Round Two = Deb Smith – Travel Writer

(1)I read the article Mussel Man by Deb Smith.  While reading the article I noticed culture everywhere. "Find lasagna. Eaten at every meal, in different restaurants where we traveled, my son could write Italy’s Best Lasagna Guide."  Lasagna is a huge part of the Italian life.  They eat it a ton, and seen in this quote you can tell that Italians made the best lasagna. Italy has restaurants with   "...noisy waiters, red-checked tablecloths and a warmly-lit interior crammed with people and food." These restaurants reflect on their culture. They eat very big meals and have a huge belief in family meals.  This could explain why the restaurants were so crowded.  “Con pomodoro?” The waiter double checks to make sure he's heard Mrs. Smith's son correctly to see that he ordered mussels it shows that maybe a lot of kids don't normally eat mussels in Italy.  "gnocchi—pillows of potato-based pasta that are a Thursday night staple in Rome"  Gnocchi is obviously a meal that Italians eat a lot.  This shows another thing they eat in their culture. "In from the rain came a concertina player. He squeezed out a tune as we made an exit in the downpour"  This Italian is very musical, perhaps all italians are musical as well?  They seem to enjoy making a show wherever they go.

(2) I listened to Revenge of the Tooth Fairy by Deb Smith.  I never listened to an audio essay before.  They offer a certain tone.  The tone is said how the writer wants.  Music can be added to the essay, like what happened in this one. In the start of the essay, I believe the song was from Little Shop of Horrors, a musical I own on DVD.  Right when I heard this I thought of the scene when Steve Martin was operating on patients and I found the flashback in my mind was disturbing, which set my mood for the rest of the article.  When Mrs. Smith started talking I noticed she talked with the same pace of words and it sounded like each word that came out of her mouth was similar.  By each word having the same tone, I found it to be kind of boring.  If I read the article it might have been less boring.  If I read it I could analyze it better because my mind wouldn't be drifting from the computer-like voice.   I had to listen to the essay a few times to get a good idea of what she was saying; and if I read it I would have only had to read it once. 

(3)

1. Does having to write as a living give Mrs. Smith an advantage in everyday life?
2. When Mrs. Smith travels does she have to write down certain facts so she can later write it in her pieces?

(4)  I was absent from class when the speaker came, from what I heard she was really boring but I can't judge her because I was not there. "1/6 Speaker = I don't know I was absent"

Works Cited

Smith, Deborah. "Listener Essay - Revenge of the Tooth Fairy." The Roundtable. New York, 10 Aug. 2008. Radio.

Smith, Deborah. "Mussel Man." Parenting Express - Parenting Stories, Poems and Creative Writing. Web. 08 Jan. 2012. <http://www.parentingexpress.com/Stories/Memoirs/0058.htm>.