"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

black mamba said:
Sorry for your circumstances, Andi, but hang in there. Last fall, during the rut, my wife had a buck come out of the woods and she slowed down in time, but the deer actually charged and rammed the car! She had to go through the whole business of, "Why didn't you avoid him?" etc., but in the end she got through it.
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In Utah, my wife and I were on my motorcycle heading north on Rte. 12 when a mule deer decided to run alongside us and looked like it was going to turn into the bike. Thankfully it didn't come to pass.
 
Humppa said:
I´m glad it arrived well Jack. One coin is an Euro, not that rare ;) The other one is a 10 Groschen coin from the former money in Austria until they got the Euro as well.
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Thanks again Andi :thumbup:

Blues said:
The person upon whom the Donnie Brasco movie was based, (Joe Pistone), was a close friend and associate of one of the agents in my squad. In fact, he had a small part in the movie.
(The scenes when they first flew down to South Florida to check out the night club. He was one of the big guys providing "muscle".)

As to the "Goodfellas" connections:

I sat in on the Boston College point shaving trial in the early 80's in the federal courthouse on Tillary St. in Brooklyn. Henry Hill, (Ray Liotta's character), was a government witness against Jimmy "The Gent" Burke, who was the character played by Robert De Niro in the movie.

My brother-in-law was a former bartender in the bar (then called "Robert's Lounge" on Lefferts Blvd) where "Spider" was shot. (Some of the bodies were buried under the floor / slab.)

My wife used to go to school with and play at the home of the daughter of Vito "Tuddy" Vario, the brother of the character played by Paul Sorvino. "Tuddy" ran the cab stand and pizzeria portrayed in the movie.

And, of course, we all used to enjoy eating at Don Peppe's restaurant.

Ah, the good old days...when I had to be concerned about being filmed and explaining why I was in the company of wiseguys coming out of family weddings and other social events. :rolleyes:
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Wow Elliott, I'm sitting here with jaw hanging! 'Respect!', as the 'yoot' say! :D That's incredible. If I remember correctly, Joe Pistone lives in Italy today. You've certainly known some colourful characters in your rich and interesting life. Maybe I'll watch the Goodfellas 'extras' later! :D

What a great place we have here :)
 
Jack Black said:
Wow Elliott, I'm sitting here with jaw hanging! 'Respect!', as the 'yoot' say! :D That's incredible. If I remember correctly, Joe Pistone lives in Italy today. You've certainly known some colourful characters in your rich and interesting life. Maybe I'll watch the Goodfellas 'extras' later! :D

What a great place we have here :)
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Thanks, Jack. It's really just the luck of the draw as fate would have it...though it was certainly interesting, to say the least. Those guys looked upon me as the "black sheep" as opposed to vice versa.

I never kept up with Pistone's whereabouts because other than when he was instructing at FLETC, his location was always a closely guarded secret due to threats against him. Italy sounds like a great place to be. I know that we loved it when we were there...especially Sicily.
 
I heard an interview with Henry Hill, who looked nothing like Ray Liotta, but to me everything like Abe Vigoda. He was talking about the only time he came close to taking out a hit, he had a rifle, but didn't go through with it.

I wonder if that scene with Tuddy and the mailman really happened? "... in the oven you'll go!"

I love these movies, the best mob movie I've seen recently is Kill the Irishman about Danny Greene (of course the book was much better). Just how much is Hollywood and how much really happened. Jimmy Conway in the movie, Burke, passed away in prison. I remember sitting in the docs office in my late teens reading about it. I wonder how he felt about deNiro.

Did kids see the mob as a meal ticket out of the neighborhoods, a regular part of life, none of their business? I was always under the impression that drugs ate away at the mafia from within, taking down the old social structure of la cosa nostra. Did the old guys really care about drugs getting into the neighborhoods, or was it just a romantic notion of Hollywood.

The mobster that hung around with Harvey Keitel and Harveys characters uncle in Mean Streets, the mobsters in Raging Bull, the average wiseguys in Goodfellas, the bumbling enforcers in Casino, the psychotic nutjobs in The Departed. Were they really that interesting? Or was everyone like the mobsters in the movie Wiseguys? Frank the Fixer? :D
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Were they really that interesting?
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By and large, no. Many of them are ignorant boors that have little class and very short arms. (They hate reaching into their pockets to pay for anything.)

On the other hand there are a small percentage, as with any group of people, that are charismatic and charming. (Not to mention dangerous and unpredictable.)

I'll save some of those stories for another day.
 
