IL VAGABONDO’S LIBRETTO
(shrug shoulders here)
Canto: The Speech (not the Language) of Garibaldi’s Court:
Il Vagabondo sings to his audience in the dialect of love
Ahh, my friends. You are still here! Perfetto! Stretch. Stay with me a little bit. Return to your seats and then you can eat what you learned to make in our tales of gusto and enchantment. Did you know that you remain for the most importante lezione and that you are all smarter than you look? Si! I don’t know if you agree with me. I don’t know if you don’t agree with me, but I tell you this: Although it helps, it is not necessary to speak the language to speak to the people. There is a speech in the Court of Garibaldi that is deeper than whether or not you can merely parle Italiano. It is called speaking in the dialect of love. You do not need the lezione of instruction to do this, no; you need the lezione of the experience. If you love and are loved, if you can listen and be with and amongst happily, you will be able to comprehend the universal libretto. This I guarantee. You will not need a book to learn it. Yes, all of our green white and red dictionaries are importante but! (shake your closed fist here but remember what I told you) Do they teach you the life? Do they show you how to make the peppers or to stir the polenta at midnight? No, I think not. Sing with Il Vagabondo now, and wander forever into the enchanted speech of love in Garibaldi’s Court. It is everything. Ciao. Arrivadello!!
(We speak now, in the dialect of love)
Act I Scene 1. A Sauce Making Tableau. Canto in Red
How do you say it?: Phrase used to punctuate an important word in the conversation or phrase used to buy time in a conversation when your mind is not working quickly enough.
salsa la Scuola: a school of the experience not of the instruction
old ways: everything before 1957
It is too much: dramatic phrase punctuated by shrugged shoulder, usually left, and tilted head. English translation: what’s the use?
Lina: English translation of Maria Christina Pasqualina Molinaro, my mother-in-law
comprendi!: complete and utter understanding, similar to the phrase Eureka, I get it!
giovedi: Try to learn the days of the week, they are pretty easy and you will use them a lot. Using these words increases self esteem.
mia moglie: another easy word to build your romantic vocabulary
“When they are ready, you have to go”: usually associated with the ripeness of tomatoes and a prime example of Italian laws of the land.
squeegee: very importante outside tool to keep the garage and driveway clean after you frequently hose them down
English tourist: stranger in a strange land
(cock your head to the left, open up your hands at the waist, tilt your face up and bring your mouth corners down): Fundamental body language in an Italian household; easy to learn; after a decade, the movement will become reflexive and natural body punctuation; many variations on this movement, as in dialect
vin bon containers: Italian equivalent of duct tape; come in purple or white
we have time to do it: Italian dialect or code for: “if you don’t come now, then forget about it, you will miss out”
Perfetto!: vocabulary builder; easy word to use that makes you feel dramatic
garage: importante place in the Court of Garibaldi; second in the trinity of sacred rooms
tomato machine: distinctive Italian tool; enchanting object d’art; time slows down when you turn it on
Il Vagabondo: endearing term of affection: the Wanderer, the rogue, the brigande
burlone: what you turn into when the language doesn’t take after two decades
for it is their way: ancient rhythmic phrase, like plants always turning towards the sun
old perforated hockey jersey: unbelievably good recycled use for an old item, usually discarded
you just know!: ancient rhythmic phrase associated with gyres and cycles of the seasons
_____________________________
Il Vagabondo rescues his audience!
Ahh, you are still reading! It is so kind of you. You have such a passion to learn these things but…I must tell you the segreto. If someone had only told it to me. Then…I would not be such a burlone. (shrug shoulders here)
It depends how you like to do it, but do not work so hard. You are making me nervous. There is no need to read all of this. You are not in language la scuola. After all, does anyone read the dictionary all at once? No. Aspetta.
Eh, there is nothing to memorize in the Court of Garibaldi. You must simply be there. When things are ready to be done, they will be done. You will know. It is the Education, not the Instructione.
You can come back and read this in the winter when it is cold and there is nothing to do outside.
So, for now, you must go. Make a life! That is the lezione. It is the way I have been shown so it is the way I show you. Everyone does it their own way. Remember?
_____________________________
la prima lezione: the first lesson of the morning; you are much more sophisticated when you learn to pull more than one word together; trust me on this
Inglese: genteel word for cake, aka mangia cake
bushels: Italian garden furniture
Garibaldi’s Court: enchanted place of gusto and felice
Garibaldi: beloved leader of the people
Never do yourself what the machine can do for you. Italian measurement for the I.Q. quotient of hard work and experience; giving rise to the maxim: the less you strain yourself, the smarter you are
Maccina (ma-key-na): Phonetics are incorporated in the text to make you smarter than you look see Carmine
A huge metal salad bowl: important implement of the kitchen and the yard barn
“that is the way she makes it.”: translation: ȁthere is no use arguing with her because her mother taught her to do it this way
Mezzogiorno: In the dialect of the Court it means: my beautiful people south of Roma
yellow jackets: frequent guests at sauce making, pepper skinning or grape crushing events; often heard singing Dino Martinelli songs with abandon possibly due to fermentation of natural sugars
huge silver pot: importante Italian outside tool; may be borrowed and used for Inglese corn roasts
Auguri: vocabulary builder; easy word, well used
basilica: key Italian spice used on everything; later, you will be surprised to learn that there are sixseven different varieties and that they are not all green
dimonstrazione: six syllable word; makes you feel like you have mastered the language when you use it; excellent word to dimonstrazione (i.e. show off) your accent
malvagio: face it, some Italian words are just fun to say
systems; also sistemi: spontaneous and remarkable engineering feats of an Italian mind
bocci: see scopa; if, for some reason, the language doesn’t take, learn the games and you will be fine
fagolini: seasonal word, remarkably easy to forget; summer/fall vocabulary, start practicing it in the spring; it means green beans
rebar: popular ribbed metal garden structure, excellent for building fagolini houses
tomato plants are gigantic: implied and redundant usage; I have yet to see one of my paesani’s tomato plants under fivesix feet
zucchini: not a cucumber; tougher; from the country; they say you can do a lot with them; frequently thrown out by non Italian family members or friends of Italians
the frutta: south central Italian dessert; always present after meals; ripe, green figs (frutta) will change your life
importante: (im-por-tan-tay); easy word to learn; see self esteem builders above
the Education and the Instruction: excellent subject for cross cultural debate; gender debate; tradition versus modernism or the merits of the young versus the old (guys)
small plastic bowl: there are at least fifty thousand of these; any size; any shape; in any room, in the Italian household; you rarely need to return them, but you should
Hometown: said as one word; constant reference point for all memories and spiritual space filled with stories; very importante to take your kids there or to go with your wife
Valencia and Ferlisi: beautifully named sisters of strange and interesting food in the Court of Garabaldi
uva per vino and ‘thirty cases’: begin to understand that you are making enough red wine to last approximately one year and that you never, have to buy store-bought wine again.
