Becoming Eye-tal-yun
He was born in Italy, but spent most of his life in Butte, Mont. After his parents passed away, he no longer spoke his native tongue, and began to take on the distinct accent of a mining town in Western Montana.
If you asked his nationality, a common question among Butte people, he would say he was Eye-tal-yun. His name was Joe Pagliero, and he was our neighbor and one of my dad’s best friends.
Although the Murphys were Irish, through and through, we seemed to drift toward the Italians in our midst. When my dad had been thoroughly vetted by his Italian friends and found to be worthy, Joe took him to his secret mushroom fields in the highlands. Italians didn’t even trust each other when it came to the best place to find the elusive mushrooms. If they were bragging about a big find, and someone asked where they found such bounty, the answer was always “up by the big ditch,” a phrase that was understood to mean “I’m not telling!”
Eventually, Joe took all of us to his favorite spots, taught us how to look for the half-moon crescent after a rainy night, and how to carefully slice the mushrooms with a knife so that more would appear after the next rain. We looked forward to June, because Joe had taught us to be careful to choose the right mushrooms, how to carry a knife and a cloth bag, and most of all, how to keep a secret. My dad was so proud that he knew the exact location of “the big ditch.”
In the winter, there would be a night or two when Joe made sausage. He would show us how to thread the casing onto the nozzle, turn the crank to fill it with his own special blend of meat, and twist at just the right spot to make links. But the best part was when he would give us a taste of the sausage that he had already cooked to check the flavor. It was a miraculous blend of pork, fennel, and experience.
When I married an Italian named Lenny Luzzi, Joe cried. He cried again when I cooked him some of his favorite dishes that I had learned from Lenny’s family. He said, “Patty Ann, I’m so proud that you’re Eye-tal-yun now!”
This weekend (Sept. 25-27) is the Italian Festival at Seattle Center. There is great anticipation as we cook, clean, and arrange housing for all the visiting family. Lenny is scheduled to serenade with his accordion five times over the weekend, solo and with combos. Our boys anticipate it more than Christmas. Joe Pagliero would be so proud.
