L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r R e a d e r s , a minestrone of I t a l i a n c o n n e c t i o n s f o r y o u : T o p o l i n o (little mouse) rolled off the Fiat assembly lines back in 1934, thereby i n t r o d u c i n g t h e f i r s t subcompact car to the world. For a mere $250 for a basic model, Italian drivers could t o o l a b o u t t o w n i n a c a r boasting 40 mpg on the low side. The Italians didn't keep the topo to themselves for long. By 1940, Americans had fallen in love with the little Italian mouse, making it the best-selling import in the country. *** Laughter is said to be the "best medicine." Here is one of my favorites: A s m a l l b u s i n e s s m a n from the old country kept his accounts payable in a c i g a r b o x , h i s a c c o u n t s receivable on a spindle, and his cash in the cash register. "I don't see how you can run your business this way," said his son. "How do you k n o w w h a t y o u r p r o f i t s are?" "Son," replied the busi- nessman, "When I got off t h e b o a t , I h a d o n l y t h e pants I was wearing. Today your sister is a teacher, your brother is a doctor, and you are an accountant, I have a c a r , a h o m e , a n d a g o o d business. Everything is paid for. So, you add it all up, s u b t r a c t t h e p a n t s . . . a n d there's your profit." *** Chiacchieriamo means "let's chat" in Italian. To me, it has always meant sitting down, relaxing, and enjoying a l i t t l e s m a l l t a l k w i t h a friend. And putting away the cell phones too. O c t o b e r , o u r I t a l i a n Heritage Month, is winding down but throughout the year always remember to reflect on our culture and traditions and celebrate our heritage even if only with an extra gelato, spumoni, or cannoli. There is not enough room in this newspaper to list all the accomplishments that Italians have brought w i t h t h e m i n A m e r i c a . Italians have been at the pinnacle of the entertain- m e n t i n d u s t r y f o r y e a r s , made advances in business and technology (Marconi, Zamboni, Jacuzzi), shown extraordinary talent in gov- ernment and politics, and of course brought joy to mil- lions on the field (Berra, DiMaggio, LaRussa). Try to make a list yourself and I guarantee that you will be at it for hours. L e t m e n o t f o r g e t t h e food. Just the word Italian gets the stomach thinking "food!". Where do I begin with all the legendary food and dishes that have become m a i n s t r e a m A m e r i c a n - l a s a g n a , m o s t a c c i o l i , spaghetti & meatballs, salsic- cia, pizza, gelato, spumoni, cannoli, and look at all the coffee houses with espresso, cappuccino, and lattes. So Italian Heritage month or not, just sit down with a friend, exchange a few "chi- acchiere" and RELAX... Domenico Modugno, Italian singer, songwriter, and actor is best known in the US for his song Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare). He was born near Bari in 1928, and moved to Brindisi when he was 9. From an early age, he wanted to be an actor. After enrolling in an acting school he landed small parts in many films. I n 1 9 5 7 , h i s f i r s t s o n g Lazzarella came in second in the Festival della Canzone Napoletana, bringing him his first taste of popularity. I n 1 9 5 8 h e i n t r o d u c e d Volare. In 1959 he won the San Remo Music Festival with Piove, also known as Ciao Ciao Bambina. In 1986 Modugno was elected con- gressman to Torino. He died in Italy in 1994 following a heart attack. *** Hawaii had Italian con- nections way back in the mid-1800s. John Dominis, an Italian-American sea cap- t a i n , s a i l e d t o H o n o l u l u , where he settled and built the best house on the island. His son married Princess L i l i ' u o k a l a n i a n d l a t e r became the Prince Consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii. I n 1 9 1 3 , t h e H a w a i i a n p i n e a p p l e i n d u s t r y g o t a boost from another Italian American, Henry Ginaca, Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. who invented a pineapple peeling and coring machine. Today, about 22,000 Italian Americans live in Hawaii, constituting two percent of the population, according to the US Census Bureau. *** F e r n e t B r a n c a t h a t h e r b a l , m e d i c i n a l , b i t t e r Italian was, for a century, the favorite after-work, early morning drink of The City's garbagemen, the celebrated San Francisco scavengers. Four or Five Fernets in the chill dawn were regarded as the merest precaution of the plague of the 19th-Century cities, cholera. Saloon keep- ers in Northern California have reported an increase in Fernet Branca sales since our current Covid-19 pan- demic began. *** With travel restricted to many places, there is still an opportunity to "get out" to explore a bit of our Italian culture and heritage. This is a f f o r d e d t h r o u g h o n l i n e v i d e o s o f f e r e d b y T h e Garibaldi-Meucci Museum (GMM) located in Staten Island, New York, in the his- toric home of the true inven- t o r o f t h e t e l e p h o n e , Antonio Meucci, and the unifier of Italy and legendary h e r o o f t w o w o r l d s , Giuseppe Garibaldi. O n l i n e ( w w w . g a r i b a l dimeuccimuseum.com) you can take a virtual tour of the m u s e u m , r e a d a b o u t t h e home itself, and read stories a b o u t G e n e r a l G i u s e p p e G a r i b a l d i a n d A n t o n i o Meucci, both in English and Italian. Also, each week, usu- ally on Wednesday, there is a short video entitled "A Few Minutes at Meucci's," in which an artifact, Italian custom, Italian tradition, or an interesting part of the museum structure is dis- cussed. There is no charge for these online visits... A statue of Domenico Modugno in Polignano (Photo: Vividaphoto/ Dreamstime)

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