looking for advice (Charleston, Huntington, Fairmont: movie theater, university, income)

[creemarie]

Originally Posted by GottaHerdOn

Rocco's is not Italian food. It is a gimic. The place is ran by a very nice oriental couple, and the cook is oriental as well. I don't think it can be called authentic Italian food unless a real Italian chef prepares it. I'm 1/4 Italian and I ate there, and it tastes nothing like my nonni would make. Sorry to say but for Huntington Italian food, go with Olive Garden, and if you want real Italian food and you're not Italian. Head to Clarksburg or Fairmont or somewhere in North Central WV.

Rocco's Little Italy on 4th Avenue is not RUN by an oriental couple, they are just employees there, and their employer happens to be Rocco Muriel (from the Muriel family in Clarksbrug). Rocco's in Ceredo, WV, however, is the main "Rocco's" in the Huntington area. The Little Italy is just a spin off of the main restaurant, and offers a smaller menu, since it's pretty much a "fast-food" place. It's not a gimic, it's the real thing, I promise! In fact, I highly recommend trying Rocco's in Ceredo for REAL Italilan food! Just wanted to clear things up a bit!

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by Clarksburg Kid

Well like I said from the beginning clarksburg has the most authentic Italian restaurants in the state and all of the Italian restaurants are run by 100% Italians and their families.

You are right about the restaurants in and around Clarksburg. In fact the State is being run by a 100% Italian and his family, and he is from very near Clarksburg. But I don't think this is what the lady wants to know. She's looking for a new place to live, not to eat.

BTW: I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or push any buttons, but it has always seemed to me that Clarksburg and Harrison County are not well liked by the rest of the state. The only resaon I can think of is that the rest of the state doesn't have a high population of Italians, and Central WV does. After about eight years of looking for something, anything, about Clarksburg or Harrison County in Wild Wonderful WV Magazine, I cancelled my subscription. In that time, Harrison County was briefly mentioned once as being the birthplace of Stonewall Jackson (it would have killed them to say it was in Clarksburg), the Italian Heritage Festival was never mentioned, and never did I ever see an Italian face (or anyone of any other non-anglo ethnic group) in that mag for any reason. It probably kills them that their boss now is Italian.

[WVUPharm2007]

Uh...no...I think you're just paranoid....

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by WVUPharm2007

Uh...no...I think you're just paranoid....

Uh, was there a question? I thought it was just an observation of a possibility based on things I observed while growing up in Clarksburg, then on the fact that WWWV Mag totally ignored the area for the whole eight years that I took it. For all I know it may have ignored Central WV for the entire history of the magazine. Wouldn't you begin to wonder why they not only totally ignore Central WV in general, and Clarksburg in particular? Then notice ing that they never mentioned even one time the Italian contribution to the state, or showed one picture of an Italian person, it made me start to think. For that matter they never showed a picture of a hispanic, a black, or anyone else not an anglo American. I've got no ax to grind as I'm an anglo American, but after several years I started to wonder. I've been away from WV for many, many years, but when I lived there I sometimes noticed a resentment from people around the state towards the area. Maybe I'm imagining it, but over the years I've learned that my gut is more often right than my brain. I really hope I'm wrong but it is curious. Especially given that when I was growing up I saw my Italian friends in WV being treated like the blacks in the south were treated. Maybe you're just too young to have seen it.

[Clarksburg Kid]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Uh, was there a question? I thought it was just an observation of a possibility based on things I observed while growing up in Clarksburg, then on the fact that WWWV Mag totally ignored the area for the whole eight years that I took it. For all I know it may have ignored Central WV for the entire history of the magazine. Wouldn't you begin to wonder why they not only totally ignore Central WV in general, and Clarksburg in particular? Then notice ing that they never mentioned even one time the Italian contribution to the state, or showed one picture of an Italian person, it made me start to think. For that matter they never showed a picture of a hispanic, a black, or anyone else not an anglo American. I've got no ax to grind as I'm an anglo American, but after several years I started to wonder. I've been away from WV for many, many years, but when I lived there I sometimes noticed a resentment from people around the state towards the area. Maybe I'm imagining it, but over the years I've learned that my gut is more often right than my brain. I really hope I'm wrong but it is curious. Especially given that when I was growing up I saw my Italian friends in WV being treated like the blacks in the south were treated. Maybe you're just too young to have seen it.

