Dear Reader
The Sweet Life
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If I had a penny for every time a New Yorker praised someone for being sweet, I would be penniless. “Sweet” is not a universal value, and when I first moved to Dallas I was perplexed by how often it came up in conversation. “That’s so sweet of you.” “She is so sweet.” By contrast, north of the Mason-Dixon line people do not recognize sweetness as a virtue. A sweet child is obedient and easy but not necessarily promising. Sometimes, like refined sugar, sweetness signals something that is over-processed and inauthentic.
All of this came to mind as we were putting together our dazzling feature on Italian style, beginning on page 92. The sweet life – la dolce vita – largely overlaps the Dallas mindset of what constitutes a sweet person, and I’ve finally grasped it. La dolce vita is not about self-indulgence; in fact, it is not about self at all. It’s communal and always involves the pleasure of others. We interviewed Italian expatriates all over Dallas, and every one of them asked us to a meal (in fact, most were confused about the notion of an interview. Why weren’t we all just getting to know each other over a leisurely feast?). Italians, like people in Dallas, are keen on softening life around the edges. They are masters at the pointedly kind word, the hearty laugh, the beautiful meal. They offer both cheeks to strangers.
To that end, D Home gratefully accepted an invitation from Robb & Stucky to partner on An Evening of Italian Style, open to all of our readers – meaning you. The idea, come to think of it, is to get to know each other over a leisurely feast. Admission is free to everyone, and within the store’s 115,000 square feet, you will be treated to a complimentary Italian wine and bellini bar; delectable goodies from Mi Piacci, Rino’s, Ferrari’s, and Il Grano; olive oil and cheese tastings; Paciugo’s gelato; a cappuccino bar; live opera and music from the Plano Symphony; Mickey Munir lecturing on Italian architecture; Kim Dawson models wearing Italian fashions from Circa 2000 and Sussie’s Boutique; and on display – I love this – a gorgeous Ferrari from Boardwalk Ferrari Maserati. R&S will even have duty-free shopping on select items.
I would be thrilled to see you at this event – in fact at all of the great seminars and parties we have planned for this fall. Check the listings on this page and note these dates on your calendar. Feel free to bring friends. These events are D Home’s way of extending hospitality to you, our prized readers, who have made this magazine one of the great success stories in the city. Sweet, indeed.
Enjoy this issue, and let me hear from you.
Cordially,
Christine Allison
Editor and Publisher
[email protected]
