Rich people gotta pay, too

If you are an Italian foodie like me, an alcoholic, or one of the blessed who finds time to read all the way through the New York Times, Arrigo Cipriani and his son Giuseppe, owners of Harry's Bar in Venice (among other numerous locations), where the elegant Bellini cocktail was created, have plead guilty to $3.5 mil in tax evasion since '98 and have agreed to pay a total of $10 mil "in restitution and penalties." What angers me is not their crime, which isn't a particularly uncommon one, but the nerve of Arrigo to slay the Cipriani name. Maybe some will agree with me when I say the Cipriani companies have become, as we young people call it, a sell-out, that they've forgone integrity and the original vision in favor of making as much mula as possible. Arrigo's father Giuseppe (who shares the same name as his grandson) was a generous but humble bartender who happened upon an affluent and equally generous American--Harry--and together they created the Venetian landmark Harry's Bar. But now, honesty is lost in a sea of greed, not to mention $10 minestrone and $14 Bellinis. And I find it hilarious that the NYC location has won an award from NYMagazine as one the top "Overrated Restaurants."