Go to www.roccosma.com for more
information.
There were six
present including Jim Terlizzi, Paul Girard, Ed Deschuytner, Steve Winter, Joe
Pignatiello and Mark Ryan.
You can see photos at
the Picasa website. Click below .....
We were seated at a
long table near the bar. The Resturant was unusually quiet with only a few
patrons. Normally the bar is crowded with lunch crowd. One good thing about
no crowds is you can hear what people are saying at your table. Sometimes the
noise level is deafening. That's my old age talking . Ha.
The waitress Kayla
brought menus and bread and took drink orders. The drinks included Martini,
Manhattan, draft beer and sodas.
There was a special
lunch menu with 10 entrees for $9.95 and the regular menu with prices about
$6.00 higher. Food is always good here. I live close by and eat here often.
The Restaurant has
been open for 75 years and passed down to family. They serve Italian mostly
with other selections too. The locals frequent the place and the Chamber of Commerce has their weekly meetings here.
Last year the place
was sold to a new owner who is Portugese and has kept the same Italian offerings. In addition he has added some improvements to brighten the atmosphere for the
better.
We all ordered from
the specials menu and got chicken-brocoli-ziti, chicken parm, steak tips,
chicken salad and Maryland chicken.
The waitress took the
orders without writing them down. I commented that it takes a young mind to
remember all the meal variations. Oh to be young again.
The conversations
moved around the table including sports, politics, weather and news. We talked about how
wages have changed. When I was in high school I started with 50 cents an hour
and eventually 75 cents as a soda clerk at a local drug store. I then got a job
in the garment district of Boston on Kneeland St. Swept the floor and brought
packages to the post office on a dolly cart. I got a warping $1 an hour. I
stopped at a store next to the post office and bought a Twinkie and a bottle
Orange Crush for 20 cents total.
Jim commented that with
the rate of inflation current prices are about 10 times more today. Wages and
goods.
Ed said he had a
paper route selling the Chelsea Record and the Herald. I did too and we got 3
cents for each paper we sold that cost 10 cents. Ed used the money to support
his hobby of Racing Pigeons. He won several contests and won more than $200
each. His son said that would be over $2000 today.
I talked about a new
short story that I am writing involving the fictitious Romeo Gang. It's about
how drinking wine adds to your longevity. The main character JP goes to
Florence Italy to discover the secret to the grapes he uses to make PA's
Zinfandel. The new story will be out on lulu.com in a couple of months.
Check out my other stories on Lulu.com .
Check out my other stories on Lulu.com .
Also Click .....
We decided to go to
Jules next month in Methuen. Jim will send an email.
