'To end our special news bulletin,' said the voice of the television
announcer,' we are taking you to the macaroni fields of Calabria. Macaroni has
been grown in this area for over six hundred years. Two of the leading
growers, Giuseppe Moldova and Ricardo Brabante, tell me that they have been
expecting a splendid crop this year and harvesting has begun earlier than
usual. Here you can see two workers who, between them, have just finished
cutting three cart-loads of golden brown macaroni stalks. The whole village
has been working day and night gathering and threshing this year's crop before
the September rains. On the right, you can see Mrs. Brabante herself. She has
been helping her husband for thirty years now. Mrs. Brabante is talking to the
manager of the local factory where the crop is processed. This last scene
shows you what will happen at the end of the harvest: the famous Calabrian
macaroni-eating competition! Signor Fratelli, the present champion, has won it
every year since 1991. And that ends our special bulletin for today, Thursday,
April 1st. We are now returning you to the studio.'&