Elizabeth+Romano+2

 =Satisfaction Guaranteed = By: Elizabeth Romano 

 You can see the line out the door a block away. As you wait in line you can’t help but notice the sign. “Galleria Umberto Roticceria” is what it reads above a brown, metal, garage-type door that has been lifted up to invite guests. The line moves relatively quickly, but your stomach growls louder and louder as the line moves.

You get to the inside of the building and are now exposed to the restaurant’s environment. After noticing how crowded the place is, you look to your right and you see pictures of Italian cities. There is one of Rome, Naples, and Venice. Each illustrating what life is like in those cities. You look to your left and you find a big painting that takes up the whole wall. It is a map of Italy. It is animated. Wherever there are supposed to be words, there are pictures instead. You see pictures of ships and octopuses in the ocean. Rome, the capital of Italy, is labeled by an avatar of the Coliseum. The line continues to move. Your eyes will then pear a bit to the left and you will see another wall painted. This time it is a picture of the inside of the Coliseum. There is a crowd of people in the stands and lions in the arena.

The aroma of the food continues to travel through your nose and to your stomach, making you even hungrier. You can now see the glass case at the front of the store filled with arancini, pizzettes, paninis, panzarottis, and a variety of calzones.

You tilt your head up and to the left and you notice a fake Mahi Mahi on the high wall, almost on the ceiling. The line continues to move and now you can see the fresh tray of pizza and the cool refrigerator with refreshing drinks inside. You get closer and closer, and hungrier and hungrier as you see everyone around you eating. There are full tables to your left, right, and back side. Finally you reach the counter and you order your food.

The guy at the front asks “how can I help you?”

And you answer, “I’ll get a slice of pizza, a ricotta, ham, and salami calzone, a potato, and a Coke.”

He asks, “For here or to go?”

You reply, “For here.” He quickly gets all your food and puts it on a silver tray. In the meantime, you notice the swinging doors that lead to the kitchen. They look like old western saloon doors. You can see the cooks in back working, making pizza, rolling dough, and creating fillings for food.

In no time, the cashier gives you a napkin, fork, and knife and says, “Thank you!” You thank him back and get a seat before they are all filled.

You sink your teeth into the pizza and taste the tomatoes, herbs, and mozzarella cheese. It stretches as you pull your mouth away. The pizza’s hot temperature makes you want to put it down for a minute. So you cut into the potato and get to the cheesy center. You take a bit and immediately notice the outer texture of the bread crumbs and how it mixes with the soft mashed potato inside. You also notice how the mozzarella cheese infuses with the potato making it the ultimate potato experience. Then you see the calzone just sitting there. You do not hesitate to cut into it and take a big bite. The saltiness of the ham and salami and softness of the ricotta is like heaven stuffed into a dough pillow. Before you know it, all your food is gone and you drink that can of Coke to wash it all down. You get up, put your silver tray in a bin with others, recycle your can in another bin for cans and bottles, and throw away your trash. You sit there for about five more minutes because you are too stuffed to get up. Eventually, you leave satisfied and wanting to come back again tomorrow.

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The location of Galleria Umberto is on Hanover Street in the North End of Boston. It is a mostly Italian community with many of Boston’s best Italian restaurants. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, it was more //rustic-Italian//. The term //rustic-Italian­// refers to a place where Italians who just immigrated from Italy and inhabited this area. Their traditions and daily customs and norms of life were of those from their life in Italy. The area had and still has cobble stone streets and apartments with copper window sills. There used to be chickens hanging in the windows and small shops that residents of the North End owned. It was an easy way for them to work and be close to home. The Italians came to America for a reason in the 1920s. They wanted to get jobs and be able to have a better life for them and their families. It was their idea of the American dream. Coming from Italy, they weren’t making enough money to support their children as well as they could. These immigrants had children and most of them now own their parents shop. This is true for Galleria Umberto. The sons took over the restaurant. It has been there since the 1960s and is still a very popular place. This place is arguably a //third place//, meaning it is a home away from home. If one are used to good cooking and delicious meals, then Galleria Umberto is a great place because one will feel comfortable eating the food. One can relate to the good cooking at Galleria Umberto. It is also a warm and comforting place. The smell of the food is so good that a person wouldn’t want to leave. There are places to sit and eat so you can get a bunch of people and just relax and converse over a delicious meal that you will get more for your dollar. It is a good place if people like to take it easy, spend some time with people close to them, and if they enjoy food and drink. On the other hand, if you are a business person who is on the go and needs access to technology, like Wi-Fi, then this place wouldn’t be considered a //third place//. However, people who work and live in the area, like business people, cops, construction workers, and people who live close by come in all the time on their breaks to take a break and fill their bellies. It is more of a place where tourists are not so familiar with because this space is a little whole in the wall, meaning it is a small place that only people who are familiar with the area know about.

If one observes the people who inhabit this space, they will notice that people might be loud, but they aren’t angry. Everyone is content talking to one another, eating and drinking. No one is fighting. Smiles are seen on the customers and laughter fills the room from time to time.

It is evident that people go to Galleria Umberto because they enjoy their time there, which argues that this place could in fact be a third place. It’s warm and inviting atmosphere and excellent food, which is Phantom Gourmet’s “hidden jewel”, keeps its customers coming back. There is no confusion about how this place has stayed open all these years and is still going strong today.

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