IL POSTINO V O L . 4 N O . 2 NOVEMBER 20 0 3 / NOVEMBRE 2 0 0 3 $2.00 IN THE SERVICE OF PEACE AU SERVICE DE LA PAIX PER LA TUTTA DELLA PACE CUSTOMER NUMBER: 04564405 PUBLICATION AGREEMENT NUMBER: 1835041 IL POSTINO • OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA IL POSTINO Page 2 IL POSTINO November 2003 VOLUME 3 , NUMBER 2 865 Gladstone Avenue, Suite 101 • Ottawa, Ontario K1R 7T4 Italians are not only perfect, (613) 567-4532 • [email protected] www.ilpostinocanada.com Publisher but they’re funny too! Preston Street Community Foundation by Guido Caruso Italian Canadian Community Centre of the National Capital Region Inc. the often very misunderstood behavior of On Friday October 3rd 2003, Joe Avati Italian immigrant elders and the trials and Executive Editor presented the Italian Comedy Festival at tribulations of their children trying to be Italian Angelo Filoso Carleton University in the Alumni Theatre. and Canadian at the same time. The audience Managing Editor The show, hosted by Freddy Proia of Toronto, roared with laughter following a joke about a Chiara Mingarelli featured four Italo-Canadian comedians. confused grandmother on an answering Though attendance was mediocre, the machine. The Italian Comedy Festival kept its Associate Editor audience ranged from elderly Italian couples promise; it delivered an evening of gut-busting, Marcus Filoso to young Italian-Canadian teenagers. The heart-stopping laughter. It was evident from modest crowd spent much of the evening the response of the crowd that this show is Graphic Designer keeled over their seats from too much comprised of probably the best Italian- Vlado Franovic laughter. Proia did a wonderful job hosting, Canadian comics out there. The magic of this keeping the audience’s attention with fine- type of comedy is that it allows people to Layout & Design tuned impersonations and slapstick physical essentially laugh at themselves. I was pleased Chiara Mingarelli comedy – a memorable moment was the skit to hear that even the Italian grandfather sitting Web site Manager where Proia donned his black leather jacket behind me, who sometimes had to ask his wife Marc Gobeil and began to impersonate a young Italian to clarify certain jokes, was up in arms from male getting ready to go out; a sequence that laughter; and even the sole “mangia-cake” in Printing included ludicrous amounts of hairspray the crowd couldn’t keep from chuckling. That Winchester Print & Stationary application and hysterically choreographed evening, a predominantly Italian crowd dance moves. One by one, each of the four walked out of the Alumni Theatre with Contributors for this issue comics presented their spin on growing up lingering smiles and stomachs sore from (in alphabetical order) Italian in Canada, with each routine laughter. These comics were able to transform Josie Bellisimo, Carletto Caccia, Giovanni Cacciotti, Rory Carroll, astoundingly unique yet remaining true to the their memories into comedic bits that Guido Caruso, Corrado Dibello, Piero Di Ciccio, Dana Prendin- subject. Among the comics were Franco everyone could relate to in some way. The Elford, Nicolas Frate, Sotos Petrides, Luciano Pradal, Renato Taddeo, Chris Nannarone and Angela who Festival united people through laughter, and Rizzutti, Julia Valente, Elyse Van Herk, alternated between English and Italian during that unity was clear when after almost every their routines. The show also remained joke people turned to each other and nodded generally inoffensive, as young and old alike their heads – they all realized just how funny could relate to jokes that ranged from their ethnicity could be. And if we can stop to Submissions everything to how Italian parents disciplined laugh at ourselves once in awhile, there is no We welcome submissions, letters, articles, story ideas and their children, to what they made their bringing us down. The Italian Comedy Festival photos. All materials for editorial consideration must be double children for lunch. The show was filled with is a five star show to which I would definitely spaced, include a word count, and your full name, address and ethnic innuendos that mainly poked fun at want to take my entire family. phone number. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, clarity and style. From the cover.. Next Deadline November 22, 2002 1 3 1,2,3,6,8,10 - Courtesy of Marcus Filoso 2 “War Memorials in Ottawa” Il Postino is publication supported by its advertisers and sale of 4 5 4 - Frank Prosperine the issues. It is published monthly. The opinions and ideas 5 - Giuseppe Filoso expressed in the articles are not necessarily those held by Il 7 - Joe Tagano Postino. 