Carmine (Car-me-nay): should never be translated as Car-mine; what are you? A buffone?
contento: complete and utter feeling of peace linked to gusto, hard work finished and eating; see felice
Mio: distinctive drink used to cut potency of homemade wine; good substitute for orange pop for the kids; glasses are getting hard to find
drinking (vino) at 10:30 in the morning: hard work trumps time of day and Anglo guilt
the wine is full and warm and primitive: an acquired taste; every one of my Italian’s vino tastes different depending on the grapes or the natural yeasts; deceptively strong and a guaranteed nap summon-er
I am a rich man: Italian currency associated with love, respect and happiness in family
gusto: more than an enchanted word, it is a way of life; usually associated with the emergence of appetite it evokes ancient rhythms; the cycle of seasons; lilies considered and the living opera
fifty-gallon plastic rain barrel: distant cousin to vin bon pails; essential garden and garage tool; no one knows where they get them but if you need one, I can get it for you
a plastic tube: a relative of the garden hose; you can never have too much of this around
you just get them: mysterious phrase used to acquire rebar and fifty-gallon drums
muscato e carigane e alicante: life skill: if you can’t speak the language, study the grapes
the warm sizzle of fermenting wine: exquisite Italian sound of nature working
Lezione cinque or sei: life skill: learn how to count to ten, at least
Canadese-ize: when you make something Italian and incorporate what your mother and your mother-in-law taught you, you enter into the old rhythms of your own culture; translate: the beautiful graft, or; it is a gift; may also be associated with Inglese butterfly effect when you are mildly irked.
curious way of speaking in the third person: the accent of conceptual thought; really quite beautiful to hear
testa dura: or hard head; perfect word to use on your wife during squabbles
improved on the process: Italian measurement for the I.Q. of hard work and experience (i.e., the more you study the process each year and find ways to do it better, the smarter you are; see never do yourself what the machine can do for you)
Like an old guy who shouldn’t be bending down: curious practice of the old in all cultures; very frightening
“Holy mackerel”: obtuse English phrase adapted by old Italian guys who worked for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) for twenty-three years
These men know when the woman is right: no definition or explanation required
“It is time to eat now”: Feminine usage; equivalent to an order; separates work-time from rest-time, like a reflex
Mangia: use this word when you are serving your mother in law meatloaf
zucchini lasagne: something you can use a zucchini for
cooked sausages all raggedy at the end: unbelievably good and never enough
orégano: beautiful little sister of Basilica
potato: ancient timepiece
a small piece of hose: Essential garden repair/engineering instrument
art of siphoning: Lifeskill: useful in the cantina
espresso e biscotti: translation: strong coffee and exotic donuts
“Grazie senora e senore per lezione salsa la scuola”: Il Vagabondo on a good day; sometimes the language just all comes together
Act I Scene 2. Variations on Red Peppers. ?The Dance of the Mudcat”
“if you can make the time, you come”: The dialect of meaning; same as: ‘when they are ready, you have to go and ‘we have time to do it’ You are smarter than you look.
incredible, magnifico…a miracolo: vocabulary builders; okay, I had to look up the word for miracle
Come prima: greatest love song ever written; may be sung with utter abandon at the back of a gondola for full effect
violate Rule G: ancient Canadese rhythmic phrase; in Italian: violare regola G if you must know
“the forty”: curious way of telling time by calling out the amount of it; i.e., “I will be there at the twenty or call me at the fifty”
“Emmmph”: translation unknown
“Eh, eh, eh”: see Emmph; probably tsk tsk tsk?
Come si dice?: proper usage of: how do you say? If you are fooling around substitute: how do you say it in your language? or I don’t know how you call it, in Italian; otherwise the formal usage is better practice
Mamma Mia!: dramatic phrase mostly used by women or in the company of women, slightly gentler than the blasphemous, Dio!
yakker; to yak: incessant talker involving things of various and questionable importance; Canadese phrase
flattened cornflake box: recycled Italian tool; frequently used on the top of sauce jars, before you close the top; keeps boxes uniform and stackable (i.e., never make just one box of sauce)
mudcat: probably the Canadese catfish
burning old tires at dusk: illegal practice in my Hometown performed on shores to attract fish for easy and mass jigging; similar to the Inglese ‘turkey shoot’ or ‘shooting fish in a barrel’
“You don’t want to waste anything,”: ancient Italian lezione and maxim in Garibaldi’s Court
…like old, bent red men in the piazza: how we all feel standing up in the square after an afternoon of playing scopa and drinking benezine
bella giornata: vocabulary builder; usage: after you greet a neighbour, say “it is a bella giornata.” If they see you first and say “e una bella giornata”, the correct response is: Ah si, si! and then go inside the house quickly in case they say something more in Italian.
I feel the Order: vaguely like the feeling at a car wash of having your wheels grabbed, your steering wheel turned and your car pulled forward. Not unpleasant
It is a gift: full translation: it is God’s gift of happiness to you; see Felice
banana: frutta used to signal a break in hard, repetitive work. Vino may appear in lieu of banana if the work is difficult
“Si, Io sono molto contento”: ȁyes, I am happy (that I can say an actual sentence in Italian)’
It depends how you like to do it: The dialect of meaning; translation: others can do it the way their mothers taught them, I have no quarrel with that, but I will do it the way I was taught by my mother to eternity; see also: ‘that is the way she makes it’
add some oil and a little garlic: Canadese equivalent: ‘salt and pepper to taste’ Note: a little garlic is an oxymoron
This one is a Caravaggio: clever and sophisticated way to speak the culture (translate: show off) as opposed to being bothered with the mechanics of language. Another good reason to get the advent calendar at Commisso’s
A jet flies over enroute to the Airport: incessant Italian-like phenomenon typical to North York
“La bella tavola!” : Vocabulary builder; use frequently
“It is nothing.”: modest and becoming phrase used after a compliment to an utterly life transforming every day Italian meal, usually accompanied with only a hint of a smile
“poco poco vino senora?”: etiquette lesson; you never just pour for an Italian matriarch-the patriarch, yes-the matriarch, no. Suggested experimento if you are feeling like a burlone: try pouring a full glass of red wine for any Italian woman over, say, fifty and see what happens
Chin Chin: casual toast of affection among friends
Io sono: hugely functional Italian words to learn, trust me
Homemade pizza: with the exception of pizza margherita (the green is the basil, the white is the cheese, the red is the sauce) of Castropignano, everything else store-bought is reduced to a can of Canadese spaghetti. Ancillary translation and maxim: It is impossible to have a bad homemade pizza in an Italian household
when it was hard: i.e., until the grandchildren started appearing
The first job: fascinating story to listen to and collect; see snake stories
But we were glad to do it: ancient rhythmic phrase symbolizing the passage from sacrifice, to suffrage, to making a life and owning your own home
scuzzi: vocabulary builder; impossible to forget, fun to say
cantina: importante place in the Court of Garibaldi; third in the trinity of sacred rooms
Dutch Boy Carrignane, Sapore Dolce etc…: another interesting Italian artefact to collect, and/ or build garage furniture with
…the wine bottle, pressed into service when its contents of rye are finished: why would anyone throw out a perfectly good glass beaker with thirty cases of grapes fermenting in the garage? Etiquette lezione: it is a sign of knowing and cultural respect when you bring some empty bottles over for the old guy’s cantina, preferably, forty ouncer-es. People tend not to return them. This can be a problemi when it is your turn to decant some wine to take home.
