Spaghetti Squash v. Spaghetti

I'm sure you've heard it before: Spaghetti squash is just like spaghetti.

NOT!

I had never eaten spaghetti squash.  I have seen the gourd often in the produce section of the supermarket, but never took the time to fool around with it - the thick skin, the heaviness of the fruit, the color - none of it appealed to me much, so I didn't make too much of it, since my diet is already chock-full of all kinds of vegetables, fruits, roots, nuts and seeds; I didn't feel I needed one more item to discover.

We then had occasion to have dinner at a well-known restaurant, and I ordered herb-crusted tilapia with "squash" as the side.  When the waiter mentioned squash, I was delighted, because I love zucchini and summer squash, and I knew that chances were good they would be sauteed in a bit of butter with a sprinkling of garlic, salt and pepper.  What I got instead was an enormous mound of spaghetti squash as a side to my tilapia.  I stared at my plate, and when the waiter asked if everything was all right, I responded that I had expected sliced squash, but I would keep the spaghetti squash as I suddenly had the opportunity to taste it and see what all the fuss was about.

It was awful. 

With due respect to the fans out there, if you like it, by all means, enjoy it.  If you have found a recipe worth keeping; one that not only enhances the squash, but keeps you wanting more, by all means, go for it.  As for me, no one, and I mean no one will ever convince me that spaghetti squash is "just like" spaghetti.  Spaghetti, for one thing, has a "bite" to it.  Pasta is chewy and filling, unlike spaghetti squash.  Needless to say, it also packs a lot more calories, but to claim they are the same is akin to injecting yourself with anesthetic over your tongue, cheeks, and brain and putting a picture of rich, fat, pasta in front of your eyes while munching on spaghetti squash.

Sorry, I'm not a fan.

You want vegetables? Eat vegetables, as you should.  There is a world of incredible fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes of every variety, all delicious, filling, refreshing, and salutary, without resorting to ersatz "spaghetti."