pasta parties

I remember when I first joined the Champlin Park swim team in eighth grade I was very confused on what these famous "pasta parties" were. There was one scheduled the night before almost every swim meet. Only later did I discover the deliciousness and magic that occurred at these events. After a long practice, the team would be given directions to the location of that night's pasta party. It was always at someone on the team's house, a different swimmer every time. I would climb into our family's truck and my dad said he would drive me. When I got there, I noticed the mountain of various types of shoes that everyone had taken off and left in the entryway. I placed mine near the others, hoping that they wouldn't be lost in the sea of shoes. Walking down the hallway there was familiar chatter and laughter that I was used to. And the kitchen, the first time I saw it.... SO much food, it was amazing. I wasn't hungry before but after seeing the various types of pasta, salads and garlic bread, I heard my stomach growl. I filled up my plate and grabbed a glass of milk when I realized the dessert table. No room was left on my plate though! I made a mental note to grab a cookie later and sat down next to a group of friendly upperclassman swimmers. They greeted me and I smiled, taking my seat I began to nibble on everything. I looked around and saw the other girls wolfing down their food like it was some sort of Olympic event. One of them mentioned that they were on their third plate of food! Another girl had an entire plate of just garlic bread. It was like Thanksgiving, only with Italian food. It was so good, I quickly realized I was beginning to eat faster as well. "Carboloading". Apparently eating a bunch of carbohydrates before a big race was somehow beneficial to you. I'm not sure how that works, but all I know is, I'm a fan!