Scarlet Masque Theatre Journal New Beginnings and Fond Farewells Vol. 1 | Page 74

Maloney 11
Pino:​ My friends, they laugh at me, they laugh right in my face, they tell me to go, go to
Bed-Stuy, go feed the Moulies.
Sal:​ Do your friends put money in your pocket, Pino? Food on your table? They pay your
rent, the roof over your head? [​ Pino says nothing ​ .] They’re not your friends. If they were
your friends, they wouldn’t laugh at you.
Pino:​ Pop, what can I say? I don’t wanna be here. They don’t want us here. We should
stay in our own neighborhood, stay in Bensonhurst, and the niggers should stay in
theirs.
Sal:​ I never had no trouble with dese people. I sat in this window, I watched these kids
get old. And I seen the old people get older. Yeah, sure, some of them don’t like us, but
most of them do. I mean for Christ’s sake, Pino, they grew up on my food. On ​ my ​ food.
And I’m very proud of that. Oh, you may think it’s funny, but I’m very proud of that.
Look, what I’m trying to say, son, is that Sal’s Famous Pizzaria is here to stay. I’m sorry.
I’m your father, and I love you, but that’s the way it is.
There is so much density to this scene, but first Corliss’s criticism warrants a response in
context. At the end of this conversation, when Sal says he is proud that the African American
community in Bed-Stuy “grew up on my food,” it is clear he is not bragging. He is not saying that
he is such the commercial tycoon through his small business in Brooklyn he has made enough
money to feed a generation, as Corliss may suggest. He is attempting to convey his genuine
feeling that he has made an impact on this community of individuals.
Sal and Pino have several moments between them, beats and subtexts that suggest