a happy problem: you can start an argumento at the kitchen tavola within thirty seconds anytime you complain about not having a luxury item…which is basically anything not serving a functional or practical use and curiously, anything luxury is often hard to recycle
Rosie: any ‘named’ animal played an important role on the farm and was spared from being eaten or sold
Alan Lomax Treasury of Italian Music: very authentic and a beautiful gift to give to the old guys; at face value, they won’t understand what you are giving them until you put it in the machine, play it and keep quiet. Watch them begin to reminisce and talk with one another…it is how do you call it, a tableau
shade!: reflexive place, constantly sought Most of my paesani have a solid base on their tan by end May, early June anyway so sun doesn’t matter except for growing things
This was how we passed time: passing time is an ancient Italian art; see section devoted to same in Act III, Scene 2
We had to make our own fun: making our own fun is another ancient Italian art; beautiful to ponder and listen to how they did it
too much of a muchness: all utility Pennsylvania Dutch phrase of my mother’s; dialect for Mamma mia!
Zinca: curiously, Il Vagabondo’s father had the rare Rome Symphony Opera Without Words Recording of Rossini’s: The Barber of Seville (on the German label, Kapp) and mia madre was an opera aficionado; maxim-of-the-land? The snob doesn’t fall far from the uh, tree.
“the man who needs nothing”: i.e., all old guys who own their own home; see music, books and wine airlocks for advice
clank of metal on porcelain: common al fresco sound of summer
Italian men being silly: the only time they are like little kids
stango: dialect vocabulary builder; as my father used to tell me: “the only way you will learn is if you look it up yourself” except when you look it up yourself the correct usage is actually stanco
“Senora, I cannot go until the work is done…you know this is the true lezione”: the measurement of ‘a good man’
“I am smarter than I look”: witty statement not that far off the mark when a fellow still doesn’t “speak the language” after oh, twenty years
The taste of espresso is everything to me: you really have to have been there to understand the authenticity of this enchanted Canadese declaration
When you love someone you do not always take the black peppers even though you want to: An ancient Canadese-Italian truism that can only be discovered through the experience not the instructione
The first born son should receive the wine press: see Esau
More kisses: that’s amore!
orange pop and chips: local and international staple in Italian households for the nipote
mia figlia: I don’t know why but I still have to look this up; lament: try to learn all the family names: brother, father, sister, uncle, daughter, aunt…they come up a lot in conversation
squeezing the remaining juice out of the mosto, you will always find something: this is the beauty of the Italian influence on Il Vagabondo…a maxim in the making, it is worth watching and then applying to life, the way nature and its metaphors are in the soul of the men and women who know the land
Act I Scene 3. Dinner al Fresco
Michelin map of Italy: tip; if you can’t speak the language, don’t just sit there, study the map! It is fascinating to learn: a. where everything is in relation to Rome and b. where all the provinces are in relation to the Hometown.
benezene: cultural exchange; birra, gas; You will never call it “a beer” again and neither will your Inglese friends
scopa: life skill; see bocci
not companions of the bed but companions of the life: Does anyone else see the utter beauty and wisdom in this phrase, juxtaposed with the modern world?
It is foolish to argue with the weather: Italian measurement quotient of a man or women’s patience
“You will not die from this”: phrase used to ward off “nervous” spirits; a truism
my good fortune: see; I am a rich man
a Globe: Italian atlas
click-clack, click-clack, click-clack: exact sound of the caulking gun used to prepare the face plate that seals a body inside a mausoleum or tomb in-the-wall
“that was our life”: phrase used to signal the end of a story, usually accompanied by a sigh and a fidgeting motion (clear plates, get up to go outside etc)
“we never see each other anymore except at funerals and weddings”: common usage and lament of the children of Second Wave Italians
dead to her: abject, generally old-world phrase used to denote an eternal unwillingness to ever speak to or think about a living person again; frightening; in ancient Egypt a similar practice would be to chip a person’s name off an obelisk, rendering them unknown to eternity
nervous: active, all utility descriptive phrase used to describe a person who is either being: anxious, or fussy, or complaining, or angst ridden; or making someone feel anxious, fussy, complaining or angst ridden; very unpleasant state of mind
“If you move the compost it will stink.”: as in, or pertaining to family matters
field-mass al fresco: any meaningful or intimate conversation that occurs outdoors
There is a time to talk and a time to stop talking: simple truth; usually learned the hard way
Arrivedello!!!: passive: formal, useless, butchered, never-used-in-real-life phrase taught in Italian night school classes; dialect for arrivederla; avoid using because you will think you are getting at least that word right but you will repeatedly hear the response: ȁNo, we say arrivederci or ciao in our language” Active: if you are ‘being the buffone’, use it as a-how do I call it- an esperimento to yield predicted results; good phrase to bet on with another Inglese.
Act II Scene 1. The Hometown Aria
veglia: late night yak-session
Castropignano: Hometown of Garibaldi; i.e. About three or four hours southwest of Rome in Molise province
“Well, if you are hungry, you eat,”: simple and logical ancient Italian law of the land usually accompanied by a shrugging gesture
Bar-bar-ah: beautiful and enchanted way to pronounce ‘Barbara’ in Italian with a perfect old world accent every time; good linguistic callisthenic to warm up each morning in Europe
Americanos: ȁno, Io sono Canadese!, Io sono Canadese!” Ah! Si! Canadese! (repeat to infinity)
lemon yellow Mediterranean walls: as opposed to unenchanted beige-bland Canadese walls
some other things pickling that I do not recognize: frequent Italian fridge and cantina observation; in my experience the odds are 80/20 that it will taste good; hence the ancient culinary maxim: ‘it is worth the risk’
a beaded curtain: Italian screen door
saying everyone’s name phonetically a thousand times, over: trust Il Vagabondo: life goes better if you do this
the rest will come later: ancient rhythmic phrase loosely translated as: ‘don’t worry, tomorrow comes after today; see ‘you won’t die from this’
Italiano notte la scuola…dropout: of and pertaining to the instruction not the experience
la tassa: regional and shiver-inducing concoction served before dinner; acceptable excuse for kids to drink wine at la tavola; monitor ratio of wine to hot water closely
an idiot: What Il Vagabondo feels like at night school in the early days and uh, later on
lizards: Italian grasshoppers
scorpion: Italian rattlesnake
a three act play starring a large slug: see ‘we had to make our own fun’
la bella sette: highly desirable card in scopa; worth one point; causes groaning when lost by opposing player
just go around: Italian slang for hanging out
the ‘pole position’ passing Vesuvio: everyday is race day in Napoli
“You drive faster in reverse than I do in fifth gear,”: Neapolitan compliment of the highest order
“Grazia senora…Io sono Canadese. Mia moglie e Italiana da Castropignano. Figlia di Angelo Molinaro”: incredibile and mile long specimen of Italian conversation spoken by Il Vagabondo (with only a trace of accent)
I feel tall: common and not unpleasant sensation experienced in south central Italy
elemental loyalty, primitive and instinctual: perpetual, enchanted experience of being amidst my Italians
chickens milling about: backyard suburban creatures fantasizing that they still live on a farm
the Grand Garden: of or pertaining to the Court of Garibaldi; enchanted view from the Castillo in the Hometown
Abbi pazienza: frequently used rebuttal statement in Garibaldi’s Court; vocabulary builder
bell tower: ancient Hometown clock
piazza: any language friendly, non-threatening space to play scopa, drink benezine, talk or smoke
“…this was the original school in Castropignano and the prison!”: archaeological find; probable origin of universal schoolyard phrase popular in modern usage
Johnny played saxophone: aka Johnny Sax; musician and hero in Garibaldi’s Court
Navajo cliff dwellings: any home in Castropignano
“No, you don’t see that in my country”: pertaining to useless or unnecessary things; Italian Measurement Quotient for: “if it didn’t exist in my Hometown, you don’t need it”
beaded tentacles: common Italian Hometown front door experience; must be brushed off shoulders or head when entering. They come off about twelve feet into the room
“No, non parlo Italiano” (translate: furtive glance, nod and smiles): dialect; the translation in proper or traditional Italian is: “I know, I know, (shrug shoulders here) but he is a nice guy, anyway.”
