OH MAMMAmia!

Sometimes I forget Ciccio is Italian. I know this may sound stupid, but I don't notice his accent anymore, unless I'm in a group and I see people struggling to understand him. Yet, every once in a while, we will be at home and he'll say something that triggers my memory that he is in fact foreign.

Last night, we were watching Brothers & Sisters and he said, "Why did she call her mother?"

I said, "What do you mean why did she call her mother?"


"That is her mom. That is why she called her mother," I said confused.

"Oh..... mother means mom?" Ciccio asked.

"Yes"

I was taken back because I expect Ciccio to understand everything and yet many times we are lost in translation. This recent episode reminded me of one of our first communication mishaps involving a missing cook at Bar Italia.

It was Saturday, early afternoon and I was alone in Bar Italia working brunch. We starting getting customers at the door and I was freaking out because our cook wasn't there yet. I didn't know if I should give them a table and make them wait or if the cook would ever even arrive? I called Ciccio and our partner restaurant to try to get help and answers fast!

Finally Ciccio comes in and I'm frantic.

"What's up?" he says casually.

"WE HAVE NO COOK!!!!" I said to him and told him I didn't know what I should tell the customers.

"NO Problem," he said to me and "of course" give them a table. He proceeds to get the beverage gun out to make himself a drink. I was thinking this jerk, I'm freaking out and all he can think about is getting a soda? It's his business, not mine and he's not worried about losing these customers????

"There is Cook," he says.

"Where?!" I asked.

"Look Cook!" Ciccio says and points to his soda and I realize he has no idea what I'm talking about.

"NOT COKE YOU IDIOT. COOK! NO COOOOK! COOOOOOOK!" I screamed.

At times, it can be frustrating to be misunderstood, but mostly we laugh our way through the confusion.

The RIght to Bear Arms

Could there be anything scarier than unpredictable Ciccio with a gun?? Actually this is the one "sport" Ciccio is good at and enjoys. He was the only Todisco boy to join the Army, but his military experience wasn't all sweat and tears. Shortly after joining, one of Ciccio's officers discovered his pizza making skills and decided to set up a pizzeria on base. This eventually led to trade offs: Ciccio making pizza in exchange for rights such as skipping early morning drills, etc.

It had been a long time though since Ciccio shot a gun (that we know of) so he was delighted to be invited to a gun range in Ohio. When I was in Italy, the first thing boys would ask me about was guns. They don't have the right to bear arms, so a lot of Italians think we Americans are all wild west gunslingers.