[photopress:sopranos.jpg,full,alignright]Agents usually list the Top Ten Questions buyers and sellers ask them on their website or in their blog. While they certainly ask me plenty of real estate questions, I have to say that the number one question that is not about real estate that people ask me is: “Is the Sopranos ‘Authentic’?” I was asked the question so much that I had to watch the show. Even at the recent MIT Forum, I found myself answering this question to the guy on my right. Lord knows how the subject came up with Redfin, Zillow and House Values in the room.
Christopher is one of the only true Wiseguys. Paulie is what we would call a choochamend. You don’t hear about Philly much because, for all intents and purposes, Jersey doesn’t exist. North Jersey goes with NY and South Jersey goes with Philly. So when you are dealing with North Jersey, as in Tony, then you see NY and not Philly, except for the occasional assist. Gobbagool is Capicolla. Bobby Bacala’s name is spelled wrong. It’s Baccala or salted cod or a spanking. Unless someone else knows why my grandmother was always threatening to give us a baccala, and it clearly wasn’t fish.
Names like Joey-two-toes and such does not mean someone is in the Mafia. It is a Catholic thing, not a mafioso thing. When I was a kid, people were not allowed to name their children anything but a Saint’s name. So everyone was named Joe or John or Tony. So to distinguish all of the different Joe’s and Tony’s, you had to add something. My dad was Giuseppe Pasquale DellaLoggia aka “Joe-the-hat”. Trust me, he was not in the mafia. He got psoriasis of the scalp when he was 19 and went bald, so he never took off the jeff cap, hence “Joe-the-hat”.
OK, you can go back to 1031 Exchanges now…not my favorite topic 🙂 Can’t wait to see how Dustin tags this one.
Ardell,
Sometimes I wonder about you… 🙂
I’m at a loss to tag that one!
Ardell,
Sometimes I wonder about you… 🙂
I’m at a loss to tag that one!
Ardell, my dad was born and raised in South Amboy Jersey, but refused to take us kids back to his stomping grounds. Said it was a bad area. I think he was partially embarrased about the conditions and neighborhood. His brothers also refused to take us back to his neighborhood.
Every time I speak with his baby brother, now 75, he never introduces himself on the phone…never ever…always says, “yeeeaah, so get me your dad.” If I ask who is on the line, he always, says….”so, donn’ya know? What are you, a wiseguy? ” –just cracked me up.
Ardell, my dad was born and raised in South Amboy Jersey, but refused to take us kids back to his stomping grounds. Said it was a bad area. I think he was partially embarrased about the conditions and neighborhood. His brothers also refused to take us back to his neighborhood.
Every time I speak with his baby brother, now 75, he never introduces himself on the phone…never ever…always says, “yeeeaah, so get me your dad.” If I ask who is on the line, he always, says….”so, donn’ya know? What are you, a wiseguy? ” –just cracked me up.
Tim, there is no going back. Just like the Italian neighborhood of Seattle…long gone, unless you need locatelli at Borachino’s, no reason to go there. BTW best cheese for pasta is at Trader Joes GRATED, not shredded, Romano. The also have grated parmesano. What’s with this West Coast “shredded” cheese like little pieces of plastic, instead of grating?
Maybe it’s just that Denver has such an established Italian heritage, and that I grew up eating out every Friday at Dino’s or Valente’s, but I have never associated Italian sir names with an insider’s knowledge of the mafia. I’m amazed that so many people would ask you about it.
Silvio is my favorite character on the show. Only, I keep expecting him to don bandana a guitar.
Maybe it’s just that Denver has such an established Italian heritage, and that I grew up eating out every Friday at Dino’s or Valente’s, but I have never associated Italian sir names with an insider’s knowledge of the mafia. I’m amazed that so many people would ask you about it.
Silvio is my favorite character on the show. Only, I keep expecting him to don bandana a guitar.
hahah I am with you Dustin….
Ardell, if i get into a pinch and need you to negotiate with the “family” can you make a few calls for me?
Also would you “vouch” for me?
heheh…
Also could I get you to make a few of my competitors disappear here in Atlanta?
It’s not just the sur name Todd 😉 I grew up somewhat like Tony did, in a Little Italy, but Tony is my generation, so the show is a generation above me.
I totally agree about the names!!!
I grew up in a heavily Italian-Catholic area and I can’t tell you how many Tonys and Joeys I know! And they’re all “Too tall Joe”, “Mustache Joe”, “Green Car Tony”, “Tony with the tattoo”, etc. LOL
I’ve been a lurker on this site for many months. It rocks!
I thought I was the only real estate/mortgage professional that blogged about the Sopranos (http://philleto.blogspot.com/2006/03/sopranos.html) boy was I wrong!
My dad grew up in Jersey. Newark. I grew up in NY. Leto is Sicilian. The whole premise of the Sopranos hits close to home especially the way the people talk. The dialect is right on the money!
“Bah Fangool!” is used a lot on the show. It’s really “Va Fanculo.”
I have yet to meet a Vito in Denver. The only Tony I knew in Denver was a good ole boy from Louisiana.
I’ve been a lurker on this site for many months. It rocks!
I thought I was the only real estate/mortgage professional that blogged about the Sopranos (http://philleto.blogspot.com/2006/03/sopranos.html) boy was I wrong!
My dad grew up in Jersey. Newark. I grew up in NY. Leto is Sicilian. The whole premise of the Sopranos hits close to home especially the way the people talk. The dialect is right on the money!
“Bah Fangool!” is used a lot on the show. It’s really “Va Fanculo.”
I have yet to meet a Vito in Denver. The only Tony I knew in Denver was a good ole boy from Louisiana.
BTW – Baccala is eels, my grandad, Tony from the Ironbound section of Newark, where I lived whn I was little used to bring home buckests full of them (live in the water) from the fish market when I was little. Yuck!
Actually Bobby’s last name is Baccalieri. They call him Bacala as a nick name.
A simple trip over to HBO:Soprano’s website would show you that.
True…but still…the nickname should be spelled right.
Anyone know why my Dad used to say “I’m going to give you a bacala! Was he going to hit us with an eel? I guess I always thought a fish was like a hand slap. But maybe the eel was like his belt. It was just a threat, and not one you wanted to question in detail. Usually we just scattered out of sight 🙂
True…but still…the nickname should be spelled right.
Anyone know why my Dad used to say “I’m going to give you a bacala! Was he going to hit us with an eel? I guess I always thought a fish was like a hand slap. But maybe the eel was like his belt. It was just a threat, and not one you wanted to question in detail. Usually we just scattered out of sight 🙂
I was raised in an Italian family from Chicago. I only recently got into the reruns of the Sopranos on A&E. I also recently updated WIkipedia on the subject of Baccala. I too was reminded of how I would get Baccala as a child. The reason for it is that the fish (It is not eel but is Cod) when dried out was hard and flat, like a paddle. In the old days they would actually utilize it that way. I still see Baccala for sale at Claro’s Italian Deli in La Habra, CA from time to time if your in the area.
Thank you Zondo!!! I knew it was something wide enough to smack us with, and not an eel 🙂
That is extremely funny that people ask you about the Sopranos! I live in New York, so when i go out of state i usually get the same questions.
Walt
I’m having a chuckle trying to picture a mafioso named “Walt” 🙂