You stand there stirring for forty minutes pretending you're not just making really posh rice.
Fun fact: Saffron in risotto alla milanese was reportedly first added as a prank by a stained-glass worker.
Finding a little parcel of pork bobbing about in warm broth is weirdly comforting.
Fun fact: "Wonton" translates to "swallowing clouds," a nod to how the dumplings billow and float in broth.