Luigi Risotto
| Luigi Risotto | ||||||||||||
Character Information
|
Luigi Risotto, voiced by Hank Azaria, is the proprietor of the local Italian restaurant, which is closed on Mondays. He is a parody of the "Italian pasta/pizza chef" stereotype, but seems to be aware of his status as a stock character. He often treats his customers rudely, insulting and belittling them; at times under his breath, at other times in a conversational tone, and sometimes shouting the slurs to the (unseen) chef Salvatore.
Befitting to a consciously stereotypical Italian character, Luigi seems to have some connections to the mafia. Local gangster Fat Tony is a frequent customer at his restaurant. When Homer was a food critic, he gave Luigi's eatery a poor review; in retaliation, Luigi hired a friend to place a horse's head in Homer's bed, a reference to The Godfather. Homer subsequently ate the head and gave it a bad review.
His surname is a reference to the Italian food risotto. He does not actually speak Italian, only "fractured English", as did his parents. Luigi may be an illegal immigrant because he disappeared during an immigration officer's introduction at Luigi's restaurant and took the citizenship exam with Apu.
Luigi was pleased when, in a "gutless act of political correctness," Principal Skinner ordered the school cafeteria staff to refer to pizza as "Italian American sauce".
