Welcome to this story written with four hands…
Did you ever cross a place in a unusual morning without a concrete objective? Some times happens…
If this happens with one of your friend, in a foreign country…you are only at the beginning of a unknow trip!!!

It was an early Saturday morning, after have seen an episody of “Il commissario Montalbano”. Close to noon, we decided to go around to find out a place to have breakfast. For people who doesn’t know Union City, it could be useful to know that it’s a “South American Colony”.
Find a breakfast, without eat chicken and beans in the morning is like to become millionaire with the national lottery.
Walking on the street, we discover a little door. It was looking as a pub, but we decided to go inside. A barman, a pool and 3 strange people were populating this place.

As good Italians we decided to have an “aperitivo” before to proceed with our plan. Nobody was thinking that Frank Sinatra and the Blues Brothers were ready to seat in this place with us….

Changing the pilot….

sometimes you just need to see something new, doesn’t matter what is your past or who you are. You need more. It always happens if you are in a different city, country, place, sky, language…the conlclusion will be most of the time something that you will never forget.

In a small street between two avenues, where nobody was around and just few dirty shops were open, we found a small closed door and a small closed window. If you fell normal or if you have a plan, you would never stop and think one second to get in.
To see that door, to stop in front of it and try to go in, was remembereding me an hold mysterious house that was abandoned on the hill around my grandparents house.

“What do we want to do??” It was the unt old question that was on our eyes. Without waiting for a word, we opened the door and we felt in a dark dirty pub, wide as 12 ft (less than 4 meters) and length around 30ft (9 meters). Personally I was starved but no where I was seing an oven or a toast maker. No way to eat something!!!

Once inside we were not finding anything enjoyable as a normal pub can offer. I have to be honest. Looking our movement around, it was so clear that we were new of the place, full of ourselves and looking for something exciting. Starting to play pool, tasting some frozen beer was just the first and natural consequence.

The perfect match for two men in their middle 20th or early 30th. Have been a matter of a minute and a short fat man, South American looking like, approached us putting some coins on the table and booking for the next game. Our small, hidden and dark pub was not the best place to be for a banker who was dressing a suite and an overcoat in a pretty sunny Saturday in the middle of April.
Raphael or whoever he really was, started talking to each one of us in a way that can be felt as familiar, we can say….friendly. Steve, the bartender, joined us. I don’t know a lot about the American people, but I have to say that Raphael is for sure more fantasious name than Smith, Joe, Jack or John as you expect from any American man.
Meanwhile Raphael was challenging one of us for the first game, that of course he would wisely lost, he paid the first shot of old Sambuca. It was his game, his first movement and of course his first fake step. If there is a scene to describe this, it is like to be a fish watching the fisherman to settle its position. The Sambuca was playing his game. I was personally enjoying everything: the unknown dirty dark place, the beer as breakfast, the pool table and the Sambuca taste on my mouth. Balls were on the table, Raphael ready to play and waiting for challenging. The fisherman was ready to put a bunch of worms on the river. Amazing!!
But here,
our knowledge and experience came out. Dear Raphael,
thanks to show us the game but we know already how to play in this case and we really enjoyed to see you, fisherman, showing your masterpieces on the art of mystification. In another moment maybe we would enjoy more, have more Sambuca shots paid,… by you of course, and also play the first two game, winning of course!!! Next time fisherman!!! We are still younger than you, but in our library we already have this book!!!


Now I am starting feel the effect of the alcoholic drinks…and most of all, I am starting to feel the emptiness of my belly and the hole in my head. It’s only 14:34 of an unusual Saturday!!!

changing the pilot

Moved by our research of food, a little diner came in our soccourse. A mix of eggs, mushrooms and peppers was our lunch time. Orange juice and american coffee our drinks. Dreaming our Italian Dishes and putting them in comparison with the food we were currently tasting, a feeling of sadness came out. But, the sunshine was back soon. Our friendship in Union City.. it was the best consequence of an unusual Saturday Morning in which a fisherman, is still looking for fish!!!! Go home safe!!!

Take care

Gianpy&Alfonso