At the heart of an Italian family Part 3

[@stevenmac9158]

I was in college when a very dear friend of mine was in the final stages of losing her fight with cancer. I would come over and sit with her to keep her company. I would try to find movies to watch together that weren't too heavy or too complicated to follow since she would sometimes drift in and out of consciousness from morphine. Moonstruck was the perfect movie that would still be funny from the dialog alone without understanding the plot. As we were watching it, I knew if she was awake by her giggles. At one point she drifted off and I was about to pause it when the scene of the grandfather walking up the stairs to his bedroom and the dogs are behind him (or they are running up ahead of him?). One of the dogs stumbled as it ascended and suddenly I hear my friend busting out in laughter. She made me play it repeatedly, each time she laughed as hard as her weak body could muster up the energy. For days we would debate if that was intentional (the dog stumbling) or a happy mistake that was left in the film. The last time I saw her before she slipped into a coma, she looked at me and said "Moonstruck is so good even funny even the mistakes are funny"-"Mistake" meaning the dog on the stairs. She motioned to play the movie again. It took a few minutes to find the cassette and by the time I had set it up on the VCR she had drifted off and never woke up again.

[@kprairiesun]

I love everything about this movie and have watched it many times.

[@nestorgumble56]

una pelicula encantadora y poetica

[@soraydagutierrez2992]

Following your Nods ... what a great statement for a Soul who is in alightment.

[@forego49]

Norman got totally screwed as Best Director such a wonderful film

[@lawsonone6015]

Nicholas Cage shoulda won too. I liked that dialogue when he and Cher first meet.

[@mia.2857]

And Olimpia lines....who is dead...upstairs..everybody upstairs...still in my minds....

[@karolinesmail489]

Yes! Loved it RIP OLYIMPIA🙏✝️❤️🍷🍾🇮🇹

[@watchhill111]

Love it !!!!

[@victoriaindigo]

Now I'm craving Italian food!

[@johnnylapsick6826]

I’ve never been to a large city. I’ve always lived in the mountains but would absolutely, if ever I get to visit NY... would love nothing better than to hang out with locals (Italian or Italian Americans, if that might be correct) who have lived in and around this huge city that knows where some of the very best places to eat True Italian Foods would be & to hang out with them. Or perhaps attend an Annual Feast that might happen that goes on for a week. All we have here are a couple of the branded restaurants, & 1 is not very good at all while Fazolis is ok. No disrespect to either of these Branded Types of Restaurants, but I want to visit either the Italian Sections of NY or Chicago I hear has a great location where most Italian Americans live. It’s absolutely my Favorite Food even though I know I’ve never had the really really good food. Calamari I’m not sure about & never have clams, so I might be hesitant with those when trying those dishes. But Traditional Spaghetti & Meatballs, Lasagna, Fired Wood Stove Pizza or even Coal Fired. I can’t imagine!! I’ve always wanted to visit Italy but would have no idea as to where to go as to where the best foods are, as I hear it depends on location. I’ve also heard that some of the very best foods in Italy are prepared by locals that do a B&B Stay. And are much cheaper than going to a fancy high classed restaurant. That you just need to do your research! I also love the camaraderie the Italian Folks have with with each other. In the late 70’s an Italian Family decided to come to a little town I lived in in Ky. I ended up cooking pork shoulders, & hams for he, his wife, & 2 older girls. I was around 18. So at this restaurant pulled pork & Traditional American food was served. I worked for them for 2 winters & Summers, but the thing was they were so loving & friendly and this movie certainly reminded me of them. After working for them for a couple weeks, they invited to me to their home. All of them lived in this home. This couple were close to 65/70.. the 2 daughters close to 40. 2 small grandchildren. They cooked at their home completely differently than what was prepared at the restaurant I guess because Italian food perhaps just hadn’t caught on in that little old town. Burgers & Fries type of small joint, but here at their home i was in awe of some of these delicious foods I was introduced too. It was amazing to me, & at Christmas time.. I never saw so much food.. Italian Food & Sweets to those All Cheese, Salami, olives & those platters. I even forget what they called this, & then Bob brought out these little bottles of lemony flavored icy cold (I thought lemonade) he stated he made this & I thought well what would be so hard about fixing lemonade. Only this wasn’t ordinary Lemonade. It was so good & I remembered the word-Limoncello! Yes.. I drank several of those & I was feeling might fine. It complimented all these different foods! I never ever saw so much food in my life! Bobs wife ended up getting very sick & they ended up having to close that restaurant due to the healthcare there versus where they had moved from which was Detroit, to be around family kinfolk & better healthcare facilities. I kept in touch e dry so often by letter, but then we sort of drifted apart, as any ordinary 18/19 year old would. I had moved onto a nightshirt position with long hours upwards of 80 hours a week. I still think of them & whatever happened to them, as I’m in my 69’s now. Likely all of the 4 have passed by now, but I never met a kinder couple I ever worked for who were always wanting me to eat, which at my age at that time, I though WOW.. Foooood! These people not only live food but just as important share it & they make so much of it. So perhaps someday I’ll get to visit at a minimum.. the little Italy areas of NY or Chicago, etc., where there is fantastic authentic Italian Foods. As it doesn’t appear that I’ll ever get to visit Italy. Besides I know there are just as many great folks living here in the US that can cook as well as the folks in Italy, but the beauty of that country intrigues me & ive seen some beautiful pictures. So perhaps someday I’ll get to at a minimum, visit a few states where these foods are prepared. I’m sure most all of these cities might say, you should come here, while another city might say no.. you need to come to our city! 😊

