Move Over Must-See TV: Thursday Night is Movie Night

Martello and Trofie Wife recently took advantage of the original language theatre yet again, meeting in downtown Genoa post-work for a viewing of The Wrestler. Having mentioned on this blog before my impressions of the quaint matinees, I discovered that the evening shows are quite another (crowded) story. Trofie Wife was wise enough to advise that we purchase our tickets prior to getting a quick bite to eat. By show time, the ticket line was well out the door; the theatre was kind enough to hold up the film until everyone still waiting could purchase their tickets and get seated (like that would ever happen in New York!). The crowd was mostly an Italian one, either eager to hear English, or, more likely, just annoyed by all that dubbing. More so than other films I’ve seen here, The Wrestler is definitely contextual; I think the more you know of New Jersey, the better you are able to understand many of the references. I’m sure most of our readers have seen the movie by now, so I will only add that Mickey Rourke was every bit as good as advertised, and Trofie Wife enjoyed the stroll down memory lane (oh how I loved late ’80s-early ’90s WWF pro-wrestling!).

Incidentally, we ran into several of Martello’s co-workers, who he did not know were coming (I gladly offered up my NJ translation services). After the show, we joined them for a quick nightcap, where I learned what amaro was (apparently some sort of Italian bitters akin to Jagermeister; I have yet to try it, I just asked what it was when I saw it in a port-sized glass) and scored a ride home. Despite the late bedtime, we somehow managed to rouse ourselves early enough so that Martello could get a glimpse of the Friday market. We purchased some fresh vegetables and fruits and then Martello headed to his job, while I returned home to mine.

Baci e gelato,

Martello e Trofie Wife

Some Financial Crisis Solutions From Italy

With the financial crisis in full-on mode around the globe, it was only a matter of time before Italy took bold steps to shore up sections of society that are falling behind. In recent days we have seen some intriguing innovations from the government and labor.

First off, Italia has decided to proffer government cheese to help both food-insecure Italians and cheese producers, who have seen steadily falling revenues over the years as distributors pressured them into dropping prices. The cheese will be of exquisite gourmet quality, as opposed to the faux orange cheese offered up by Washington, DC. Italia’s Agriculture Minister signed on to purchase a whopping 100,000 wheels of authentic Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano, each weighing in at 30 kilograms (around 66 pounds; I didn’t convert that myself, but instead trusted the AP’s conversion). No word yet on how the cheese is going to be distributed to the hungry. But Trofie Wife does not recommend wheeling full rounds into homeless shelters and soup kitchens à la several guests at Andrew Jackson’s inauguration. Also, no word on any soy substitutes (or Lactaid) being made available to hungry, lactose intolerant Italians.

And now for the contribution from Italian labor: Due to rain, the Italian General Confederation of Labor (CGIL), which had scheduled massive general strikes for Friday to express their general state of displeasure with the tanking of the Italian economy, decided to cancel transit striking in Rome and Venice, due to rain. (If only MTA workers had had such sympathy when it was below zero with the windshield during their 2005 strike!) Online news sites reported on large marches in Milan and Rome, as healthcare, retail, financial, and government workers took to the line. However, during Trofie Wife’s usual noon jaunt before everything closes for lunch, she saw no evidence of a strike in Arenzano. The buses were rolling and the line at la poste long. Maybe the ’burbs are just strike-immune or ignorant… I did notice a few more caribinieri (police in nice, military-style outfits) around, but maybe that was just because it was market day and traffic needs extra handling. Speaking of the market, Trofie Wife finally mustered the nerve to purchase food stuffs at the Arenzano market. Friday is hereby christened Fresh Salad Day, as the most popular vegetable stall has wonderful, readymade salads (olives, feta, lettuce, pleasantly edible red onions) just begging to become my lunch. (The only potential problem is that the plastic containers in which the salad comes violate the limited-non-recyclable-food-packaging-materials in the house rule that Trofie Wife proposed and Martello seconded last night. Maybe we need to reconvene Parliament....) I also have high hopes for the vegetables we will try to turn into soup and the fresh pesto. (After dinner note: they were divine!) In addition, I finally nabbed 3 euro slippers (I was refusing to pay more than 5; the ones at the supermarkets don’t seem to go for under 7).

Baci e gelato,

Martello e Trofie Wife