not presented like that.

I heard: The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out. Between your toes and through your snout. You put them between two slices of bread. And that’s what you eat when you’re dead.

Lio’s various talents never cease to amaze me.