[@spiritofseventysix1155]

Johnny Lapsick then you aught to review Big Night it's not just Italian food rather "Al dente" is an Italian term that means literally "to the tooth." An English equivalent phrase is "Tender To The Bite, ordering out, alla famiglia, the kitchen and kitchen table. 😉😎😇👌👍✌👋👋

[@spiritofseventysix1155]

"They say eat alone, the devil cheers. Eat with friends, the devil jeers." Fellini's Eat alone and the devil Cheers, eat together and devil jeers; Felini's "Roma", on the street dining scene in... Speaking of common meeting places, there are two scenes where that aspect is emphasized. Fellini recalls of the apartment block where he stayed for a while, agog at the various characters, crying children, scolding mothers, etc. Eating was taken seriously, and who ate? Kids, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents, friends, friends of friends... there must have been at least a hundred or so people at the dinner feast. As one woman tells him, "They say eat alone, the devil cheers. Eat with friends, the devil jeers." The table is rife with complaints, insults, greetings, even a little girl who sings an obscene song, eliciting laughter and scandalized looks. Similarly, there is the Festa De Noantri, the Festival Of Ourselves, where the Romans celebrate themselves, and the celebrants are either long-time residents or people who thought they were passing by and stayed forever. The term "carnival-of-life" has been used to describe Fellini's movies, and this is very true here.

[@spiritofseventysix1155]

"Eating Out Fellini Style" on KZbin kzbin.info/www/bejne/on-snaOPn62ei9U

[@spiritofseventysix1155]

"A Precious Scene from Big Night (Why not mashed potatoes on the other side?)" on KZbin kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH26qmyNpcSFjbs

[@DATo_DATonian]

@@spiritofseventysix1155 _Big Night_ is one of my favorite movies; also, the comedy _Fatso_ with Dom De Luise and Ann Bancroft. That movie especially was at the heart of what an Italian family is about.

[@Musettoblu]

we say it at the new york way: calamAri! XD XD i'm italian and.. i'm dying!! XD XD

[@futureboy7653]

"the meat swuoss"

[@silentxnight]

the ending is hilarious lmfao

[@bookwoman53]

What does Norman’s favorite linguini dish contain? I have never heard of it. The last part of the program makes me want to have some Italian food.

[@SteppingRaven56]

Oh bookwoman, so sorry your comment went so long without an answer. I hope you see it. He said "Linguine vongole" which is linguini with white clam sauce, but is properly described as "linguine con le vongole" . Prepared either "in bianco" with butter, garlic and clams or "in rosato" with tomatoes and fresh basil. In either version the clams are both "meat" and the primary flavoring agent. My personal favorite is the "bianco" . If a restaurant could prepare this well then I would return again.

[@spiritofseventysix1155]

"A Precious Scene from Big Night (Why not mashed potatoes on the other side?)" on KZbin kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH26qmyNpcSFjbs

[@spiritofseventysix1155]

@@SteppingRaven56 "A Precious Scene from Big Night (Why not mashed potatoes on the other side?)" on KZbin kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH26qmyNpcSFjbs