Letters to the Editor

Festival critics are snobs

To The Editor:
Re “Effort to shorten San Gennaro Fest falls short” (news article, Jan. 27):
The San Gennaro Feast was forced to accept vendors of other backgrounds than Italian and Italian foods and merchandise by the city of New York. That decision was out of our hands. As for public drunkenness, there is absolutely no alcohol sold at any of the stands during the feast. Restaurants with liquor permits are allowed to sell alcohol within the confines of their stands, which they pay handsomely for. If any of these patrons happen to act stupidly and raucously once they leave these establishments, how is San Gennaro responsible for that?

I’m sure Nicolas Dutko from Tartinery has seen more than a fair share of stupid behavior from drunken patrons who got that way after drinking at his establishment. Is he going to blame San Gennaro for that during May, June, July and August when the bars and restaurants along Mulberry St. are jampacked? For Mr. Dutko to say that “the people are very rude that come” to the feast is showing his stupidity and his biased attitude. How in the name of God can anyone make a public statement like that? Who is he to paint everyone who visits the feast with the same brush? Are all those hundreds of thousands of people rude, yet all the people patronizing his establishment perfectly mannerly and respectful of others? Who is he kidding?

Many of us have dealt with snobs like this who think they are better than the rest of us. That attitude alone speaks volumes about how delusional they are regarding their own importance. And by the way, why is he in business if not to make money? Why is it O.K. for him but not for the vendors of the San Gennaro Feast? As for the boutiques who blame the feast for their lack of business and customers during San Gennaro, how do they explain their empty stores throughout the rest of the year? Why are their businesses empty for 351 days when there is no feast?

Julie Dickson from Fox & Boy hair salon speaks about the feast and “the dangerous element it attracts.” Really, Julie, you’re embarrassing yourself. San Gennaro is one of the most well-known and beloved feasts that exists today. It is a secret to no one that it takes over Mulberry St. for 11 days every September. Rather than have these elitist snobs move in, then try to force us to change for them, why can’t they be good neighbors and respect an 85-year-old neighborhood tradition that they knew existed before they ever moved their families and/or their businesses to the area? I, for one, am a lifelong Little Italy resident.

One more thing I’m curious about: Are any of these boutiques participating in the upcoming February Fashion Week since there is no feast around to get in their way? Just asking.
Emily DePalo
DePalo is a board member, Figli di San Gennaro

The Feast of ‘San Generic’

To The Editor:
Re “Effort to shorten San Gennaro Fest falls short” (news article, Jan. 27):

They say the feast is for everyone. That’s the problem. A generic street fair should not get a permit for 11 days. If they made it authentic and local, they might get more support. I haven’t heard Italian spoken in Little Italy since I was a kid.
Davide Gentile