The mosto in the mundane: ancient, enchanted practice of squeezing beauty out of the ordinary
The Living Opera: enchanted daily life in the Court of Garibaldi
The Canadese flyer shot down and befriended: timeless experience of ‘marrying into’ an entire Italian family
half-hearted translation: sign of fatigue; precursor to matrimonial quarrelling
the privilege of invisibility: exquisite pleasure of just being able to sit down and not interact with anybody; particularly when tired
pours out like water from a fifty-gallon drum: relief and pleasure associated with being in a foreign land and finally being able to communicate in English
sidestep our way down the stairs: safe and proper decent technique when leaving a Castropignano home; see Navajo cliff dwellings
gelato: the so-called Italian ice cream that tastes nothing like Canadese ice cream and more like popsicles melted and then re frozen; the lemoni is nice, you should try it
Act II Scene 2. Serenade. An Evening at Domenico’s
Hi Lo Chikolo: the universal language of play; international icebreaker
the kitchen: importante place in the Court of Garibaldi; first in the trinity of sacred rooms
Domenico has killed one of his chickens: see chickens milling about
pidgin English, blended with Italian nouns and plenty of hand gestures: Il Vagabondo, feeling foolish, fluently.
“moosh-moosh”: see Rosie
“pieces of land”: rarely side-by-side and always a lengthy distance to walk; source of potential family squabble and compost-moving
Rita Drive: of or pertaining to Garibaldi’s Court; our quarter of Italian heaven in North York
a paesano: someone who knows where to get rebar and fifty-gallon drums
Ceramica bella: feminine usage; Italian Mr. Clean
Barzula: familiar and popular family friend
little gas stove: is to the kitchen as heart is to the body; good subject for a song by an Italian surf band
magnets of hens pecking roosters: remind me of old Italian men and women in love
“We had nothing”: pre-immigration and early post-immigration Italian reference point for stories
…but we were happier than we are today!: boastful phrase, stated with slight contempt aimed at young people today who need so much luxury and technology to have fun; related to an ability to make hard repetitive work socially pleasurable; pertaining to lost Italian laws of the land; see we had to make our own fun
re-cre-ati-oni: extreme Inglese dialect of the Court; nobody speaks this way in real life and I apolgize to all of my paesani
a lawn chair: frequently seen in or at the front of a garage on clean asphalt; of and pertaining to “passing time”
Every square inch seems to have a purpose: Engineering unit of measurement for anything Italian made
“The wine was better back in Italy”: frequent claim made by Italian old guys; definitely before and apparently after the blight of 1920; interesting source of culinary history and discussion
store-bought wine: silly oxymoron known to the craftsmen of the garage wineries of North York
twisting my arm and flying an Alitalia plane across an imaginary ocean with the palm of my hand: prime example of Inglese Cromagnon dialect see re-creation-oni
black olives: canned bitter cousins of green olives which come in jars
“S biscuits”: Italian Oreo’s
making my mouth corners go down like Il Duce: historic gesture used to punctuate a silly point
demijohns of red wine: beautiful and uniquely shaped furniture of the cantina; glisten like green gold; frequently woven in green, white and red electrical wire affixed to plywood base; Inglese’s use them to collect pennies
pig: sometimes known by the classic, affectionate pronunciation: peeg; porco
Act II Scene 3. The Cemetery and the Fig Pastoral
They stroke each others arms and cheeks and beam and nod…: A typical Hometown greeting between an old beautiful woman and a young beautiful woman; pertaining to relatives
pizzeria: 𠆁 Star’ Hometown restaurant; purveyors of Pizza Margherita: the green is the basil, the white is the cheese and the red is the sauce
hard white candy…wrapped in netting: bonboniere escort; it is still unclear if they are to be eaten or preserved to eternity; tooth-smashers
an up and down chopping gesture with my left hand: dialect-of-meaning; translation: what am I going to do with you?
Piacere: vocabulary builder; easily learned, used and remembered; makes you feel like Rudolph Valentino when you say it; tu sei romantica
they look like Maria: clever and curious trick of Italian sunlight on the children which renders Inglese gene pool invisible in the Hometown
my character walked through, inspected and left: sensation experienced as outcome of the intense gaze of Italian women into your soul; pertaining but not limited to mother-in-laws and neighbours
when I am pulled down this close to a face: plight of the taller; a sure sign that you are either liked or at least have a face that is interesting to look at
circles of olive oil on salad: thoughtful trance state evoked through silent, repetitive culinary motion; curious practice by Italian elders who never rush this step, even though they have performed it thousands of times; good way to feel like your mother-in-law when grieving
“Come si chiama?”: one of the most important conversational phrases in the Italian lexicon; worth learning; say this and for a split second, they forget you are not Italian
salt cod in rigor mortis: what mass produced veale looks like stacked in the freezer section of the kitchen fridge; pry six or so off; fry four or so minutes-a-side in oil; serve with bread and asiago cheese…mamma mia!
spicy Molisano sausages preserved in oil: no cantina should be without at least three jars
“I taught you everything I know and still you know nothing!”: Inglese dialect; exaggerated statement of playful frustration at not being understood by one or more Italians
“ehhh, ehhh, ehhh, ehhh”: see eh, eh, eh, eh or Choo!
head cocked in avian inspection: valiant and rarely described Italian head gesture used when trying to understand an Inglese attempt to parle Italiano
dumb Italian: sneer observed on the face of fast talking, impatient young men in hardware stores; usually wiped off by homicidal stare of young loyal men in the company of old guys
the club: scientific phrase meaning centre of universe
cereal boxes: ingenious and functional handcraft for preserving scopa cards; see flattened cornflake box
they showed me how to get on a streetcar: essential urban survival skill taught to Italian men and women in the 1950’s
lesson; lezione: pertaining to the speech of love; spiritual matters; of the experience not the instructione; a sharing of practice wisdom in the Court of Garibaldi
dumb Inglese: frequent and curious experience of having all thoughts run through molasses, thereby immobilizing mouth in large parts of Europe
The sun turns honey gold: distinctive late afternoon play of Italian light off blue sky, white stone and yellow wheat field stubble
Wine and chicken, meat and pasta, orange pop, bread, lasagne and beans, meloni and espresso, liquore: typical Italian culinary orchestra in the Living Opera. Encore!
