Nick and Dom “Life on the Corner”
This from Nick Dello Russo, is a lifelong North Ender and columnist. Often using vintage photographs, Nick tells the stories of growing up in the North End along with its culture and traditions. It was a time when the apartments were so small that residents were always on the streets enjoying “Life on the Corner.”
Ed Note: I do want to stress the scholarship of Nick’s work and the depth of his knowledge. Rare.
Nick - Hello Dom,
I have a movie recommendation for you.
Yesterday I watched a terrific Italian movie called, The Children's Train. It's about a nine year old street boy, a gualione, who lives with his single mother in the post World War II Neapolitan slums. His evocative name is Amerigo Speranza and, as his name implies, he has high hopes of escaping the grinding poverty of his youth. The communist party pays for him and other slum children to travel north to Modena for a brief interlude which introduces them to all the wonders the north has to offer; abundant food, although they are suspicious of the strange "pink salami" called mortadella, warm homes, intact families and an impenetrable dialect.
The boy Amerigo reminded me of you when you were a child, Dom. He was smart, resilient, focused, determined and not afraid to go against the current.
It's a wonderful movie. There were tears in my eyes watching Amerigo, senza scarpa, leave the slums of Naples and his beloved mother to pursue his dreams in the north.
Happy New Year,
Dom - Hi Nick,
Happy New Year!
And thank you for thinking of me.
What an amazing coincidence.
I, too, loved that movie.
While we have one of the great movie reviewers on our staff,
after watching the movie I felt compelled to express my enthusiasm.
Please open up my ezine @
Existentialautotrip and open this week's entry dated 01/05/2025.
Scroll down a bit and you will see something familiar.
As I said, an amazing coincidence.
I don't have to ask if you've seen the series,
but am curious how Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend struck an accomplished historian-North Ender like yourself.
Thank you.
Senza scarpa.
Are you remembering that comical song, Sheik of Napoli?
Can I publish this?
Nick - Yes, the Louie Prima version.
Sure, use it as you wish.
Italians really know how to make movies. No fancy special effects, no helicopter crashes, just human beings struggling to survive.
I can’t watch the Ferrante series. It’s on a streaming service I don’t subscribe to.
My daughters loved the books but I had a hard time getting into them.
Right now I’m reading The Sicilian Avengers which is about a secret society called the Beati Paoli, a precursor of the Mafia. It gives a glimpse into what life was like in Sicily under the Bourbon and Savoy monarchs. Great if you were a nobleman, miserable for the serfs.
Dom - And we all imagine ourselves as noblemen.
(Editor’s note: For a graphic illustration of human abuse, Korean period dramas do it best. I am currently watching The Story of the Pearl Girl, and the depiction of the inhumanities prevalent in Korean society past is unbelievable, except that there are hundreds of examples of it.)
Nick - Well, I never did, knowing my father’s family, but I’m always amazed at how many Italian/Americans try to find some connection, however obscure, to a Nobel family.
I remember the Spagnuolo family had a medallion with their family coat of arms mounted over the pharmacy counter in their drugstore. I was impressed.
A scientist once proved with mathematical certainty that all Europeans alive today are descended from Charlemagne. Six degrees of separation .
Dom - I worked at Burden's (the Spagnuolo family’s pharmacy+) for a stretch.
Made tamarindo.
The pods got delivered in tubs which we dumped into a quarter-barrel.
We filled the barrel w water.
After they soaked for a while, we stepped into the tub and squished the pulp out of them.
We should have made wine.
But those Italian guys loved tamarindo drinks.
Strange, the derivation. Found mostly is Asian and Latin American cuisine.
The birth of fusion, perhaps.
Was good friends with Louis Spag.
A good kid.
Nick - He was a good guy. We called him Champ. I think he went to Palm Beach and I heard he opened an espresso bar. Maybe The Donald is a customer?
Tamarind fruit is grown in Africa, Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt. It probably came to Italy from the Arab traders. I like it a lot and I buy the whole fruit pods whenever I see them.
Dom - How do you use Tamarind?
Nick - My wife is a good cook and uses tamarind in some Iranian recipes. She said it's hard to find recipes that use it. It also makes a nice chutney. They sometimes have it at Whole Foods in the berry cooler on the right as you walk in.
Dom - Is she familiar w these Iranian recipes suggested by Ai?
