Once a Sicilian, always a Sicilian

[alden]

Gentlemen

I had the great pleasure to hear from a new LL member called Mr. Appassionato who cooked up an excellent main course on his blog recently. It is worth a read and a warm welcome to the Chef from Palermo cooling his eels in LA.

http://nickstellino.com/blog.asp?cur=blog/00070.asp

Cheers Nick!

Michael

[old henry]

Oh that captures so much. I love the last line most of all.

[Mr. Appassionato]

Dear Michael and Old Henry

Thank you so much for welcoming me in this brotherhood of well dressed men.
It has given me great joy to read through all your post and learn so much.

There is much more to fine haberdashery then just the fulfillment of one's vanity. Yet I do believe that in life , as in all endeavors, class style and elegance give the flavor of what is best in us, for each and every thing we do.

However, fine clothing as impeccably tailored as it might be, does not define the essence of a man. A monkey in a fine custom suit is still a monkey.
You need character, stance and life experience to be " A Man"……. And that my friends we cannot buy from our tailors.

As I can see from the passionate writing I have had the honor to study within these various posts, there are no monkeys amongst us.
We all share a passion and the cloth that we choose to style the clothing of our bodies , after all, is an artistic expression of who we are and how we see the world. The fact that we find such joyful enthusiasm in the fine art of a" spalla a camicia", of a single peak lapel speaks volume of the way in which we apply such passion in all the details of our daily life.

In the midst of a bunch of fashion magazines that have no appeal for a middle aged man like me , I found in this blog of like-minded men to be akin to an oasis from the cruelty of fashion .
I look with great excitement to the lessons of style , which I am eager to learn from many of you.

Thank you all for brightening my day with your sartorial passion.

As we say in Palermo: " Baciamo le mani signori miei!"

Mr. Appassionato

[alden]

Mr. Appassionato

Another display of very fine writing from you. We look forward to reading more.

I must, however, urge caution and restraint to the LL members regarding your recipes. I know Palermitano cuisine very well. Its not the fish, pasta or stews that will get you. Watch out for the cannoli di ricotta canditi. If you choose not to heed my advice, make sure there is plenty of margin in your coats and trousers. Can't wait to get south!

Cheers

Michael

[Eric_YoungTailor]

Ahhhh, reminds me of il mio Maestro and all that he taught me. As well as the passion and love of the trade he had. How I miss that Italian swagger and passion. Thank you for writing your memories and in a way writing mine. Sarto is a love not easily defined but also not easily lived without.