I kind of want to get more into making pasta, so I want to learn about pasta in general to get a handle on it. What can you tell me about it?
Well pasta is a staple of itallian cuisine with it's first reference in Siciliy in 1154
Holy cow.. so it's been around for a while, huh? What are some more prominent pasta dishes?
Well different pasta dishes use different kinds of pasta and cooking styles as well as sauces. 
Sure, that makes sense. Can you tell me anything specific or unique about pasta in general or pasta dishes?
Well pasta can be divided into two broad catagories, dried and fresh.