Time with the Sopranos..

I spent one week with the entire series and this is what I discovered

I did not have HBO when The Sopranos first came out but later watched a few syndicated episodes while eating pasta and having a glass of wine.

Some of the things I learned/realized by watching the original this week:

1. The nudity, sex and swearing does not bother me as much as the shooting and the realistic wounds — even during surgery scenes. Odd for a retired RN. Tony S needed a “wound vac” — new back then — for a gunshot wound. I had a wound vac after recent surgery. Although I did begin to say F*** more frequently.

2. As a second generation Italian (father — not mother) I was never aware of the long-held discrimination against the group — I knew of the names — dago, wop, etc. I do not remember ever being called any of them, even with a distinctive Italian last name. But we did not live in an Italian neighborhood. Our family was small-no extended aunts, uncles, or grandparents with Calabrese names.

3. Food was all important to my parents — and that was either part of the Italian culture or from being raised in The Great Depression. Watching the show now, I find myself craving pasta or Italian hoagies. Food/meals/eating- all focal points.

4. I found nothing attractive about Tony Soprano. The various women, including his shrink, Dr. Melfi, must have been drawn to his power and money.