Page 10 - Italian American Herald - March 2024

10 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | MARCH2024 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD
IT’S ALL GOOD
Business lunches I have known and loved – and still laugh about
weighing about 250 pounds. He had
never had clams and spaghetti at an Italian restaurant and indicated he’d like to try it,
so off we went. We drove to Broomall, Pa., to one of my favorite spots. I recommended the clams with the red sauce with capellini.
I had enjoyed that dish many times at this restaurant and I felt sure he’d be happy. After we placed the order, he asked the waitress if he could have a side order of meatballs too, in red sauce. Bill was a big guy so I wasn’t surprised that he had a big appetite. I was surprised, however by what happened next. After the waitress brought out the food, Bill picked up the dish of meatballs and dumped it into the dish of clams and capellini. He then mixed it all up together creating his version of “surf and turf.” After watching in
disbelief, I realized that if he wanted to eat the food that way, who was I to say anything? Bill gobbled down the meal and said he really liked the clams. The fact that he could discern the different flavors put me in awe of his taste buds.
Greatness takes many forms. IAH
Charlie Sacchetti is the author of three books, “It’s All Good: Times and Events I’d Never Want to Change;” “Knowing He’s There: True Stories of God’s Subtle Yet Unmistakable Touch,” and his newest, “Savoring the Moments: True Stories of Happiness, Sadness and Everything in Between.” He was raised
in Philadelphia and lives in Cinnaminson, New Jersey. Contact him at worthwhilewords21@gmail.com.
By Charlie Sacchetti
If there is one lesson that I have learned over my 40 years in sales it is that you
should never take a customer for granted. That means that a sincere demonstration
of appreciation is something that is both appropriate and necessary. As a commission salesman, I came to realize early on that my customers fed my family, paid my bills and provided me with the opportunity to be successful. I have always found that treating a customer to a relaxing lunch was a great way to show my appreciation and help build a strong relationship of trust and caring. And I would venture to say that those many meals, shared with my customers, accomplished these goals while providing lots of memorable and humorous moments ...
My customer Joe, the head of maintenance at a school in Marlton, N.J., and I would usually have lunch at a restaurant near his school. On one particular trip about 20 years ago, we both ordered the same “special” ... a bowl of beef barley soup and
a cheese steak. This place really made good soups and I was looking forward to enjoying it on this cold wintry day. As we started on the thick-bodied, great- smelling bonanza, our conversation was stopped in its tracks when I felt something in my mouth that was obviously neither beef nor barley. Joe’s eyes became as large as golf balls as I reached
into my mouth and pulled out a brand new, blue 1-inch bolt. Of course, the appropriate nut was attached to the bolt so I had the complete set. We had a good laugh as I called
and meatballs with extra gravy and I opted for the lasagna. Since it was my practice to always wear a shirt and tie, I would have
to take particular care not to splash any red gravy on my dark blue shirt and light blue tie. Of course, Pat wore his gray maintenance uniform with the school’s insignia displayed on the front, just below his left shoulder. With my jacket hanging over the back of my chair, I carefully ate my meal, checking every once in a while to make sure none of the gravy was on my shirt.
About halfway through our meal,
Pat stuck his fork into half of one of his meatballs. Apparently, he hadn’t secured his meatball properly for as he raised it to his mouth the force of gravity took over. The meatball fell, crashing into the gravy-laden dish like a meteor hitting the ocean. Did
the gravy splash onto Pat, whose careless meatball jabbing caused the problem? Of course not. It headed directly away from him and landed on my dark blue shirt and light blue tie. We had a good laugh and after a hasty cleanup, finished eating. Pat’s maintenance uniform, designed to deal with all kinds of spills and messes, remained unscathed.
And then there was the lunch date that rendered me speechless for the briefest of moments.
About 30 years ago, I arranged to have lunch with a new customer, Bill, who was
a maintenance supervisor at PECO, the Philadelphia Electric Co. Bill and I had been doing business at one of the suburban offices and this would be our first opportunity to enjoy a meal together. Bill was a
“good ol’ boy,” standing
about 6-foot-2
and
LO SAPEVI CHE? (DID YOU KNOW?)
the waitress over and asked her to b
Continued from page 8
category for his international classic hit “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu.” Most people know this as “Volare,” which was popularized in the United States by Dean Martin (Dino Crocetti).
This exchange of musical culture between the United States and Italy has continued over the years.
Some of these songs you may know. Just follow the bouncing ball. Lucio Battisti was a singer-songwriter during the 1960s and was above all responsible for this fruitful musical exchange. His music defined the 1960s in Italy. Together with his lyricist Mogul they wrote the soundtrack for teenagers who knew all the songs by heart. The duo wrote modern melodies, witty lyrics about love and daily life with folk rock undertones. They simply became the Italian version of the Beatles. They broke down traditional pop barriers like their British counterparts and created their own style.
Battisti was often recognized as a
great influence to David Bowie and Pete Townshend of The Who. One of his hits “Scende la Pioggia” was redone as the song “Eleanor” by The Turtles in 1968. Battisti’s Song “Balla Linda” was interpreted by the Grass Roots as “Bella Linda.” In addition, The Hollies in 1967 sang “Non Prego per Me”
(“Don’t Pray for Me”) another song from this prolific cantautore. The song “Gloria,” which was popularized by Laura Brannigan in the 1980s, was originally written and sung by cantautore Umberto Tozzi in 1979. Lastly, a one-hit wonder song by Crispian St Peters called “The Pied Piper” released in 1966 was sung by Gianni Pettenati in 1967 as the Italian version “Bandiera Gialla”.
Adesso lo sa. IAH
Lou Thomas was born and raised in
Philadelphia, in a family with origins in Abruzzo. He is a Temple graduate who has been teaching Italian for 20 years at all levels. He attained a master’s degree in teaching Italian from Rutgers University. The sounds of Vivaldi and Jovanotti fill his classroom. His favorite quote is “Il vino e’ la poesia della terra.”
Domenico Modugno’s “Nel Blu Dipinto de Blu” is known around the world as “Volare.”
b
r
r
e
i
i
n
n
g
m
g
m
e
” another bowl and to “hold the bolt.”
N
N
th
o
t
o
t
e
e
e
e
t
were damaged and the meal was fre
I I
.
her I’d be sure to bring my metal detector
e
e
e
d
.
t
t
o
o
l
l
d
next time. The bolt apparently fell into the soup pot during the installation of a new exhaust fan above the stove.
About 25 years ago, my customer Pat, the head of maintenance at a private school in Norristown, Pa.,
and I went to enjoy lunch at a local Italian restaurant. Pat ordered spaghetti
Countertops Backsplashes Flooring • Carpet • Tile
Bringing New Life to Homes & Businesses
2676 Ridge Road, Elverson, PA 19520 610.873.2107 • customerservice@gaydosflooring.com Gaydosflooring.com
Mario Lanza Museum
Luncheon & Movie
March 23rd at 1pm
$35/person • Limited seating
1214 Reed Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 215.238.9691 www.mariolanzainstitute.org
FREE FAMILY CONCERT
Sunday, April 14th at 3 p.m. Newark Charter High School
200 McIntire Drive Newark, DE
Featuring Tubby the Tuba and movie music with character appearances.
Free admission, must reserve tickets online at newarksymphony.org, or call 302.369.3466