Biagio takes Maria and the kids. Dominico and I follow with the luggage: Italian travel maxim; 1 Canadese suitcase = square footage of two Italian automobiles; plan to travel to and from Rome or the train station via caravan
He takes each hair pin turn miraculously: dialect; translation in the proper Italian: “with eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back”
that ‘war movie’ feel: curious and frequent sensation in Italy, particularly around train stations in small towns
downcast hesitation that leaving brings: sad, aimless fidget of goodbye
Styrofoam cups of espresso: Italian Tim Horton’s
fill it to the cap line: Life skill; cantina art of siphoning wine without spillage; worth learning quickly
pouring out the heel of the bottle into my glass: universal sign of respect between men
Act III Scene 1. Canto Primo
Jesu shrine: religious lawn artefact
Black Madonna: women I wish I could make feel better
clean, white concrete: outdoor carpeting of an Italian household
plastic lion in repose/two plastic hens in laying form: standard issue garden furniture
makeshift greenhouse: see improved on the process
any tree not a fruit tree, is relegated to the tiny strip of grass owned by the city…: Italian arboreal law of the land
The Father: dramatic third person usage of a frightening figure
red-orange gas station cloths: masculine usage; Italian garage handkerchief
moods cross the Italian face with the speed of clouds moving across a bright blue sky: undefended; honest
solid pair of work shoes: Italian running shoes
healthy outdoor look: perfect tan by mid May
fluid paunch: seasonal proportion of the Italian male
hiding her face in both hands: romantic gesture of embarrassment
lesser men: the impatient
finish mine in second place: useful observational strategy when meeting new culture for first time; functional definition of obsolete usage: When in Rome etc.
this is the one I was telling you about: of or pertaining to a serious relationship; frightening phrase said by Italian women to their parents; causes The Father to stare and The Mother to worry around the eyes
like a hose on a faucet, trying it out, examining the threads: beautiful thought process of Italian old guys
pair of slippers: Italian home welcoming ritual
utility sink near the furnace: primary sink
“downstairs” kitchen table: related to the club; centre of heaven
eyes are worried in the corners: becoming facial trait of Italian women over, say 55; see above
the plate from the Bahamas: curious Italian trait of prominently displaying gifts from their children of places they themselves have never been
his sister is very important to him: dialect-of-meaning (brother-in-law usage); in the formal Italian: “expect to die if my sister is not happy every day of her life”
the systems of hillside flames: enchanted transformation of soul in Garibaldi’s Court
You cannot escape your parents: your definition here: _______________
Felice: importante word in the operatic libretto; utter bliss
meat sliding off a rib: sauce nuance; time to eat
dry Asiago cheese: I read somewhere that this is the only cheese God serves angels
a silver beauty to a boiling pot of water: How do I say this? When you marry into an Italian family you become both a poet and a burlone. It is a gift, I think
Penne rigate: Italian boiled potatoes
Rastrelli: mystical brand of extra virgin olive oil; believed extinct
Act III Scene 2. Overture to a Side Yard
Ma: endearing contraction of Madre among best friends
dinnermass: typical Italian evening meal
“Non c’e male,”: urbane and sophisticated reply to the phrase; how are you doing?
a small man and women: always appear as one angel to me from afar; romantic usage
yellow bags of groceries: plastic equivalent to old-world burlap bags
when I learn to sing the libretto of his Court: the speech of love; the living opera
For Me: phrase used usually after second helping of pasta; full translation: Have some more, or Take some more, for me. Acceptance denotes sign of respect; better to serve self or monitor serving by keeping one hand on mother-in-law’s wrist when this phrase is uttered
Cosi sia: amen
There is no rush: of or pertaining to the art of passing time
gleaming berries: I always thought a backyard, twenty foot cherry tree quivering with bursting red cherries should have been on the Italian flag
silver dollar plant: commonly seen side yard garden plant; excellent to pass time with; so reminiscent of Italian men and women ie., start out green and lush, emerge as beautiful and grey with myriads of black seed children and grand children; see make your own fun
Mary and I talk and then do not talk: typical Italian speech pattern; romantic usage
painted grey: primary colour of the Italian male; gloss on the basement floor; matte finish on the outside foundation
canned spaghetti: oxymoron; no words for this apparently exist in the Italian lexicon
“Dio! Grazie signore, Grazie, no, per favore, Grazie, no…Prego, Arrivederci, ciao!”: valiant yet unsuccessful attempt by an English person to decline receipt of ten zucchinis
Zucchini Soup School: Zucchini Immersion experience: Lesson One: soup
Ffoooff: common Italian kitchen, backyard barbecue and sauce making sound
Sedano e prezzemolo: see fagolini; there is no point in attempting to learn these words before planting on the long weekend
It has always been there but you have not seen it: as of or pertaining to varieties of basil; olives and the enchanted philosophy of discovery in the Court of Garibaldi
“Now, you know”: definitive statement acknowledging the acquisition of a lezione taught; a permanent understanding
I don’t know if I like you and I don’t know if I don’t like you: preferred and enchanted state of open mindedness; a challenge in the dialect and speech of love
“You never know when you will see me and that way I will be sure to find some food!”: frequent and logical statement made by Il Vagabondo in the Court of Garibaldi
“No I am too young for that.”: old-world teenage reply to a proposal of marriage
“Ok, Ok, forget about it!”: your mind is made up and so is mine
Molise hand dialect: easy to learn and speak fluently
wife’s cousin’s daughter: classic, Italian descriptor; helpful to have a pen and paper ready if you intend to listen and understand the family connection to the story
a difference of position: ie beggar; peasant; well-off farmer; artisan; professional; caribinieri; government person
To heck with it.: see Ok Ok, Forget about it; dead to me etc.
a feast: or festa; place of excellent company; robust food; wonderful music; bird dance
Donato Macoretta: romantic hero of Garibaldi’s Court
“My parents got a little more than what you got”: see a difference of position
Saturday night: social Sabbath
“The only thing I could offer her is my love. Other things I haven’t got.”: masculine usage; see this is the one I was telling you about
a good man: someone who believes in God and works hard
Act III Scene 3. The Garage. Winemaker’s Tableau
faint breath of varsol: garage air freshener
“Eh,”: who cares?
homemade work bench: garage sculpture
hybrid tools: the formation of one unique tool to perform a specific job from the leftover parts of two to three different and unrelated tools
homemade screw drivers: see hybrid tools; always over fifteen inches long, needed and used once
make peace: what women have to do for their men in the neighbourhood
husbands who do not want to make a problem: men who are too chicken to ask for a tool back
the wine press: mechanical centre of the universe, outside
to look at the grapes: Italian code for I am ready to make wine this weekend, the conditions are right; see “When they are ready you have to go” and “we have time to do it”
the medicine: carcinogenic chemical powder put on the grapes to keep them from ripening en route from California
San Danielle mortadella sandwhich with Saputo provolone cheese: the bride and groom of pranzo; infinitely better than Inglese bologna and process cheese. Trust me
Nutella: curious food resembling hydraulic lubrication loved by children
They take time to make: dialect for “one day I will make them when I am not so tired.”
