In my last two blog posts I talked about slang words that were used routinely between my high school football and baseball teams; “You Caguzz!” and “You Chooch! In this post I will explore the word slang “Cabo Gatz!” and Great Pizza Search (GPS) #23 – The Great Pizza Bake Off!
Caboo Gatz on Burnt Toast!
When we first watched the Sopranos, my wife and children had already heard much of my slang, good and bad. BUT, they were surprised that it was also heard in the Sopranos. Why? They thought that I was making up the words! At work, many of my coworkers would ask if that is how Italians (read: American-Italians) really talk? My simple reply was “I do! But, I can’t speak for others!” 🙂
A coworker asked about the name of Tony Soprano‘s boat, “Stugots.” Stugots roughly translates to a male private part (no Urban dictionary needed for this translation!).
Similarly, in our locker room, we used “Caboo Gatz” which I believe is a shortened version of “Cabagoo Gatz!” (aka “Gabagool Gatz!“). And when we were exasperated, we’d further add, “Cabagoo Gatz On Toast!” And then, in a last ditch effort of frustration (and laughter), a shout of “Cabagoo Gatz on BURNT TOAST!” would ring out breaking the entire locker room in laughter!
These phrases were so routinely used by me in our house that they’re part of my kids “normal” vocabulary and a way for them to bust on me when needed!
I think the very first time that I heard “Caboo Gatz!” was either Coach Mel or Perry D. Both were instigators and part of both our football and baseball locker rooms. Coach Mel was young, likely only 5 – 10 years older, and as an assistant coach, had more degrees of freedom with the players than our head coaches.
To further understand how strangely my brain works, I’ve mulled this over for 45 years; spending countless hours on my bike thinking about…”What are it’s origins, and how did it become “Caboo Gatz?” Where others might think about “World Peace,” I think about the origins of “Caboo Gatz!”
So, after much ponderance of the Sopranos, “Stugots” and “Caboo Gatz!”…I’ve concluded NOTHING! BUT, I do have some thoughts!
- Stugotz stands by itself!
- Caboo
- is likely the shortened Cabagool
- aka Gabagool (spiced ham aka Prosciutto) in Neapolitan
- Caboo could have also been Capo, and I might’ve just heard it wrong! Capo (captain) means “head” or in the mob “boss”
- Gatz – is a little more interesting to dissect
- Gatz could be Neapolitanized for the Italian word “Gatto” with means cat, thusly, in a locker room might refer to a women’s private part
- Or, it could be Gotz as in Stugotz
- Combining the two together, I can made NO CONCLUSION!
- Then when you add “On Toast!” and “ON BURNT TOAST!” What the heck Coach Mel!?
I need to spend more time on my bike thinking about such important world issues like Searching for Great Pizza!!!!!
An Aside re: Coach Mel, other than being a football and baseball coach, he was also our 11th grade English teacher. To that point in my life, I’d had little use for books or writing unless it involved an algebraic equation.
As a special credit assignment, we could volunteer to write an essay for Coach Mel. I believe the topic was about how to address problems facing our nation (same problems as today…so, social programs work?). The best essays would be submitted to a county wide judging for awards.
Believe it or not, Coach Mel liked how I wrote! My essay was submitted, and I won a writing award.
Above – program from event (name spelled wrong on back!). The award – a cafeteria tray! The company that sponsored the essay contest, Molded Fiber Glass, was known for creating the body for the original Corvette…we received a tray!
Aside from Aside – As a result of that award, I was selected by our HS to represent us at “Operation Youth” in Cincinnati. Operation Youth was the Catholic school equivalent of “Boys’ State” or “Girls’ State” in the 1970’s.
Going to Cincinnati was my first time on a plane. I was terrified! So badly, that I clutched my ticket in my hand so tightly and sweat all over it. Remember paper tickets with carbon copies!? I ruined the return ticket and needed to get a new one. End Aside from Aside
Thanks Coach Mel! That was a great confidence builder for a “young” 15 year old. (I have one more Coach Mel story!) End Aside
GPS #23 – The Great Pizza Bake Off!
This past weekend, we held “The First Great Pizza Bake Off” at home. If you remember, a few weeks ago, I ordered pizza directly from Napoli from Talia di Napoli.
Well, since I’m always up for a challenge, we invited the kids to taste Talia di Napoli’s pizza versus my homemade pizza.
My Pizzas – Homemade #23 – #27 (that’s right, I’ve made 27 pizza in two months)!
Early Sunday morning, I made a batch of dough and split it into 5 balls. It was very warm and humid. The balls quickly grew into loaves! In addition, I decided that I’d even make the sauce from scratch, tomatoes from our Farm Co-op!
Talia di Napoli Pizzas #1 and #2
After a few weeks of waiting, the Talia di Napoli pizzas were finally delivered. They were nicely boxed with a lot of insulation and dry ice and were still frozen upon arrival despite their trip across the Tyrrhenian Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
The kids chose a classic Neapolitan Margherita and a less classic Primavera to compete against mine. I followed the directions on the package AND THE BAKE OFF WAS ON!
The GPS #23 Bake Off Results!
I am starting to get homemade pizza in the oven dialed in! I still have work to do on the grill, but all 5 of these pizzas were great or borderline GREAT!!! The dough was fluffy and crisp, the moozedell and parmiagian were taste, and the sauce…MY SAUCE IS OUTSTANDING! Oops, Aunt Theresa’s sauce recipe is OUTSTANDING!
Secondly – WE ATE 7 PIZZAS!
I truly enjoyed the Talia di Napoli pizzas. They reminded me of eating in Napoli, ALMOST!
- The dough/crust was nice, light, airy, and had the char that I can’t get in the oven.
- The sauce was a little weak, but it was more like an original Napoli than my version. Mine have much more spice and body.
- The cheese was gooey, but was bland
- I truly think the freezing and shipping process takes a “little out” of them.
- Given their cost per pizza, about $11 (with discount), they’re great for “entertainment value” but low on the “true value” scale
- Overall Rating – Good
- Would I buy again? – not likely
I didn’t vote, but my family voted for me 4 – 0! I win…but I truly won! I was able to share this with them. I can’t tell you how special it is for me to cook for my family on Sundays while listening to Italian Melodies (another story for the future)…THAT REALLY BRINGS ME BACK!
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