Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Carmela Soprano's Kitchen

 Carm & Tony & The Disappointingly Bland Kitchen

 A neutral color scheme that lacks ornate marble surfaces puts Carmela Soprano's kitchen immediately under suspect. What self-respecting North Jersey Italian girl with an unlimited budget would hold court in this tan and ordinary culinary hub? Not Carmela, not if she was a real girl. But she is a TV wife, and on The Soprano's, the kitchen is merely back-drop to the show’s drama and characters; the room must never hog the camera.  Thus, my disappointment in Carm's kitchen as fodder for any kitchen design commentary.  Cabinets abound, the breakfast bar is efficient; but aesthetically, I'd never thrive in such ordinariness. 


What matters in this kitchen is familial interaction. Good Morning, AJ. What colleges did you apply to, Meadow?  We don't want to be distracted by gorgeous variegated soapstone or cherry cabinets with pulls and knobs to die for, while Tony slurps his second bowl of Cap'n Crunch. What we want, is to watch the look on Tony's face as he hovers over his morning meal while conversing (arguing) with his wife and children. Breakfast and many other meals, which you may have already noticed, seem to rarely be cooked by Carmela. The kids eat snacks out of bags like horses from a trough, Tony consumes ice cream in vast quantities at warp speed. What kind of Italian mother IS Carmela Soprano anyway? Where's the little recipe box holding ancient family recipes? Or the tray of homemade cutlets?

Oh, that's right. She's too busy screeching at her son and husband as they grab the carton of OJ out of the fridge. An authentic Italian stay-at-home mom might at least offer some fresh-squeezed juice. Carmela has no great love for her kitchen despite the fact she inhabits it quite often. Instead, she prefers to spend her time and money on expensive jewelry. She drives a new car every year. Sure, Carm makes the occasional baked ricotta pie, but I don't notice a whole lot of cooking going on in Mama Carm's kitchen space.
 

 Now, the guys on the show are a different story. Go into the back room of Satriale's most any day of the week, and one of Tony's crew might be sautéing broccoli rabe or putting on a big pan of Bolognese for the gang so they all won't starve while playing poker later that evening. The chef of the day will stand sentinel over a utilitarian stove, sprinkle in a few ingredients, and allow the sauce to simmer. One could almost say he looks as if he is guarding the sauce. Rightly so. My guess is that they need to keep watch on the food in the back of Satriale's. We viewers can attest that on any given day, some spattered blood or people-y bits could make their way into the sauce. 

3 comments:

  1. I never noticed how plain her kitchen was and yes, you'd expect it to be a little gaudier and colorful. And the lack of cooking? Maybe she was saving it all for the priest. I recall she had a little crush on him.

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    1. I thought about her priest, too. She cooked for him as I recall.

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