Obama’s last state dinner

Posted on December 1, 2016 by babbityjean

On October 18, 2016, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted their fourteenth and final official state visit in honor of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy and his wife, Mrs. Agnese Landini.  State dinners are beautiful expressions of friendship and diplomacy.  President Obama wished to recognize the depth and breadth of America’s relationship with Italy.unknown

Over 400 guests assembled under a grand tent in the garden of the White House.   Amongbenigni the guests were Robert Benigni and his wife Nicoletta Braschi, Paolo Sorrentino, Giorgio Armani, John Turturro, Bebe Vio, paralympics gold medal winner in fencing, and John Elkann, the president of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, plus many political figures from both countries.

Michelle was dressed in a pink and gold Versace gown and Agnese wore a silver lace gown by the Florentine Scervino.  There were many menuother Italian touches throughout, including handmade glassware, neo-florentine charger plates, and music that included an opera excerpt from Puccini.  Of course, the menu, with input from chef Mario Batali, included many Italian flavors:  sweet potato agnolotti with butter and sage, warm butternut squash salad, beef braciole pinwheel with horseradish gremolata and broccoli rabe, and green apple crostata with thyme caramel and buttermilk gelato.

 

obama-toastAnd there was good humor throughout.  When Obama greeted renzi-toastRenzi (who was wearing an Armani smoking jacket) at the portico of the White House, he joked “Don’t worry about how you are dressed, everyone is only interested in the women’s dresses.”  During the dinner, Obama assured the guests that “Benigni has promised not to jump on the tables.”  And Renzi complimented the vegetables from Michelle’s garden and added “your last speech in support of Hillary Clinton was even better than your tomatoes.”

The heads of state also discussed serious matters.  As the President said, “Italy is one of our closest allies.  We cooperate on a range of shared interests, from addressing climate change and the global refugee crisis to promoting global security and inclusive economic growth.”

 

 

 

 

Posted in Cucina italiana, English, Firenze, Foto, Italia, La Moda, Politica | 1 Comment

“Little Italy”

Posted on November 17, 2016 by babbityjean

Questo e’ il terzo articolo dal nostro blogger ospite, Carol del Ciello.  Per favore, leggete anche “L’eleganza del cibo” (il 12 agosto) e “Graffiti virtuali” (il 19 maggio).

Gli italo-americani sono  il gruppo più grande di origine europea nella città di New York oltre che nello stato di New York.  Come facevano tanti altri gruppi  di immigranti, quando  gli italiani arrivavano, tendevano a rimanere insieme nei loro propri quartieri.  Parlavano la stessa lingua, mangiavano lo stesso cibo e erano capaci di creare  un sistema di sostegno nella loro nuova casa adottiva.

Più di 4 milioni di italiani emigrarono negli Stati Uniti dal 1880 fino al 1922.  Per la east-harlemmaggior parte venivano dal sud dell’ Italia. Tanti di loro rimasero a New York e vissero in un quartiere ormai famoso che si chiama “Italia Piccola” nell’ East Village di Manhattan. Ma infatti  durante questo periodo  gli Italiani  stabilirono un altra  Italia Piccola  a East Harlem.   È  cosidetta la prima Italia Piccola di New York City.  La zona si estendeva ad est di Madison Ave fra la 116th Street  fino alla 125th Street.  “Italian Harlem” raggiunse il  suo apice nel 1930 con più di 100,000 Italiani e Italo-americani che vivevano in edifici affolati e cadenti.  Un censimento del 1930   mostrò che  l’81 percento della popolazione di “Italian Harlem” erano gli Italo-americani di prima e di seconda generazione.  In questi giorni  esiste molto poco di questa popolazione  a Harlem.

mulberrty-streetQuindi,  l’Italia Piccola ben conosciuta è il quartiere nell’ “East Village”  che ormai e’ molto famoso. Una volta, era un paesino Napoletano ricreato su questi lidi con il suo proprio linguaggio e tradizioni  e anche  le sue istituzioni finanziarie e culturali.  Ma allo stesso tempo era un vero ghetto italiano  perche era un quartiere molto povero. Oggi Italia Piccola e’ un fantasma…una collezione di circa 50 ristoranti e  bar per i turisti in un quartiere a pochi isolati dove vivono gli immigrati cinesi ed i giovani che non possono permettersi l’affito a Soho  o altri quartieri vicini e più cari.  Ci sono  solo pochi veri italiani rimanenti  in Italia Piccola.  All’inizio del ventesimo secolo, il 90 percento della popolazione era Italiana.  Adesso il numero è’  solo l’8.25 percento. In contrasto, il quartiere di Chinatown,  ha una popolazione di cinesi dell’ 80 percento.  Ma  questa non è  una notizia nuova…Dopo la seconda querra mondiale gli italiani cominciarono a traslocare  a Brooklyn, State Island, Queens and Long Island dato che  la loro situazione finanzaria stava  megliorando. Poi, il U.S. Immigration Act del 1965   ha  abolito  le quote  nazionali per l’imigrazione ed   il boom dell’immigrazione cinese  e’ cominciato nella zona.  Con  l’espansione di Chinatown, Italia Piccola e’ cominciata a scomparire.  In questi tempi il quartiere  esiste di pochi isolati che includono Mulberry Street dalla Canal Street fino alla Broome Street.         .