Khoresh Bamieh Khuzestani: A Southern Iranian okra stew with tamarind, tomatoes, and spices. It's a hearty and flavorful dish that even okra skeptics might enjoy
.Ghalieh Mahi: Persian tamarind fish, combining the tangy taste of tamarind with saffron, fresh herbs, walnuts, and dates. This dish offers a unique and delicious culinary experience.
Tahdig with Tamarind: A luxurious whole fish preparation flavored with tangy tamarind and fragrant spices. It's a delightful way to enjoy fish with a Persian twist.
Morgh Polo with Tamarind: Chicken and rice with saffron and tamarind, creating a savory and slightly sweet combination.
5. Naz Khatoon with Tamarind: Persian eggplant and herb salad with walnuts and tamarind-infused dressing. This refreshing salad is perfect for a light meal or side dish.
Italos are true democrats. We believe in the power of the people to govern themselves through democratic processes. As such, we are not cowed by ‘aristocrats’, and we dabble in anarchy.
Nick - People don’t realize how miserable life under a monarchy was for peasants. There was no rule of law except the whims of the king. There was little private property, the king owned everything and doled it out to his friends, family and supporters. Kings loved engaging in wars. They taxed the poor to pay for those wars and impressed the sons of peasants to fight and die for a country that didn’t value them.
The proto Mafia secret society called the Beati Paoli fought the nobility to protect the poor. It’s pathetic how many Italian Americans pretend they are somehow related to noble ancestors.
Tanti auguri, Dom.
Dom - This reminds me of that great poem by Edward Arlington Robinson, Miniver Cheevy:
Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,
Grew lean while he assailed the seasons;
He wept that he was ever born,
And he had reasons.
Miniver loved the days of old
When swords were bright and steeds were prancing;
The vision of a warrior bold
Would set him dancing.
Miniver sighed for what was not,
And dreamed, and rested from his labors;
He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot,
And Priam's neighbors.
Miniver mourned the ripe renown
That made so many a name so fragrant;
He mourned Romance, now on the town,
And Art, a vagrant.
Miniver loved the Medici,
Albeit he had never seen one;
He would have sinned incessantly
Could he have been one.
Miniver cursed the commonplace
And eyed a khaki suit with loathing;
He missed the mediæval grace
Of iron clothing.
Miniver scorned the gold he sought,
But sore annoyed was he without it;
Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,
And thought about it.
Miniver Cheevy, born too late,
Scratched his head and kept on thinking;
Miniver coughed, and called it fate,
And kept on drinking.
Below is a photo and text re: tamarindo, thanks to wiki.
Street vendors selling Aguas Frescas
Gzzz - Own work
Aguas frescas (litterally fresh waters : non-alcoholic beverages made from fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water) at the market of Juchitán de Zaragoza (Oaxaca, Mexico).
Tamarindo, also commonly known as agua de tamarindo, is a non-alcoholic beverage made of tamarind, sugar, and water. The tamarind plant originated in Africa but has since been widely distributed on a global scale and is commonly found in tropical regions. The tamarind plant produces fruit pods containing pulp and seeds. Tamarind is a versatile ingredient that is used for a variety of commercial, culinary and medicinal purposes with the pulp being the most commonly used part of the tamarind plant, used in a range of beverages including tamarindo and other similar beverages such as Nam Ma Kham Wan in Thailand and Poha Beer in Ghana. Tamarind pulp offers a flavor that ranges from sour to sweet, making tamarindo a sour-sweet beverage (dependent on the amount of sugar added, as well as on the tamarind cultivar used) recognised as a popular flavour of aguas frescas, which is traditionally consumed in Latin America. Comprising only three ingredients, tamarindo involves a simple production process making it an easy beverage to prepare at home. Tamarindo has been produced commercially as a soda flavour, by companies such as Jarritos and Nestle, and distributed globally.
AI says:
The Beati Paoli is a mysterious and possibly fictional secret society from medieval Sicily. According to legend, they were a group of vigilantes who operated in the shadows to protect the common people from the injustices of the nobility and the church. They wore black hooded coats and were said to meet in secret underground chambers in Palermo.
The Beati Paoli were popularized by the historical novel "I Beati Paoli" written by Luigi Natoli under the pseudonym William Galt. While the existence of the Beati Paoli is debated, their legend has left a lasting impact on Sicilian culture and history.