To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
Wednesday is Still Prince Spaghetti Day
Anyone who grew up in Boston in the 1970s probably remembers a classic TV ad in which a boy in the North End runs home instead of walks, because “Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day.”
“Anthony! Anthony!” his mother yells out a window. And the boy comes running.
The Prince Pasta company was founded in 1912 by Giuseppe Uddo and grew into a leading pasta brand in the U.S. Its expansion included ownership of the Prince Pizzeria on Route 1 in Saugus, Mass.
After dropping Darlene off at Logan Airport yesterday morning and visiting my friends Jerry and Lee in Malden, I headed to Maine via a stop in Saugus.
I could already taste the tangy bolognese sauce. I had a plan.
When you order at Prince, you can take a menu and wait for a waiter. Or you can tell the guy at the desk as you walk in your order and your name. When it’s ready, the server will enter the room with your dish and yell your name.
“Len!”
You raise your hand, and they bring it to your table.
My plan after giving my order was to explain that my name is Len but that I’d like the waiter to refer to me as Anthony when my meal was ready.
I wondered if anyone working there would get it. I couldn’t wait. I planned to video the magic moment and post it to the nets. I also planned to get takeout orders for our friends Pam and Marie, to bring to them for supper in Old Orchard Beach.
Imagine my disappointment when I saw this sign on the door:
“Rats!’ as we said in the 70s.
I will definitely try again on a future Wednesday.
As it happened, Pam and Marie had already planned to invite me to their house for home-cooked spaghetti last night.
They remember the ad, too.
We had a wonderful Prince Spaghetti Day.