Well, Ann (anncruise) is at it again sending me all sorts of fun Italian things to share. The “suspend” story makes me want to hug every Italian on the planet starting with those three.
~Marie & Ann
Good Morning Buongiorno from Rome!
Cappuccino and Cornetto in Piazza in Italy!
Photo by Rossella Rago
AN ITALIAN JOURNEY by James Ernest Shaw ~ paperback w/pen & ink drawings ~ http://amzn.to/xoRKmy
I can’t tell you how much I love this one. ~Marie
Paying it forward, Italian style .The Pending Coffee will restore A Little Bit of Your Faith in Humanity !!
“We enter a little coffeehouse with a friend of mine and give our order. While we’re approaching our table two people come in and they go to the counter –
‘Five coffees, please. Two of them for us and three suspended’
They pay for their order, take the two and leave. I ask my friend:
‘What are those ‘suspended’ coffees ?’
‘Wait for it and you will see’
Some more people enter. Two girls ask for one coffee each, pay and go. The next order was for seven coffees and it was made by three lawyers – three for them and four ‘suspended’. While I still wonder what’s the deal with those ‘suspended’ coffees I enjoy the sunny weather and the beautiful view towards the square in front of the café. Suddenly a man dressed in shabby clothes who looks like a beggar comes in through the door and kindly asks
‘Do you have a suspended coffee ?’
It’s simple – people pay in advance for a coffee meant for someone who can not afford a warm beverage. The tradition with the suspended coffees started in Naples,Italy but it has spread all over the world and in some places you can order not only a suspended coffee, but also a sandwich or a whole meal.”
We totally agree – Italy is pretty amazing, but the people are even better! Three people in particular!
I only drink wine..
Bring it on! Ann and I are both Italian!
~Marie
I know Marie! When I see something special (and they take these posts out right away) I always hurry to send it to you before you send it to the Flight Crew. I get this feeling I have to get my “deadline” in. lol
We work well together (apart) ha ha. I tried to get the book from the library and they are going to order it for me.
Ann, I don’t know why my first comment was that way? Gremlins???
What I said was that it was strange that when I post Ann’s pictures, she sends me another batch on that day, before she knows I’m posting! I look forward to them!
I know Marie. I always want to send them cause I know you’re about ready. Intuition……
Ann, I got that book through Amazon and love it.
Thank you Mary!!!!
Ann and Marie, You guys are the greatest. always a laugh to start the day. Joanie
I loved this today… But really Marie, you have to quit talking about me this way, my head is going to swell… I grew up knowing that Italians were the best people in the world… My father told me so every day and he wouldn’t lie… All kidding aside, being born in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn NY is the very best memory I have of being Italian… My life began in an apartment over a bakery… Everytime I see moonstruck that memory comes back to me.. Waking up to the smell of fresh bread being baked every single morning… My mother would send me down for a loaf of bread and the change to pay for it… Mrs. Santino would put the break in a brown paper bag… It was not wrapped in plastic just a brown paper bag in those days… Then she would always give me a treat… Sometimes a huge pastry or cookie other times a Pizzelle… Two doors down was the vegetable stand and when I would go past there Mr. Pappagalo would hand me an apple or banana … My Uncle Charlie owned the Barber shop next to the vegetable stand and Mr. Pappagalo got his hair cut there free… So as the say what goes around comes around… But Marie anytime you want to hug an Italian, I am up for a hug my friend…
Jeannette – that sounds so charming! Amazing you still remember it so well, for having been so young! I’m Dutch/German, but think my heart is really Italian! Sigh….
Can’t wait for that hug!
Great memories, Jeannette. Sounds like the setup for a wonderful Italian movie. What great visual images. You always do great visual images!
Living above a bakery would be heaven and hell! In two weeks I wouldn’t fit out of the door and we would have to call Mr. Santino or Uncle Charlie to get me out!
I would have the same problem now Marie… I would truly look like the Italian Granny of yesteryear, Fifty pounds overweight and with big black shoes and a black baggy dress to hide my rolls… And not the rolls from the bakery for sure… It was an amazing first few years… We moved to Ca. when I was six and that is when the era of the little Italian girl from the neighborhood ended and I quickly became a California girl… But the memories of those first few years are deeply embedded in my heart…
Jeannette, I can just imagine your early years and the aroma from the downstairs bakery! Isn’t it wonderful to be able to recall these vivid scenes, even though we are of a certain age? ☺ Marie and Ann, love the suspended coffee image. Yes, in our tumultuous world, kindness is so needed, and what a lovely way the Italians have of sharing. Just look at our guys and their families. They have opened their lives so generously to us to enjoy. Grazie ladies for your wonderful posts. Te amo amici!! ♥
Marie and Ann, this is a wonderful post! I love the pictures and especially the story of the “suspended coffee.” We live in a challenging world to say the least, so it is heartwarming to read stories like this and others where such kindness and compassion shine through.
Jeannette, I loved your post! I could just picture the kind of neighborhood you must have grown up in. How fortunate you were to have experienced that life at such a young age. Thank you for sharing your story. And I agree, Italians are so very special!!
Yes, Jane, Italy and Italians have come to have a new meaning for me, too. The Italian singers that we have known in America over the years may have been good, but they didn’t instill in me the emotions that our boys have brought out in full force. Since knowing them I have wanted to do, see, eat, read, everything Italian. Their impact on us has been so powerful and beautiful. I feel so blessed to have been a part of their experience.
That is so sweet to do ♥️