This continues my series on our short visit to an ancestral Serino, Campania.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Nebalatan Word of the Day – minghia/minchia
This is not really a Nebalatan as much as it is Sicilian-American. The Italian-Americans in my hometown, Ashtabula, OH, were primarily from Campania, Molise, Abruzzo, and Southern Lazio which would be considered “Northern Southern Italy!”
But since we spent a lot of time in Sicily last month, this is appropriate for this post.
As a result, it wasn’t until I moved to Rochester, which has much more of a Sicilian influence, that I first heard “minghia (aka minchia)!“
I never knew the word’s true meaning but given the context in which I would hear it, I believed it meant “Damn! Shit! Hell!” (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_profanity). It wasn’t until I decided to write the post that I found that it meant cazzo (another word for the future!)!
Solimena?
What is the significance of Solimena? First of all, it’s a Family Name.
What do I mean by Family Name? If you look at our Family Tree (created by my brother) from Ancestry.com and 23 and Me, you will find that my Great-Grandmother was a Solimene (Solimena).
There are also Solimena in our family tree that date back into the 1700s at the same time as the famous artist and architect Francesco Solimena (Wikipedia.it) who was born Serino (Canali di Serino). I previously mentioned this way back in my post of May 4, 2022 (click here). Simply, to me, this would be cool to find a connection to this guy!
Io Solimena! Tu Solimena?!
As I continue my story from the last post (here)…after the hand waving, her declaration of “sinestra”, and Solimena from the elderly woman, we followed her directions which led to a small business area of a handful of storefronts.
Quickly, I saw “Tabacchi di Solimena”. A Tabacchi is an Italian café, but also sells tobacco products and may have coffee and pastry. Though I detest tobacco, but driven by a strong desire to meet a “Solimena” in the flesh, I walked into the Tabacchi.
The Tabacchi was grungy and sparse. It had the musty, cigarette-smokey smell of a bar from the 1960s and 70s that I remember well from helping Aunt Theresa clean her bar. There seemed to be little product (thankfully) although much e-cig crap. I also noticed some gaming/gambling machines in the corner.
ASIDE – Previous to leaving for Italy, I had met Maria, a blood match on 23 And Me. This blood match WAS BORN IN SERINO AND LISTED SOLIMENA IN HER FAMILY TREE. Uncannily, she is also a technical person, works as a project manager, does triathlons, and is a beast on the bike! She could be my little sister!
She mentioned on WhatsApp that the Solimena in Serino are in the Tabacchi business.
I approached the counter and blurted, “Tu Solimena? Io Solimena!” (I believe I was saying “Are you a Solimena? I’m a Solimena!”…but I’m not sure that’s what I said!). I then shoved the Family Tree on my phone at the man behind the counter.
The surprised man replied, “Io Solimena” matter of factly.
I was stunned not knowing what to say or how to say it. I was thinking “minghia (holy shit), what do I do now?” so, I stammered, “Parla Inglese?” Which I beleived is something close to “Do you speak English?”
The counter man’s reply, “Yes, menza, menz,” with a requisite hand wave (see last post).
Unlike my WhatsApp conversation with Maria where I have time to think about what I want to type, I was in front of a real flesh and blood person who might share a bit of my DNA. Again, I stammered, unsure of what to say or do next.
As I continued to stammer for something to say, a group of boys arrived in the store. I felt obligated to let “The Solimena” run his business and backed away from the counter.
After a few minutes of waiting, I walked outside to try to get my family back into the store to meet “The Solimena”. But, all I heard was, “I gotta’ pee. I’m hungry. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH….Let’s go!”
I tried to get the attention of “The Solimena”, but he was engaged with his customers.
I walked out, fuming at my family…a fume that lasted for TWO DAYS…Grandma Joanne would’ve been proud. She was a master of dealing out guilt trips…it was my turn!
So, there you have it! A let down, but oh so close. But now, I’ve two people from Serino that could be relatives which I plan to future understand and develop in my process to find out my real last name.
Sfincione Review – Osteria Trabucco, Palermo, Sicilia, Italia
Even though the previous night’s dining experience was excellent, the sfincione that I ordered was not really sfincione. So, I set out to get a real sfincione this night.
| Date | September 24, 2023 |
| Pizzeria | Osteria Trabucco |
| Website | OSTERIA TRABUCCO, Palermo – Menu, Prices, Restaurant Reviews & Reservations – Tripadvisor |
| Location | Palermo, Sicilia, Italia |
| Ambiance | We chose Osteria Trabucco because it was literally straight across the street from our Air B&B. We were leaving Italy for home the following day, and after two weeks of walking and searching, we resigned ourselves to something close. But additionally, via Google and other sites, it was highly rated. Add to this, the dining was Al Fresco, right in the street, it made for a perfect spot. The topper, the pictures showed what appeared to be real sfincione. |
| Dough | Very nice. Thicker as you’d expect from a Sicilian pizza and tasty. |
| Sauce | This was a true sfincione sauce. Lots of pre-cooked, thin sliced onions further cooked into a tomato base and oregano with more than a hint of anchovy`. Not being an anchovy fan, the more I ate, the more predominate the anchovy taste appeared on the palate. It wasn’t enough to prevent me from eating the entire sfincione, but I needed several glasses of local red wine to help! |
| Cheese | It’s in the picture! But, really no addition to the flavor |
| Value | E9 ($10) which is high for Italy, but in comparison to the USA, still a real bargain! |
| Overall | Good. If I were a fan of anchovy, it might be higher. |
| Would I Go Back? | Yes, their menu was excellent, and value high. My travel partners enjoyed their meals. But, I won’t order sfincione. It’s probably the last sfincione that I ever eat. |
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