Blues said:
Thanks, Jack. It's really just the luck of the draw as fate would have it...though it was certainly interesting, to say the least. Those guys looked upon me as the "black sheep" as opposed to vice versa.
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I'm sure you're being modest Elliott :) Yes, I'm sure you were thought of as the 'black sheep'! :D

Blues said:
I never kept up with Pistone's whereabouts because other than when he was instructing at FLETC, his location was always a closely guarded secret due to threats against him. Italy sounds like a great place to be. I know that we loved it when we were there...especially Sicily.
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Hope the BBC didn't blow Pistone's cover! I imagine Italy is probably a safer place for him to eat pasta than New York! A beautiful country for sure. I'm never been to Sicily though. Now why am I having Godfather visions?! ;)
 
I wonder if there are any relations between families in the USA and those in the old country (not just Italy, but Russia etc).
 
There absolutely are relations...both good and bad. (From their point of view.) The extent varies greatly.
 
Even from my holiday spot on a beach, I'm enjoying this conversation quite alot, not to mention Elliott's stories.
Relationships between the two branches of a family are usually quite close, no matter the distance.
Culturally, family is a very strong institution in southern Italy, as much as relations with other families (good or bad).
Sardinia is quite different from Sicily...yet "tensions" between families still exist around here.
Jack, I agree that Italy is the safest place to eat pasta. Much safer than NYC for sure.
Also, it seems that most Americans with Italian origin have gradually drifted away from their food roots...maybe Joe wanted to have a taste of the real "pasta alla Norma" :p

Fausto
:cool:
 
quattromori said:
Jack, I agree that Italy is the safest place to eat pasta. Much safer than NYC for sure.
Also, it seems that most Americans with Italian origin have gradually drifted away from their food roots...maybe Joe wanted to have a taste of the real "pasta alla Norma" :p
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:thumbup:

I have very fond memories of my travels in Italy in the late 1970's (and more recently). I'd never been out of this country before, where it seemed we had only about 3 or 4 types of vegetable then, and barely anyone could cook, so the food in Italy was a revelation. When in Rome, I used to dine regularly with an Italian-American (Tony), who was born and raised in New York, but didn't want to raise his own kids there at the time. The area where he had his restaurant was considered a tough area, where the police wouldn't go for example, but it was still a very friendly place, where I experienced nothing but warm smiles, kind hearts, and great pasta :)
 
Jack Black said:
:thumbup:

I have very fond memories of my travels in Italy in the late 1970's (and more recently). I'd never been out of this country before, where it seemed we had only about 3 or 4 types of vegetable then, and barely anyone could cook, so the food in Italy was a revelation. When in Rome, I used to dine regularly with an Italian-American (Tony), who was born and raised in New York, but didn't want to raise his own kids there at the time. The area where he had his restaurant was considered a tough area, where the police wouldn't go for example, but it was still a very friendly place, where I experienced nothing but warm smiles, kind hearts, and great pasta :)
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Jack,

That’s supposed to be a joke, about English cooking.

“England is a country with three vegetables. Two of them are cabbages. The third are Brussels sprouts.”

“England is a country with sixty religions and one sauce.”

I don’t know how the food tastes. I do admire the English flair for food naming:

Bubble and Squeak,
Finnan Haddie,
Rolly Polly Pudding,
Feather Fowlie,
Kedgeree,
Shrimp Wriggle,
Syllabub,
Soused Mackerel,
Tipsy Pudding,
Jugged Hair,
Cockaleekie,
Grosset Fool,
Cream Crowdie,
Boxity,
Richmond Maids of Honor,
Spotted Dick,
Singin' Hinnies
Poor Knights of Windsor,
Toad in the Hole.

It sounds like Wendy cooking for the Lost Boys.
 
All I can say is I love English Breakfasts and Bangers and Mash.
 
Raymond1000 said:
Jack,

That’s supposed to be a joke, about English cooking.

“England is a country with three vegetables. Two of them are cabbages. The third are Brussels sprouts.”

“England is a country with sixty religions and one sauce.”

I don’t know how the food tastes. I do admire the English flair for food naming:

Bubble and Squeak,
Finnan Haddie,
Rolly Polly Pudding,
Feather Fowlie,
Kedgeree,
Shrimp Wriggle,
Syllabub,
Soused Mackerel,
Tipsy Pudding,
Jugged Hair,
Cockaleekie,
Grosset Fool,
Cream Crowdie,
Boxity,
Richmond Maids of Honor,
Spotted Dick,
Singin' Hinnies
Poor Knights of Windsor,
Toad in the Hole.

It sounds like Wendy cooking for the Lost Boys.
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Don't forget Cullen Skink! ;)
 
knarfeng said:
I like English ale. Does that count?
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Yeah, you got all your vitamins there and stuff. Haven't you? :confused:

When I was a kid, the food here was SOOOO bad. Those brave well-nourished US farm boys who came over during WW2 must have got such a shock! :eek: :D

Somewhere in here, there's a post of mine about Finnian Haddock ;)
 
And I don't mean to take over anything but after posting a picture of Charlie in Andi's GA thread I feel like I need to share a few more:D
Charlie LOVES Carat!


 
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