CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
La Beretta in Betoota’s Flight Path District has been a staple of family outings and noisy corporate lunches for several decades.
On top of their already homely atmosphere that includes light Italian jazz music and red and white plastic table clothes on the veranda, La Beretta has also adhered to the stereotype of having a framed poster of famous Italian-American mafia characters from famous TV shows and movies.
The fan-art, which sits on the back wall of the venue, includes a megamash of characters from The Sopranos, Goodfellas, all three Godfather movies and of course Scarface.
It is unknown why the poster features Tony Montana, considering his character is in fact a Cuban refugee in early 1980s Florida.
Initial theories that the poster is simply paying homage to famous Italian actors, which would include Scarface’s Al Pacino, were quickly dismissed by the addition of Marlon Brando as Vincenzo Corleone, a prominent non-Italian American actor.
The poster, while quite common for suburban Italian restaurants, also comes across as rather contradictory to the owner’s staunch hatred of Italian stereotypes.
Peter Russo (63) has spent his entire life detesting the discrimination faced by Southern European-Australian businessmen, and insists that he’s never met anyone from the mafia in his life.
“Mate, I pay my tax. I pay my staff. This restaurant even has eft-pos!” he shouts, at his own sons, while straightening the framed mafia-themed poster.
“I’m sick of these skippys and their bloody stereotypes that us wogs are dodgy businessman with irrational fucking tempers!”