“Bubble Up” Seven Up opener: cantina device from the 1960’s
Brio: dark haired sister of Mio; takes getting used to; try mixing Inglese Dr. Pepper and cola
“Abasta, abasta!”: vocabulary builder; correct response to culinary pressure; see For Me, above
Meatballs, large ones: slightly smaller than a soccer ball
nice and dark, not too light: a shade of red; preferred colour of vino
modification: masculine usage; Italian change of manufacturer’s specifications to make something work infinitely better
“You do it once and you learn,”: see Now you know
“Technology!”: old guy frustration at how complicated machines are getting
working without a net: the art of eating anything with sauce or oil on it, in a white shirt and not getting any on you; equivalent to balancing on a high wire without a pole
Your wife is going to kill you for working with your good clothes on: common practice of the Italian male
aspetta: vocabulary and self esteem builder; frequently used in Garibaldi’s Court; if you are asked to do anything you don’t want to do or if somebody is being nervous, say ‘aspetta’
like it was nothing: dialect for to do easily
air lock: of or pertaining to fifty-gallon drums and polyethylene plastic; excellent and well received Christmas present for old guys; see improve on the process
“Take your time going, but hurry back,”: beautiful Irish goodbye phrase taught to me during a lezione with my father
How can I make this easier?: Descartian phrase and perpetual Italian question forged from years of hard, repetitive work; precursor to improving on the process
get the idea in your mind of how a thing should go: this is the secret of how Italian guys figure everything out; of or pertaining to engineering genius
when the job is ready to be done you do it: the reason why old Italian guys a. bend down on the ground to light gas burners; b. climb up on ladders unattended or c. drive in a snowstorm to get something from the hardware store
“I want to taste it,”/ “You can,”/ “It is the only way to learn,”: dialogue: “common Inglese reaction to all Italian food or drink”/ “common Italian response”/ “smart alek buffone response”
Ali Baba’s Cave: Italian garage with the door shut during fermentation
Ripete per favore: see Rudolph Valentino words; self esteem builder
“When the war came,”: translation in the proper Italian: “when our life and our land was completely taken over by either the Germans or the allies”
We had nothing to eat: historic reference point; during and just after when the war came
Mussolini: Living History Lezione; Inglese textbooks portray him as a buffone; talk to the old guys about what they actually thought of him
Argentina: Toronto, south; of or pertaining to paesani
SS Constitution: Historic reference point demarcating old and new life; ship of a thousand stories; heroic vessel of Garibaldi’s Court
INTERVALLO
nod like you know it is a good one and ask them to trim the fat: etiquette lezione; the correct way to buy sliced prosciutto in an Italian grocery store
veale-by-association: if you buy veals with your mother-in-law they will think you are Italian and later, when you go on your own, you will automatically get good veals, extra sauce and they will serve it to you in an aluminium tray as opposed to ask you if you want the veals on a bun the way cakes do; see dumb Englishman
Look like you are ready to yell back if anybody behind the counter says anything: dialect; ignore the signs to use tongs to pick up the buns; demeanour to adopt in an Italian grocery store when ordering cold cuts
veal wars: intense cross cultural wars and loyalty to stores that sell great veal or veal sandwiches
Gitto di Bondone, Sassoferato, Caravaggio: of or pertaining to art appreciation and pepper making school; if, on the off chance you cannot make it to Firenze or the Louvre, get the Christmas calendar at Commisso’s
Briscola: pretty cousin of Scopa
sweet table at midnight: curious Italian food worship ceremony practiced towards the end of wedding receptions
Tales of Gusto and Enchantment: spiritual state and philosophy of Life in the midst of my Italians
the winter months: the only time of year when old guys make time to read
Act IV Scene 1. La via Rita. Song of the Street
St Jane Francis Church: spiritual and romantic centre of Garibaldi’s Court; this alternative definition dedicated to Ft. Claudio Moser, heroic figure of the Court and priest who married Il Vagabondo to Maria, Garibaldi’s daughter; molto grazie
Lamb of God, you take away, the sins of the world, have mer-cy, on me: favoured song of Il Vagabondo in the Court;
an extravaganza: of or pertaining to sweet tables and excessive excitement over inanimate things; see too much of a muchness
frothy pantomime behind the windshield: universal and cross cultural usage; road rage
Via Rita is enchanted: a street with a lot of Italians on it during its heyday
wine vinegar: nectar of the gods; Inglese white, British malt and store-bought red-mockwine all bow down to it
the salt stings your lips: phenomenon of backyard barbecues in summer; associated with barbecued veal eaten immediately al fresco
you must eat six or seven of them: pertaining to figs; etiquette lesson; the correct response when an Italian mother in law offers you the bowl of frutta after a meal
Blackthorn and Hope Streets: enchanted places in the Court pre Il Vagabondo that have completely changed when you drive back there with your moglie and kids; bring a handkerchief
JaneSheppard: in the province of North York
they walk so slowly: beautiful gait of old men
wrought iron railing curling up magnificently around perfectly poured cement steps ascending to balconies: typical Italian suburbscape that Caravaggio would have painted if he were alive
red geraniums: regional flower of North York
All small rocks are painted white: curious practice and an abomination in any culture
Italian-pruned: scalped to the point of desolation; always grows back better
“Vagabondo, did your trees die yet?”: suburban usage; unbecoming, drive-by, Inglese cat call; see Italian-pruned
White haired women will shell beans, small hard looking men will braid garlic bulbs: a panel that should have appeared on the Sistine ceiling
‘making a life’: an old, beautiful, romantic Italian couple putting the garden to bed at dusk
There are times when old men must listen to young men: Inglese measurement quotient; when old guys stop listening they become canyons and only interested in hearing their own stories echo back
There are times when young men must listen to old men: a lost art
It is usually the same: preferred state of enchantment in Garibaldi’s Court
You must even translate love: love has many dialects
all of it for what? For nothing: ancient rhythmic call and response pertaining to those who get nervous
the pills: unimportant medicine forced upon old guys by doctors
“When we need help we ask for it,”: Italian oxymoron; of or pertaining to self sufficiency
He watched me pull out: common Neighbourhood Watch practice on an Italian street in North York or a Hometown
Act IV Scene 2: Lament: Come Back, Come Back to Rita
young bald men letting themselves go: masculine usage; lament of the middle aged
wives ever so slightly past bloom: feminine usage; see lament
little ones piling out of back doors slamming: cross cultural and universal frustration of fathers
wheelbarrow: Italian unicycle
purple pails on their property: sign that household is either Italian; relative of Italians or good friend of Italians
yardbarn: backyard garage
new construction guys: code for hurried substandard work
hammers and screwdrivers: musical instruments of the Court
“holiday Catholic”: curious disparaging term used to describe the faithful who show up at Church, seasonally
go good together: husband and wife in love
Wonderland: place where Italian Day is celebrated and Johnny Lombardi, missed
cherry tree: believed to have grown robustly in the Garden of Eden
I have seen them pronounce a tree dead: arboreal ceremony involving 2 to 3 Italian men, punctuated by shrugs, shaking heads, jackknives and saws
They grow things. It is what they do: Italian e=mc2
At night we will dance: when the lack of light makes it impossible to do any more work
