L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 7 kind of conflict or discrimina- tion." Today, as active members of the Italian-American community of San Diego, both Brunettos feel that kind of instant bond between Italians still exists. Restaurant Manager Brunetto describes the community as a 'bubble,' preserving the culture and heritage of a bygone era that doesn't even exist back in Italy today. "Things are changing as you go back to Sicily," he says. "For example, the Sicilian language is [evolving]; people are speaking more Italian now than Sicilian. And culture is changing over there; yet over here in Little Italy, Driving along India Street in Little Italy, among the many bou- tiques and restaurants that line the one-way streets that are com- mon to many neighborhoods in San Diego, one will eventually come across a community icon at the intersection of India and West Hawthorn streets. An obelisk stands proudly on the corner, topped with a red pyramid that is reminiscent of the terracotta roofs back in Italy. The awnings are the Italian flag's red, white and green and on the side of the building, one sees the half-smiling face made famous by Leonardo da Vinci. This is Mona Lisa Italian Foods and it is a neighborhood land- mark of Little Italy. The reins have passed through three different generations of the Brunetto family, beginning first with Stefano Brunetto in 1956 – first at a different location, mov- ing to its current address in '73 – and moving down the line to cousins Stefano and Stefano Brunetto. The location is the same; even the names are the same ("It doesn't get confusing at all," laughs Brunetto, who explains they're often distinguished as "Stefano Restaurant Manager" and "Stefano Office Manager". But as second-generation Italian- Americans, is the culture any dif- ferent than what it was for their grandfather when he first came to America? Brunetto – Office Manager – explained that as a child growing up he never felt that being Italian set him apart from the rest of the children at school. On the con- trary, he says, "what I did realize is when I went to school up here and I would hear someone say, 'I'm Italian,' I would relate to them automatically because you kind of have similar values and mindsets. So for me more than anything, it was something that brought me together with differ- ent people rather than having any Staying true to your roots: the experiences from the second generation we're still in our bubble. We're still speaking Sicilian; we still have somewhat of the same cul- tural ideals. When you go back to Sicily, you'll find maybe that people aren't getting married at age 21 or 18, they're kind of stay- ing more with their parents, peo- ple aren't getting married, maybe people aren't having kids. But over here in San Diego, we're still kind of based off that 1950s paradigm of Italian culture and nothing's really changed." Echoing that sentiment, his cousin concedes that each genera- tion may lose a bit of the culture as time goes on, but at least for them – running the family busi- ness with the same values MICHele Pluss L-R: Stefano 'Restaurant Manager' Brunetto, Stefano 'Nanu' Brunetto, Stefano 'Office Manager' Brunetto instilled in them by their parents and grandparents – the bubble remains intact, keeping their cul- ture and heritage very much in the forefront of their daily lives despite the generation gap between them and their grandpar- ents who first emigrated to America. "With every generation that's born, maybe we do lose a little bit of that culture," he explains. "But because we are around the busi- ness in Little Italy, I think that helps us remember our culture. I have a bunch of customers who come in and they're talking to my dad and my uncles and they're speaking Sicilian; they have those same values. It is like we're in our own little bubble and that helps keep the tradition alive and the culture alive." As time pushes forward in its relentless march toward progress, the Brunetto cousins vow to remain true to the core values established by their fathers and grandfathers before them. "It's kind of a pledge to the community that this place…You can come back here thirty years from now and it'll be, whether you like it or not, it's gonna be exactly the same," says Brunetto. "It's gonna have the family pic- tures on the wall…We want to be part of the culture; we want to be the center of the culture. Not just another restaurant." Aug. 16, Sat. – Italian Film, "Magnificent Presence" 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Amici Park, $5 contribution at door. For more infor- mation, please visit http://cinemalittleitaly.com/?p=895 Aug. 21, Thurs. – NoLI Nights. Show case of Little Italy's newest and most unique events and offerings of North Little Italy. 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For information: http://www.littleitaly- sd. com/events/master-calendar. Aug. 28, Thurs - A Journey Through Italian Advertising: From Carosello to Today's Commercial at ICC's Little Italy location. 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free and open to ICC members. For more information please visit http://icc-sd.org/ events/calendar/ Aug. 30-Sept. 1, Sat.–Mon.- Labor Day Weekend West Coast Stickball Tournaments. Three-day stickball tourna- ment in Little Italy. Saturday and Sunday from 8:00am to 6:00pm on Columbia Street, between Beech and Cedar Streets, and State Street, between Ash and Beech Streets. For more information, please call Joey Centanni at 619-471-7375

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