Tuesday, November 06, 2007

David Rocco's "La Dolce Vita" and other things I miss about Toronto.

David Rocco's La Dolce Vita - This cooking show was on TLN (Telelatino Network). I think Food Network Canada was involved some how. David (I assumed he was Italian-Canadian) taped the show at his apartment in Florence. Each show would feature a few recipes and him and his wife and/or friends eating, drinking or shopping in Italy. The show was taped in English but there was voice over translating into Italian. I saw one that followed him during his vacation on the Amalfi coast...bellissima.

Serie A soccer games on Sunday - One of the Fox sports channel (here in L.A. you might see some U.K. games or Mexican games) would show the games, as would TLN. TLN had a show called Soccer Fanatics where two men and one woman would analyse the games. Very informative.

The Sopranos dubbed - I was so excited when the FBI agent said to Adrianna "dobbiamo parlare" (we have to talk) and I understood. Every other word was a curse word. I didn't realize they cursed that much. ha.

Foriegn news - There was more of it. They covered things going in the U.S. and all over the world.

Walking everywhere - I have already gained back some of the weight I lost. :(

The cast and crew (esp. FH man)

The diversity

Thick walls, not hearing every single thing my neighbors do

The view from the gym in my building of Lake Ontario

Friendly people

Jamaican pastries

Terroni - one is opening here in 3 weeks.

Bonjour Brioche

Normal looking people, instead of Botoxed to death faces

Fall weather and the leaves changing

One day I got lost and ended up on this road, 30 minutes or so north of Toronto.


The cow looking at the camera is posing.


Can someone tell me what the show "C'è Un Posto per Te" is about? Some celeb would sit behind a wall and the host, with a very raspy voice and lots of cleavage would talk, talk and talk. Is it some kind of "This is your life" type of show? The people on the other side of the wall would usually tear up as would members on the audience. Is the title's translation "There is a place for you?" I had to watch one day when Gennaro Gatuso was on. I had not idea what the heck anyone was saying.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jamaican pastries? I'll have to see if there are any around here.

Is LA that bad? ;)

Are you and FH keeping in touch? Just curious.

Sara, Ms Adventures in Italy said...

Oh noooooooooo Stay far away from C'e' Posta per te!! (There's mail for you) - the host is Maria de Filippi who, in addition to her other charms, is married to one of the richest media men in Italy. Isn't that a conflict of interest to have her as a host, you say? You should see her on her other shows - she's always dancing with some hot young thing as an "interlude." Nice.

Anyway, there is controversy that much of it is staged. But basically a person decides to "confront" a family member or other with a situation - a "letter" is delivered to the person as an invite to come on the show and they "shouldn't" know who invited them when they accept - then they see them during the show, etc. Usually there was a fight and they haven't talked for years, etc., and Maria brings them back TOGETHER!

Yes, plenty of crying. Don't you love her voice! Ack, smoking is bad, y'all!

Michellanea said...

"C'é Posta Per Te" was also the Italian name of the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks vehicle "You've Got Mail" so I think they were trying to get cutesy and refer back to the film when they named the show. That woman (Maria) has the raspiest voice. And the show is annoying. People love to rag on it but, obviously, somebody is watching it because it's been on forever.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

rose - Sometimes they are called Jamaican beef patties. You can get a veggie version as well. Re: L.A. for me yes, but for others it can be a great place to live. Nice weather, close to the mountains and ocean. It depends on what you are into/used to. I love cities like NYC, Rome, Paris, London, Philly, San Fran, Austin, Toronto and DC. Los Angeles is just so spread out and doesn't have the vibe of a major city but all the problems of one. Maybe if I were younger and married with kids it would be fine.

FH man and I have exchanged e-mails, he's in Morocco now.


Sara - Of course Posta is mail! (my ass needs to get back to class, subito). Is Maria married to one of Berlusconi's kids?

Michellana - One time I saw the show and the entire audience was crying. Her voice is beyond raspy.

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

I actually asked P whether Maria of the raspy voice had been a man at one point. I'm sticking with my theory.

She's married to Maurizio Costanzo, who is something like our Regis, although it's not an exact comparison. He's been in TV forever and can do pretty much what he wants (and does)--those are the common points.

And yes, as Sara mentioned, his wife gets some good perks--she hosts a daily show something like the Bachelor/Bachelorette ("Uomini e Donne") as well as something like a cross between American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and Fame--the kids actually go to school and have to do singing, dancing, and acting despite their specialty. It's called "Amici." All of them are weirdly addictive in a train wreck kind of way, especially if you only have basic cable.

On a personal level, when I first came to Italy obviously I couldn't understand A WORD of Maria's rasp as she paced back and forth back and forth telling the stories of the guests on C'è Posta Per Te. I'll never forget the time I turned it on and actually understood! Sadly, it was probably my most proud moment in learning Italian because I so clearly remember sitting there and getting NIENTE...you'll get there too, and then you'll be sorry ;)

Liz Dwyer said...

Gosh, you're making me miss Toronto on your behalf! The pictures are beautiful. You just need a little road trip up to Santa Barbara. Or maybe I do! I keep thinking about it! :)

Glad you are staying in touch with FH. I hope your paths cross again.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

sognatrice - she is married to him?! I know who he is. I watched a movie called "Caterina Va In Citta" and the scene when the father was on Maurizio's show was pretty funny (and sad).

I wish I had understood what was going on with Gennaro was on. lol.

Jen said...

You're not missing "Ting?"

I like the pastries, but I LOVE Ting. And I don't even drink soda, normally.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

Jen - I can get Ting in L.A. (for double the price, ha) at this one wine shop I go to.

Megan said...

David Rocco's Dolce Vita is one of my favourite shows. I really don't know if it’s due to the great recipes or the beautiful scenery. Every time I watch it, I yearn to ride my bicycle down cobblestone streets and cook authentic Italian food.
It was nice to look at your list of things you miss about Toronto. I think it's easy to take these things for granted and know that I, living a stone's throw away from the T-Dot, have done just that on numerous occasions. My favourite thing about Toronto is the diversity. There are all these different cultures that have made the city their own. I once heard some political figure refer to Canada (as a whole) as a stew. All these great ingredients come together to make something wonderful, but their individual flavour isn't lost in the process. I can’t say for sure that I feel the metaphor truly works when applied to all of Canada, but it certainly does when used to describe Toronto.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

megan - thanks for stopping by my blog. I really enjoyed David's show.

I think in America there is more pressure to become "American" even though we are a country made up of immigrants. Kids here are under so much pressure not to speak their native language at home.

I like the stew analogy. You don't have to give everything that is different in order to fit.