I forgot all about that magazine and I did get tired of looking at it all the time because they never did talk about Clarksburg or any other city in central WV. I hate when I tell people Im from Clarksburg and people say where is that. I dont understand how people don't know when its one of the biggest cities in the state. I think the state forgets that there are cities of considerable size for West Viriginia in the northern part of the state. Huntington is a great city and all but Ive experienced more racism down in the southern part of the state then here in Clarksburg, and you can tell the difference from the northern part of the state from the southern part off the bat.

[WVUPharm2007]

I think you just happened to run into a large sample of imbeciles. The vast majority of West Virginians know where Clarksburg is and don't hold an opinion of the area one way or the other.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by WVUPharm2007

I think you just happened to run into a large sample of imbeciles. The vast majority of West Virginians know where Clarksburg is and don't hold an opinion of the area one way or the other.

Just curious, how old are you (approximately), what part of WV do you live in, and how long in WV?

[GottaHerdOn]

Originally Posted by creemarie

Rocco's Little Italy on 4th Avenue is not RUN by an oriental couple, they are just employees there, and their employer happens to be Rocco Muriel (from the Muriel family in Clarksbrug). Rocco's in Ceredo, WV, however, is the main "Rocco's" in the Huntington area. The Little Italy is just a spin off of the main restaurant, and offers a smaller menu, since it's pretty much a "fast-food" place. It's not a gimic, it's the real thing, I promise! In fact, I highly recommend trying Rocco's in Ceredo for REAL Italilan food! Just wanted to clear things up a bit!

Thanks for the clearing up of things... I'm still sticking with North Central WV Italian food, I was born in Elkins, and its not Italian food to me if its not there, or at least being cooked by an Italian owner or employee I'm sure they're very nice though. Roco's on 4th Ave does a lot of business though, esp. at night. But it is within walking distance to several bars, and I only seen drunken college kids when I ate there.

[WVUPharm2007]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Just curious, how old are you (approximately), what part of WV do you live in, and how long in WV?

24, born in Parkersburg, then Morgantown for college, lived in WV all my life.

I knew where Clarksburg was when I was 7.....and there isn't some bizarre anti-Clarksburg conspiracy.

It reminds me of my mother. She claims The Weather Channel refuses to mention West Virginia when they do the national weather because they hate us.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by WVUPharm2007

24, born in Parkersburg, then Morgantown for college, lived in WV all my life.

I knew where Clarksburg was when I was 7.....and there isn't some bizarre anti-Clarksburg conspiracy.

It reminds me of my mother. She claims The Weather Channel refuses to mention West Virginia when they do the national weather because they hate us.

I wasn't trying to start a fight with you, and I did not say anything about a bizarre Clarksburg conspiracy. You said that and you are twisting what I said. I'm sorry that you have issues with your mother, but if you are confusing me with her, then you really do have problems. One thing doesn't equal the other though. That's illogical. You apparently aren't old enough to know what we have seen. I was merely mentioning an observation that may or may not have merit and I said as much. But I witnessed some really horrible prejudices when I was growing up in Clarksburg. It was a daily occurence as I estimate that about 40% of my school chums were what other people called Hunkies. They didn't even know that a Hunky was slang for a Hungarian. Anglo people lumped Italian, Greeks, Spanish, and others in the same category. My Italian friends referred to the rest of us as "Americans". Can you imagine being a second or third generation Italian/American and feeling like a foreigner in your own country? Can you imagine having to change your family name to sound American so you would fit in? As a twelve year old kid I tried to defend my best friend against an 18 year old who was calling him a dirty black da*o to his face, and ranting on and on about d*go this and da*o that. My buddy was twelve years old and here was a grown man screaming these things at him and all he did to deserve it was he happened to be standing at the same bus stop. Those things went on every day back then. Now, since I know that WV only has a tiny 5% minority factor, most of the state didn't have many, if any, Italians. I also know for a fact that to this day how Italians are treated in rural, anglo, towns like Harrisville for instance like second class citizens. I'm no angel, but witnessing that kind of treatment of my friends as a child has bothered me all my life. The funny thing is, it doesn't seem to bother any of the Italians that I know. Be that as it may, it is still a fact that Harrison County and Clarksburg have ALWAYS been completely ignored by the State's official travel magazine. I still wonder why and only speculate that it could be the obvious prejudices and intolerance that are rampant throughout West Virginia, especially anywhere south of Harrison County.