My daughter asked why I always put the garlic bread in the oven but serve dinner before it's done baking

My daughter asked why I always put the garlic bread in the oven but serve dinner before it's done baking.

I explained it's called appetizer pacing.

The spaghetti's ready at 6:15. The garlic bread needs twelve more minutes. So we eat the pasta first, and the bread arrives as a surprise second course — usually around the time everyone's clearing their plates.

It's not poor planning. It's sequential dining. Very European, if you squint.

Punchline

Plus, cold spaghetti reheats beautifully when you're waiting for bread that should've gone in twenty minutes earlier.