6 7 8 9 - Louis Prosperine 11 - Tony Licari Subscription rates In Canada $20.00 (includes GST) per year. 9 10 11 Foreign $38 per year. ©Copyright 2001 Il Postino. All rights reserved. Any reproduction of the contents is strictly prohibited without written permission from Il Postino. SUBSCRIPTION / ABBONAMENTO I prefer to pay by: / Scelgo di pagare con: A Touch of Class Fashions • Yes, I want to subscribe to twelve issues of Il Postino •cash / contanti •cheque / assegno Sì, vorrei abbonarmi a Il Postino per 12 numeri 15% off prom/wedding dresses/wedding •money order / vaglia postale • $20.00 Subscription Canada / Abbonamento Canada party/ mothers of bride or groom and • $38.00 Subscription Overseas / Abbonamento Estero formal evening wear. Name and Surname: / Nome e cognome:_______________________________________ Get a head start on your Street: / Via: ____________________ Postal Code: / Cp.:________City: / Città:____________ Province: / Provincia: ____ graduation or wedding Tel.:___________________________ Fax:____________________________ Date:___________________________ 46 Murray Street (Time Square Building) to / intestato a: Preston Street Community Foundation Inc., Suite 101 Gladstone Avenue 865, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 7T4 Ottawa, Ontario, KIN 5M4 (613) 244-0044 IL POSTINO • OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA November 2003 IL POSTINO Page 3 An Italian Visit to Canada! By Nicolas Frate schooling in English. After the first day come back in February when the tem- youthful demeanor. Serena, his girl- my cousin looked at me wide-eyed and perature dipped below twenty and the The last time my cousin from Italy friend, was more reserved, but very exclaimed, “school is hard!” I laughed city would be buried in snow. had come down to visit, we were both kind and affectionate. and shrugged my shoulders. He added, fourteen years old. Patrick, his sister “if you say one word in Italian, you have Patrick and Serena were nearing the Wendy, and his parents Anna Maria and The beginning of their Canadian ex- to leave the class.” I explained to end to their visit. The two of them spoke Roberto had made the trip a few years perience comprised mainly of visiting Patrick that it might be best that way, English quite well and understood al- back, mainly to visit all the family that all of the family. Most days involved that with that kind of regimen he’d most everything said to them in English they had really only known as voices meal after meal with family after fam- speak better English than me when he as long as you spoke “lentamente”. I over the phone. Prior to their visit, ily. The food was often delectable, ex- was done. Patrick and Serena attended felt like my cousin and I could have Patrick and I hadn’t seen each other cept they weren’t overly impressed class every morning at eight and fin- spent more time together, but my re- since we were three years old. I with the order-in pizza, so off they went ished around three; from which point sponsibilities here simply consumed remember that summer they’d often have to do a few me. Patrick felt the opposite. He ex- I had made a new best hours of homework. Patrick pressed to me how happy he was to friend. Our days were even joined a recreational have seen me again, and he made me filled with video games, soccer league, where he daz- promise to visit him in Italy next sum- water parks, restaurants zled fellow players with his mer. “Come to Italy, promise. You can and sight-seeing. Back honed skills. Yet like so many stay at my house, work at the bar to then I remember students before them, they have extra money. We go to the beach Patrick, who was tall but still managed to go out and on the bicycle and I find you a pretty scrawny, as an energetic enjoy themselves. They went girl.” I couldn’t help but laugh when he teenager who had a downtown, came over to said that, but I still made the promise. fascination with English watch movies, even made a He put his arm around my shoulder, swear words. He was as weekend trip down to a type of affection I had finally come to as happy-go-lucky as a Montréal. And the shopping, accept, and nodded his head in satis- kid could be, and I now that was something to faction. admired that. I can still talk about. Serena explained see him grinning as he to me how expensive the Once again my cousin managed attempted to mimic clothes were in Italy, and so to do it; his visit to Canada had united English words. His first shopping in Canada was a the family. On the night before they phrase in English was real treat. were to leave to the airport, dozens of “...you are a girl Patrick,Franca,Serena and Joe enjoying eachothers company. family members flocked chicken...” I also The Canadian experi- to Franca and Joe’s house. Patrick remember how his ence for the “Italians” was also a test. and Serena had become more than just visit indirectly made an impact on the to Preston Street for some Italian style After a few months, it was hard not to the “Italians”, they were a part of the rest of the family here in Canada.