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October 07, 2010
Mi famiglia
Old italian man, originally uploaded by jaspersteenbergen.
As I may have mentioned on this site before, I am sort of a walking ethnic joke: half Polish, one quarter Italian, and another quarter English. Just ask me about my submarine with a screen door. Anyway, I couldn't help but notice that the past few days at the Daley Center here, there's been a big Italian festival in the plaza. We're talking food, crafts, and all the green and red signs you could hope for.
If there is one thing I have noticed about Italian-Americans, it's that we don't have very good taste. I'm not talking about Jersey Shore taste, I mean garish colors, inappropriate decorations (such as a fake Roman fountain at the festival), and lots and lots of opera music. It was almost embarrassing.
There was a vendor selling signs today. There were "Italian-American princess" and "Be a bitch, it's fun!" signs. But there was also a large selection of the theft-deterrent signs with the picture of the dog that says "I can get to the fence in 2.8 seconds, can you?" Except in these signs, instead of fierce-looking dog like a pit bull or a German shepherd, it's a poodle and a wiener dog. Yes, I am certain a dog who is so fat his belly drags on the ground can outrun me, and then maim me sufficiently so as to prevent me from burglarizing a home. That really had nothing to do with Italy, it was just a funny thing.
The main point of this was that I think older Italian men are hilarious. This is undoubtedly a stereotype, but whenever I see older gentlemen of Italian extraction, such as at this festival, or on TV, they always have gray hair but their eyebrows are black. I mean hell, even Tony Curtis had it. Why is this? Will I look like that in 40 years? I sure hope not.
Anyway, the festival was good. I got a brownie shaped like a heart. Mission accomplished.
entry no. 1518
Posted at October 7, 2010 04:47 PM