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Philadelphia has been an immigration hub since well before William Penn signed a treaty in 1683 with the indigenous Lenni-Lanape tribe (later renamed the Delaware Indians by settlers who couldn't pronounce their name). As increasing numbers of people came from all over the world to chase The American Dream, they were sorted by race and sometimes nationality, too. For some, it was a choice, people looking for the creature comforts of home as they toiled away in a foreign land. For most, it wasn’t a choice but a forced corralling of similar looking people. Immigration is currently a hot-button issue in the United States, but it always has been. The players change, but the conversation continues to sound eerily the same. People forget that in 1918 (when BREATHE is set), both the Irish and Italians were considered second class citizens. They did backbreaking, dirty, dangerous jobs often for very low pay in hopes that their American-born children could have a better life than they did back in the Old Country.
The fictitious D’Orio family is very much based on the immigrant experience of that time. Our hero, eighteen-year-old Marco, has a lot of the push-and-pull that children of immigrants frequently report. Marco wants to help take care of his family, yet yearns for a bigger, better life for himself. He respects and honors his Italian roots, but wants to release some of the cultural mores that no longer serve the family’s new American lifestyle. Though he tries hard to assimilate to the Jacksons’ Rittenhouse Square standards, Marco’s world is still very much influenced by the 3 F’s: Family, Faith, and Food.
In Chapter 6 of BREATHE, Virginia has the chance to walk in Marco’s world for a bit. A foodie long before the term was ever coined, Marco takes Virginia to the largest, outdoor continuous market in the United States.
“Presenting the Ninth Street Italian Market.” Marco opens his hand like a showman. “This is di macelleria, where the best prosciutto and sausages in all of Philadelphia come from. Over there, negozio del formaggio, where you can buy the best mozzarella in all of Philadelphia.”
“Moss and what?” I say.
“Mozzarella,” Marco over-pronounces the word. “It’s a type of cheese.”
“I see.” The scent of butter and sugar wafts out of the next building. “This must be the bakery.”
“La pasticceria,” Marco corrects me. “Here you can buy the lightest, sweetest baba in--”
“All of Philadelphia, I am certain. Is there anything in Little Italy that isn’t the best in Philadelphia?”
Marco pretends to be deep in thought. “No. We Italians are the best, especially when it comes to food.”
I was recently in Philadelphia and traveled to Little Italy to visit their famous Ninth Street Italian Market. Vendors selling fresh vegetables and fruits lined one side of the street. Though other non-food (and some non-Italian) stores exist today, there were still many Italian specialty stores including the butcher seen in the picture at the top of this post. It wasn’t much of a leap for me to see Marco and Virginia strolling down the sidewalk discussing the finer points of Italian cuisine. The baba Marco talks about will make another appearance in the book (more about that later), but here is the rum-soaked (and I do mean soaked. *hic*) baba that I bought from the Isgro Pasticceria. Established in 1904, the famous bakery is about one block over from the Ninth Street Italian Market. This particular version of baba had a rich cannoli-like cream down the center. Nooooommmm!
There you go. If you ever have a chance to travel to the Ninth Street Italian Market, I highly recommend it, especially if you are a foodie who also loves history. There are several restaurants and businesses that have been around since the early 1900s. Delicious and educational!
Want to learn more about the Italian immigrant experience? PBS has a great short piece from their longer show THE ITALIAN AMERICANS about assimilation including a personal story from actor John Turturro (TRANSFORMERS). You can watch it here. Want to read more about Virginia’s personally guided tour of the Ninth Street Italian Market by one of Little Italy’s favorite sons? You can buy the paperback of BREATHE here and the eBook here.
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