The yard is their living room/The yard is their al fresco kitchen: pertaining to ancient rhythms; it is very rare to find an Italian couple actually inside their home from the long
weekend of planting in May to approximately Thanksgiving; or the first frost, whichever comes before
Rita is a lament now: remnant of a street once thriving with Italians
cars… tripled up in dirty driveways: a sign that the demographic is changing
the demons on the street: realistic understanding that bad things happen to us all
St. Claire: as in, to go down to St. Claire; the cute Inglese translation is ‘little Italy’
To get some food you had to work for it: laziness; sloth
yells at me for mysterious reasons: see nervous
Act IV Scene 3. Morte
“Panghe, Panghe”: ȁoh stop worrying or I will give you a little smack for misbehaving”
a thousand smiles wrinkling her eyes: romantic, feminine usage; chorus of little grins around deep, black pools; beautiful to behold
We are all dying now.: what a family goes through when one of them has cancer
baccala: ancient law, loosely translated; “whether you like it or not, we are putting fish in the sauce at Christmas and Easter”; of and pertaining to an acquired taste; see la tassa
Italian mass: etiquette lezione: like weddings, try to get there just as the previous one is ending; expect to stand if you don’t; if you live close to the church, do not bring a heavy coat, you will get too hot
chestnuts: Italian Christmas peanuts
panetone e torrone: beautiful culinary cousins that arrive in December and stay till early January
“I” biscuit: older brother of S biscuit; softer demeanour
insensitive intern: young overworked doctore’s-in-waiting, practising bedside manner
doors that cowards go through when they have given up the facts: entrance to purgatory
Our eyes share everything. We don’t say a word but we know: the intimacy of innermost friendship
She left me: ancient usage meaning she has died
‘apartments’: slang term used to describe compartments in burial walls
Rizzo’s Banquet Hall: one of many places of merriment in the Court of Garibaldi; see extravaganza
Act V Scene 1. Death of a Garden
Memorial candle in a pot of sand: lost heart’s evening vigil
“She was my guide, my companion”: married couples in love and in life, eternal
it is at night that he suffers: hardest time of day for the bereaved
It startles like a slap in the face: walking into an Italian home when the mother is no longer living
tiny crawlspace: baby cantina used to store hundreds of cleaning products and tools
Every Saturday I had to get up early and help Mamma: the eternal plight of teenage girls born to second wave Italian families
That was all we had: dialect meaning we learned to make-do
You didn’t know what life would bring. If you didn’t work hard you would suffer more. Waste nothing. Save everything. Be prepared in case trouble comes to you: what the waves said to the people crossing the ocean during the 1950’s
Did you drink all the wine or did you pour it down the sink when you saw it was me?: common and witty salutation of Il Vagabondo in the Court of Garibaldi; see “You never know when you will see me and that way I will be sure to find some food!”
You arrived too early. There is still some food.: Common and witty repartee in the Court
dried red peppers from the garden, slice them up and let them steep in the oil: Italian chilli sauce
I butcher the language and turn the libretto into dolce inglese sausage: clever food metaphor for the linguistically challenged
I think he wants to take it apart to study it: Italian old guy response to modern foreign objects such as micro tape recorders and computers; see Technology; hybrid tools etc.
This is not for taking apart: molto importante point of clarification; see above
“It is my Solitude. My Depression”: The Empty Hug of the Spirit of Loss
Metal chairs slide back: the sound of nonnos getting up and leaving the club to pick up their grandchildren from school
A little pollo zuppa; with soft orange carrots and little pasta stars swimming in it: a beautiful way nonnas love their grandchildren in the late afternoon before Daddy comes to take them home
The Divine Day Care of North York: how lucky it is to have a nonna and nonno during the early years of marriage
roasted almonds: Divine Day Care travel snack
Tender old women: widows that didn’t become Black Madonnas
The retirement home: Italian Elysian Field if you can’t stay at home with your garden; your cantina or your garage
an importante experimento: dialect; having to do with wine; trying a different grape or grapes instead of carignane, alicante e moscato every year for three decades; or, for example; whether or not wine tastes as good in my home versus yours; begging
The really good Asiago…: will be dry and will crumble or break even though you try to cut it uniformly with a knife; see dry Asiago cheese
sugared orange peel: culinary ingenuity; Italian homemade gum drop
steamer trunk: functional treasure chest for the new world
“We don’t need that anymore”: remarkably rare phrase in the Italian lexicon it means: ‘this item no longer has any functional or sentimental value and is not even worthy to send over to the church’ see yard sales all over North York
yard sales all over North York: the lamentable Bermuda triangle of artefacts from the second wave of Italian immigration
we didn’t know what we would find: history lezione: the state of mind of the Italian immigrant preparing to leave behind everything familiar circa post -1945
part of their heritage: the preservation of a way of being as opposed to the saving and storage of inanimate objects
endless elbow wars for the armrest in the middle: cross cultural and universal phenomenon of children and couples in love, who are travelling
The Court of Garibaldi lies in ruin: disinterest that grieving men take in their gardens during periods of grief
The Things They Carried: An Italian Treasury: Title of Il Vagabondo’s dormant book idea; professori of Italian Studies are welcome to call
Torello del Sanio, Oratino, Montagan, Petrella, Sant ‘Angelo: Castropignano scopa buddies
Act V Scene 2. March of the Grafted Limbs
It is possible: Ancient Italian old guy maxim roughly translated as: anything that is made can be fixed if it breaks
“What tools will you need?/Who could do this back home?”: universal thought process of Italian men preparing to fix something
Start to whistle: signal that an Italian man knows how to fix it
time to gather up your tools and bring them back to the work bench: it is a cardinal sin to either misplace a tool or borrow one and not bring it back; see Violate Rule G
That…is how we do it!: triumphant claim of behalf of an entire race when one of them fixes something difficult
You remind me of a young me!: clever repartee by Il Vagabondo when someone fixes something; see That…is how we do it
bone: dialect for pit; as in peach pit
pranzo: baby supper of the afternoon; four courses as opposed to thirty
friulano cheese: I read somewhere that this was the only cheese angels serve their friends
The food is good, the work is hard and the company, merry: the pragmatic trinity of daily Italian life
I think you are this way with me because you miss your father: Il Vagabondo is speechless…how do you say it, at a loss for words…
it takes two to grow: the point of both love and life
bingo: if the club is the centre of the universe, bingo is the galaxy that contains it
electrical wire: weaving material in various gauges; comes in green, white red and black; sometimes orange for the fine work around glass bowls
Corriere Canadese: Italian Toronto Star/Sun and NY Times in one paper
he makes her sign a little piece of paper that she will pay him back: honour is both a given and an expectation; see a good man
She soils the nest of her people: Italian women who answer Corriere Canadese newspaper ads and prey on the emotion of desperate widowers; see dead to me; may they burn in the putrid hell of their own thoughts along with any relative or friend who knows what they did; ours was named Pastora; the only reason why it is useful to know how to use the profanity of a different language; menge. Don’t get me started.
