Was there a bug in the platter of onion rings?

Yup guys, that's the sad truth.

I'm not sure when you last came up this way, Olivant, but you'd be awfully disappointed if you were expecting to find Little Italy to be anymore than a rundown shadow of it's former self. It's actually no more than Mulberry street itself, from Canal to Grand Street. And even that tiny strip is inhabited by mostly Chinese merchants selling tacky Little Italy souvenirs.

Outside of a few family owned restaurants and Italian import stores, it's all gone.

Did anyone notice Butchie's pov when he was walking south on Mulberry Street and absentmindedly crossed over to Canal Street?

He spotted mostly Asian people and looked to be both confused and saddened, perhaps at the decline of his way of life?

Maybe it's me.

HOW COULD THE ITALIANS HAVE LET THIS HAPPEN??

As Italian Americans became more and more upwardly mobile, they wanted to live in the suburbs, too. We're entitled just as much as anyone else.

Coupled with a sharp decline in immigration from Italy to the United States, it was bound to happen.

I know that, of course you're right. But Little Italy was not about people living there, was it? It was about having businesses there. I'm sure some of those current business owners don't actually live there - they commute to their businesses.

It was about "having a place" called Little Italy. Why would they let the Chinese move in on their "territory." I dont' mean to sound like that, I'm perfectly serious. The Chinese had Chinatown; the Italians had Little Italy.

New York City is in a constant state of change primarily due to its changing ethnic populations. Old neighborhoods are being inhabited by new immigrant groups. The Italians last big emigration ended about 80 years ago... the Chinese are still coming in.

I've never been to NY, but I always heard about Little Italy. It is a shame that it's declined so, but change is inevitable I guess. The same happened when I went to Philly and asked about going to south Philly, to Rocky's abode. I was told that it really didn't exist anymore.

Yeah, I caught Butchie's look when he had walked too far.

Wow... let me tell ya... I was born and raised in brooklyn for first 11 years of my life(1970-81) in Sunset Park Brooklyn. Then moved to Long Island. I went back about 5 years ago and could NOT find a sign to a store that was in English. I thought I was in Korea or China or wherever. Truly amazing.

Its more of a transcending that it is a loss. Italians came over with little or nothing and now have atleast most all of life's necessities and extravagancies.(word?) LOL

That's scary. Imagine your family had never moved. You'd have lived with chinese people! Do you have any knowledge as to when all the biggest changes to Sunset Park occurred? Sometime after 1995? Before?

Sunset Park is a good example of the change I'm talking about. When I was a kid it was predominantly populated by people from central northern Europe (Polish, German, Norwegian, etc.). Around the mid 60's large numbers of Hispanics started moving in. The 80's started bringing in the Chinese.

I don't get back there much now but miss all the great Polish and Norwegian restaurants along 5th Avenue (the best waffles ever made) but am encouraged by all the great Chinese restaurants on Eighth Avenue.

This change is going on all over Brooklyn. Former Italian, Irish and Jewish neighborhoods are now West Indian, Russian and Chinese. Its part of the melting pot that made New York great.

I guess now if you tell someone you have a New York accent they ask which nationality.

New York City has always been a melting pot. That's what makes it the greatest city in the world.

The capital of the universe.

Not really.

Where was that sign when I was passing through Brooklyn last summer? I would have stayed.

It started before 1995... not sure when this FULL transformation was completed though. My Italian Aunt/Son STILL live in the heart of it all.

Its part of a generational stepping stone in society of sorts. Lower, Middle, Upper Class... etc...

No comment...

There's one near the Verrazano Bridge (between Brooklyn and Staten Island). I don't know which route Paul took ya on BUT you should've seen it.

Excuse me?

The man is an INFAMIA!!!

He spilled half of Cosa Nostra's secrets to his doctor!!!

There's a reason that "we" - i.e my mother, my drunken friends, you guys - LOVE this show. We relate to Tony's struggle as a person. He's pretty much like you and I.

Richie Aprile for example, is the kind of mob boss that Carlo Gambino would employ. I DON'T think my mom would want to watch a series about him though. I MIGHT want to watch it, but The Aprilies or The Sacrimonis would not the smash hit that The Sopranos is.

Tony is pretty much a normal guy and I think his wife/family made him that way. That's why he could never be a good mob boss. Today's Cosa Nostra ESPECIALLY needs guys to take it "UNDER-GROUND" and out of the limelight. They need guys like Richie Aprile knocking women's teeth out, taking ppl's money, AND keeping their mouth shut!!!

Seriously though, olivant. Tony was NOT an unconscionable, murdering bastard (like RALPHIE) and would never, never, never cut it as a mob boss. That's why we kind of "like" him, am I right?

Are you getting enough fiber in your diet, Ice?

Maybe you have some metamucil he can borrow.

Don't need it.

Escarole and beans (Italian Metamucil) is all I need.

I hope nobody has already posted this. I especially like both Leno's and Jon Stewart's skits.


TIS

Sopranos

Your opinions are also based on hearsay, DC.

We all know that at 9:00 PM you were watching America's Funniest Home Videos followed by an episode of THE FRESH PRINCE

That's what happens when you take a guy like Jimmy Whispers out of the neighborhood.

They give it to the chineeeeeeeeeeeeeeese.

Even the pizza in one of the old Italian neighborhoods doesn't taste the same.

So if I want a real New York style pizza I shouldn't get it served by a guy named Wang?

The problem is not that the pizzas in some of the old Itlian neighborhoods are being made by guys named Wang, but that they are being made by guys with names like Pancho and Hector.