san-gennaroMa ci sono  tentativi  di preservare il quartiere.  La festa  di San Gennaro continua ogni Settembre insieme con le gare del taglio  formaggio  e cannoli “eating contest” il giorno cannolidel Columbus Day.  Anche i proprietari di ditte immobiliari provano a sostituire i negozi vuoti con ditte di proprieta’ italiana.

Nel 2001, Il Museo  Italo Americano e’ stato aperto nel cuore dell’ Italia Piccola all’incrocio museotra le strade di Mulberry e Grand. L’edificio fu la sede della Banca Stabile, fondata da Rosario Stabile nel 1885 che servi gli immigranti italiani.

Lo stato attuale di Italia Piccola puo essere riassunto dai todaycommenti di Roberto Ianniello, il co-proprietario del ristorante Umberto’s Clam House, dove e’ stato ucciso Joe Gallo, il gangster New Yorkese. Quando a lui e’ stato chiesto che cosa accadrebbe  se un ristorante cinese vuolesse aprire sulla Mulberry street,  lui ha risposto “ Noi avremmo un problema ma  quello di cui veramente ho paura e’ Starbucks”.

Posted in Foto, Italia, Italiano, Italoamericani, New York, Storia | Leave a comment

Little Italy

Posted on November 17, 2016 by babbityjean

This is the third article by our guest blogger, Carol del Ciello.  Please also read “The Elegance of Food” (August 12) and “Virtual Graffiti” (May 19).

Italian-Americans are the largest group of immigrants of european origin in New York City as well as New York State.  Like many other immigrants, when the Italians arrived, they tended to remain together in their own neighborhoods.  They spoke the same language, ate the same food, and were able to create a support structure in their newly adopted home.

More than 4 million Italians immigrated to the United States between 1880 and 1922.  For the most part, they came from Southern Italy.  Many remained in New York and lived in a well-known neighborhood referred to as  Little Italy, located in the East Village in Manhattan.

But in fact, during this period, the Italians established another Little Italy in East Harlem. east-harlemIt is considered the first Little Italy in New York City.  The area extended east of Madison Ave between 116th and 125th streets.  “Italian Harlem” reached it’s peak in 1930 with more than 100,000 first and second generation Italian-Americans.  Today, very little remains of this population in Harlem.

mulberrty-streetTherefore, the Little Italy best known is in the East Village.  At one time, it was a Neapolitan village recreated on these shores with its own language and traditions as well as its own financial and cultural institutions.  But at the same time, it was an Italian ghetto because it was a very poor neighborhood.  Today, Little Italy is a patina, a collection of about 50 restaurants and bars for the tourists in a neighborhood comprised of only a few blocks where Chinese immigrants live along side young adults that cannot afford the higher rents in Soho or other more expensive neighborhoods. There are few remaining Italians in Little Italy.

At the beginning of the 20th century, 90 percent of the population was Italian. Now the number is only 8.25 percent. In contrast, in neighboring Chinatown, the population of Chinese is about 80 percent.

But all this is not news. After the second world war, the Italians began to leave the neighborhood moving to Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens and Long Island as their financial situation improved. Then, with the U.S. Immigration Act of 1965, national quotas for immigration were abolished and the boom in Chinese immigration began.

san-gennaroWith this expansion of Chinatown, Little Italy began to disappear. Now, Little Italy consists of only a  few blocks comprised of  Mulberry Street  extending from Canal Street to Broome Street. But there are attempts at preserving cannoliwhat is left of Little Italy.  The Feast of San Gennaro is held every September there along with cheese cutting and cannoli eating contests on Columbus Day.   Also the owners of the remaining buildings within the neighborhood try to replace empty stores with Italian businesses.

In 2001, The Italian American Musuem was opened in the heart of Little Italy at the museointersection of Mulberry and Grand Streets. The building  was the original site of the Banca Stabile, which  was established by Rosario Stabile in 1885 and served the Italian immigrant community.

The precarious state of Little Italy is summed up by the comments todayof Robert Ianniello, the co-owner of Umberto’s Clam House, where Joe Gallo, the New York gangster was shot dead. When asked what would happen if a Chinese restaurant wanted to open on Mulberry Street, he responded “ We wouldn’t have a problem with that; however, what I truly fear is a Starbucks”.

Posted in English, Foto, Italia, Italoamericani, New York, Storia | Leave a comment