When she dies, he dies, the house dies: what happens in an Italian family when a mother dies
Act V Scene 3. A Songbird
It is what I want to do: active usage; resolute state of the Italian mind
My sister is coming down: an important or special meal
the rightful heir to her mother’s throne: of or pertaining to royalty; all Italian daughters
Thankfully it is not Sunday: unbecoming, slightly blasphemous thought of those who live on the same street as the church when parking is at a premium
I will get the wine: dialect of meaning translated as: I am looking forward to going to the cantina to start the siphoning process on the bottle of wine; hypocritical; of or pertaining to a false generosity
The distinct aroma of pesce: I never know if I like it, I never know if I don’t like it; see baccala
I cared little for food: state of young, Anglo Saxons who have not yet met a beautiful Italian women’s family
a definitive Mediterranean gesture: slamming the door (they only throw plates in movies)
Ditali Tubetti Gemelli; Stelline Puntalette Quadratini etc: adopted culinary friends of Il Vagabondo
Always make too much: the correct way to cook pasta; trust me on this
Dante: a hero in Garibaldi’s Court
You look more Italian than she does: a high compliment
Believe me my dears, I can get along by myself: of and pertaining to the character of Italian women
Our generation is different: perennial and cross cultural claim made by the old in observation and judgement of the young
wise innocenti: nice, old Italian people who know their own mind
lonliness kills my Italians: is the sky blue?
El Dorado: enchanted city of gold
pagliaccio: see buffone or burlone
maleoccio: late for dinner
Woodibridgi: mythical place, alternately sought after by some, derided by others
is it prophecy, grief or fable that speaks?: confusion inherent to enchantment
DUE INTERVALLO
When the pig is big, it is time to kill it: Italian maxim; of or pertaining to practical life
We even collected the blood and made it like a sausage: see la tassa or nothing was wasted
It is a good house: see a good man and debate with an old guy whether you can judge a person’s character by the outside of their house
flags of convenience to the Italian gardener: election signs
She probably even cleans under here!: feminine usage; spotlessness typical to the inside an Italian home
Act VI Scene 1. The Life in El Dorado
a bread: masculine and feminine usage; the Italian people do not have a word for loaf-as in ‘loaf of bread’; Proper usage: I am going for ‘a’ bread; Will you go to Molisana’s and get ‘a” bread; culinary nuance; the only merits of an Inglese loaf of bread, which tastes like cardboard after you have Italian bread, is that a. it toasts better and other a. it hold more lube, which is Inglese dialect for nutella; nutella may also be loosely translated in the dialect as: girl-nut
bruschetta: popular Inglese bar and grill appetizer
Saigon Hot Sauce: Vietnamese chilli sauce
How are the children?: feminine usage; older Italian women are so used to sacrifice they will often bypass you and get to the beautiful purpose of the life
There is nothing to bring, we have everything: standard reply of the older Italian hostess
the debt to pay: borrowed money used to come to Canada to suffer for the first fifteen or so, years
“you old guys think you know but you don’t know”: generational lament and frustration of young guys
I don’t know how they do it where you are: ȁyour way cannot be more efficient than the way I have learned from the experience to do it’
He is better than an Italian boy: see he looks more Italian than you do!
empty Tupperware containers: Etiquette lezione: to be on the safe side, if you are not sure if it is a good plastic container or an expendable one, bring them all back for re filling
polenta: Italian mashed potatoes with sauce instead of gravy; avoid store-bought tubes; would you buy a tube of mashed potatoes?
when it is ready, it is ready: “o not be late for dinner”
more moist like: moist
la musica: CD, tape or record
rabbit/hen: Italian farm currency
long wooden stirring spoon: feminine usage; see hybrid tools
you do not want to waste the sauce: Italian equivalent of freezing your left over gravy
reading the cheese is like reading the clouds: see we made our own fun or Hi Lo Chikalo
They grow it but they do not use it. It all goes to waste now: blasphemous; an abomination
It is not right: to go against the ancient laws of everything I know, my father knew and my grandfather knew before him
Inglese butterfly effect: the cross cultural act of purposely trying to disrupt the ancient rhythmic order that says women do this and men do that; i.e., a daughter helping to make wine in the garage, a father learning to make gnocchi or doing the dishes; a son vacuuming in an ancient household; usually accompanied by protest
Act VI Scene 2. Venus de Gnocchi
we get old and we get sore: cross cultural and empathic understanding between people
nice and smooth-like: smooth
(I can’t believe you take such an interest in these things): the delight expressed by elders when young people enjoy being with them to pass time
pressing and rolling: action required to evoke snake stories or to make gnocchi
snake stories: fun to collect; of and pertaining to repetitive stories and acute listening for detail; see First job
Can you sing: Over the Hill and Far Away?: Irish dialect meaning your voice is out of tune
That was her job, not his: ancient rhythmic understanding of the way life goes; the living opera; fun to behold and to tease; see Inglese butterfly effect
rapini: child repellent
pied piper of gusto: the act of scraping anything off a small cutting board slowly into hot water or sauce when cooking
Welland: Toronto south west
ricotta: I read somewhere that this is what friends of angels serve their children
Highway 400: fastest way to Italian Day Festival at Wonderland if you are late
Act VI: Finale and Curtain
The drama of la famiglia is the prima drama: the Living Libretto in the Court of Garibaldi
The wine is for you and for me: Come, stay a while, be happy
the savoury and the sage: secret Inglese spices in meatloaf and turkey dressing; favoured foreign food of my Italians.
rubber bands: ancient marking system used to tell the difference between the sauce jars that have the hot peppers in them and the ones that don’t
a tragedy: making a large pot of sauce that the children won’t eat because the rubber bands broke and you didn’t know you were cooking three jars of hot sauce
Your house will smell so good: the enchanted scent of the Italian home
Ciao: the phonetic Inglese spelling of the word is chow; curious proof, without a shadow of a doubt, that the person has never met an Italian; embarrassing; worse than a buffone
(Perfetto. Now, you know)