Dear Blog Readers —
It is summer-time and I am getting a bit slap-happy so forgive me if you think I am being immature. My blogger buddy Adri of AdriBarrCrocetti.com sent me the Bertoli Olive Oil advertisement that plays on all sorts of silly stereo-types of Italian men (and perhaps the anti-hero there is either American or Australian), and it made me laugh out loud. Don’t we all wish we had that kind of Alfredo Caldo-Freddo in our kitchen. Then I showed it to my half-Italian, half-American teenage son and he was laughing so hard his eyes were watering. What is it about Italian men that they have such a reputation for sexiness and seduction??? I’ve written about this before on two other posts “Italian Men: Masters in Seduction” and “Italian Men -SPLAT“. So have a laugh and let me know if you think there is any truth to the stereo-type.
p.s. I promise some more thoughtful posts soon
p.p.s. And this is not an endorsement of Bertoli Olive Oil
Oh, I am so glad you got a kick out of this spot. We just howled with laughter when we saw it. Who ever came up with the name Chef Alfredo Caldo-Freddo is a master. I hope this one wins a CLIO Award. It deserves the recognition.
I just thought of something – I did not see any tattoos…
Thank you Adri!! No, no tattoos– someone else noticed that he doesn’t have much body hair. Must be spending a lot of time with his Italian estetista (beautician) getting his chest waxed. It is funny to think the old Italian stereo-type was of the hairy-chested man, shirt unbuttoned down to his belly button and a gold chain hanging around his neck!
It’s ok, Trisha, you can post videos like this any time you want. Mouth-watering stereotype!
Lynn, great to hear from you. I guess a little silliness once in a while is not so bad.
Hysterical! Better race right out and get my 3 bottles of Bertolli (but only if Alfredo Caldo Freedo comes with it!) GAG!
Yeah, I have a few doubts about those three kinds of Olive Oil– that clear-looking stuff looked a little fishy to me.
My eyes are watering with laughter – the book titles, the chef wearing only a kitchen towel, the American guy, who is also the foil in our ads – the final protest – someone deserves an award for this ad. Thanks so much for sharing it. We can learn a lot about cultures from their ads -and their spoofs of themselves. This, from the home of Silvio Berlusconi, is terrific. Hmmm. What will we do with Anthony Weiner, I wonder? Though his 115 minutes of fame are about up. The New Yorker has a terrific cover this week, featuring Carlos Danger . . .
Yes, I have wished I were a blogger working in the US just so I could do a post on Anthony Weiner. The Italians are fascinated by him. They think he is so pathetic and say things to me like, “but he didn’t even manage to get laid? What’s his problem???” And, “JFK had Marilyn Monroe, Clinton dropped the standards a bit with Monica Lewinsky, but Weiner with a cell phone– poor American men, they’ve been de-masculated.”
MM ~ No apologizes needed for this not being a “thoughtful” post, it is funny and albeit a bit cliche it is food for thought. I’m not sure if it is thinking about the stereo-type that is necessary or “hoping”. I do pray there are still romantic, seductive, loving men out there en-mass and standing on bridges or near fountains waiting for me to walk by in a flowing skirt. We live in a all too realistic world with enough seriousness to last a lifetime and I (living here in the US) suffer enough from men who could care less about romance or the art of togetherness. So one day I pray for this cliche-esque man to stand in my kitchen and whip up some fun. ~Catherine
Stereo-types can be fun and sometimes there is a bit of truth to them. Certainly the Italian men do have more of a sense of romance than most American men I know. Living in Texas you might get a laugh to think that in Italy there is this stereo-type of men out there that are all some sort of macho Marlboro men, strong and fearless, tall, mustachioed, looking sexy in jeans and boots and ready to swoop women off their feet and onto the back of their horses and gallop off into the sunset. Ok, I am exaggerating a bit, but you do hear some of that in Italy. I guess from Alfredo Caldo Freddo to the Marlboro Man, advertising does influence how we view people in other parts of the world.
. . thanks for this Trisha – it’s never occurred to me to rub some extra virgin on my chest before!!
…and have you tried cooking up some Turkish specialities with just a kitchen apron on???
I just realized I neglected to thank you for the shout-out. Thank you!
Thank you for pointing out the video to me– your thoughts and suggestions are always useful!
Well didn’t Alfredo Caldo Freddo just make my day – thanks Trisha and Adri .
Nico asks what it is about Italian men? I think it is middle aged women like me who dream about a man like this. My ex-husband was the guy in the check shirt but boy, did I ever wish for an Alfredo in my life. Alfredo’s probably a great big Mammone but hey, he looks good in that apron!
Alfredo is indeed probably a big ol’ Mammone, and wouldn’t have the faintest idea how to change a flat tire — but yes, he looks pretty good in that little apron!! Thanks Kathy!!
Oh I’ve seen another one like this in Australia ,I’ll see if I can find it for you x
Thank you Lisa!
Found it x
Perfect Italiano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBHN0V930tU
Ha!! Oh those Ugly Little Gherkins — of course, Italian men don’t have those!!
Thanks Lisa!!
Is this Australian? I’ve never seen it. SO FUNNY!!! Thanks for sharing, Lisa.
I would love an Italian man’s opinion of ads like these – I wonder if they get the humour or are they offended?
Great fun!!!!!!!
Hi Lega– great to hear from you. I agree, this ad is fun.
This is just hysterical!!! Helen, Lydia and I are just in tears laughing Thanks!
Glad you got a kick out of it!!
aaaargh – I had typed a long comment, which vanished as I had typed my email address wrongly!! The short version – a friend sent me the link to your blog, as she remembered I posted a photo of an Abercrombie and Fitch employee who was wearing only very low slung jeans, taken in Singapoore last year (I had the photo put on a mousemat!!). The advert brightened my morning – my husband came through to see what I was laughing at!!
Sorry to have missed your longer comment, but thanks for trying– that happens to be sometimes too– and now I must hunt down that Abercombie and Fitch ad and check it out.
Low slung is right. I found the Abercrombie & Fitch ad. This outdoes even Brooke Shields saying “Nothing comes between me and my Calvins.”
http://beautyfool.com/abercrombie-fitch-launching-in-singapore-objectifying-men-drama/