Beatrice- Project Proposal
I am back to Little Italy. Sorry for the confusion.
In my paper I will explore issues of heritage/memory/tradition/gentrification and more, in relationship to historic Grand St. cheese shop "Di Palo's." The shop was founded by the grandparents of the current owners and was passed on through 3 generations. The founders were immigrants from Basilicata, a region in the south of Italy, and their 3 grandchildren are currently running the business. The shop caters to many kinds of different customers: some of the people who go there have been shopping at Di Palo's for the last three generations.
I am interested in the relationship of food and taste to place, in concepts around "home away from home," in the relationship of the shop to its changing neighborhood and clientele, and the way the owners of Di Palo's perform and transmit the "authenticity" of their store and tradition. I have only been there once so far, but there seem to be interesting politics in the relationship of the 3 siblings to each other (2 men, 1 woman) and their different relationships to the store.
I will be interviewing both the owners and the customers and might find a way of intervening on the site to create awareness of the complicate dynamics that go on in the everyday activity of buying cheese at Di Palo's.