The Dailies — RIGHT ON WRITER'S BLOCK

AN ITALIAN AFFAIR

What I'm Watching

What was your takeaway from Aziz Ansari’s Master of None? Was it the food? His Tinder dates? His family? Or maybe, it was his little stint in Italy where he learned to make pasta? For me, it was when he met one particular character in Italy, who he ends up falling in love with halfway through the season.

Confession, I’m in love with foreign films. One of my favorite actresses of all time is Audrey Tautou. Have you ever seen her in Coco before Chanel? If not, you should rent it as soon as possible! I binge watched a string of her movies after seeing her in Coco before Chanel. Beautiful performance. I’m also obsessed with French music. When I’m not listening to classical music(Bach and Beethoven), I’m listening to Carla Bruni and company. I don’t understand the words but the melody just takes me to a different place.

Ok, enough reminiscing. I just wanted you to know why Dev’s trip to Italy was my favorite part. The icing on the cake was when he met Francesca. I immediately know that they would end up falling for each other. Do I sound like a hopeless romantic?

If you’re like me, then this is the first time you’ve seen Dev’s crush, Francesca, a.ka. Alessandra Mastronardi on the screen. I was immediately taken with her style, her charm, that Italian nonchalant ‘I woke up looking this cool’ air she exuded.

And what makes Ms. Mastronardi perfect for the role is that she is actually Italian. Her accent is as real as is her love for Italian food.

Sidenote: My favorite food is spaghetti. I can eat that everyday! I also studied Italian in college and would get hungry as soon as I entered the classroom.

If you haven’t started watching Master of None, you’re missing out. It’s a beautiful piece of work.

Here’s a video of Ms. Mastronardi on an Italian cooking show. It’s in Italian! Spero che il video ti piaccia!