| For 1997 Miss USA Brooke Lee, real
satiation could only be achieved by “eating all the food in the
world - twice.” Well, that answer gave her not just the
laughs from a very amused audience but eventually the judges’ nod
for that year’s Miss Universe crown. Unlike Ms. Lee who may
have to do some traveling to get her wish fulfilled, 19-year-old
Monica Rossetti, Italy’s representative in the ongoing Miss Earth
Pageant in Manila, needn’t go very far to experience true
gastronomic delight.
Asked which food items she simply cannot resist eating,
Monica’s quick answers were: “Ah,
pasta! Pizza and spaghetti!” Her response
somehow didn’t surprise me. Pizza and spaghetti are, after
all, the two Italian staples that are most familiar to Filipinos.
Monica’s love for her own native dishes is not the only proof of
her loyalty to everything Italian.
A resident of Milan, she considers her being an all-Italian
girl as the most endearing quality that Miss Earth delegates will
always remember of her after the pageant is over. “I
really represent Italy. Physically, I have black hair and
green eyes. I represent the true Mediterranean woman,”
Monica proudly told me. Though young and hardly conversant in the
English language, Monica proved to be a very interesting
interviewee. One will really see how hard she tries to
understand questions, how patiently she tries to find the right
words to say and how amazingly she proves she has substance way
beyond her age.
Her platform should she win the crown is both profound and
realistic. “I’ll try to address the
pollution (problem). I live in Milan. People don’t
care about the problem. Someone has to make one little choice
to better the world. We can make that choice,”
she said.
Cognizant that an international beauty title can only be a
stepping-stone - at most, Monica knows exactly how she can milk the
opportunity to influence people should she come home with the
proverbial bacon. Asked how she would propose to make a
difference as Miss Earth, her reply was “Newspapers
in Italy will support me. I will promote a beautiful world on
radio and TV.”
While most people think beauty titles are becoming a dozen too
many and are no more than cheap meat markets, Ms. Italy was quick to
defend the Miss Earth Organization, “Miss
Earth is very important. It is not just (about) beauty.
It is (about) nature as well. It is for civilized people.”
When I heard her response, I was sure she didn’t mean to offend
other pageant organizers but was only articulating how this
civilization must take good care of the environment. All in all,
Monica struck me as a very sensible and beautiful young woman.
She may not have the best catwalk among this year’s delegates nor
the most stunning face compared to the other hopefuls, but she
certainly has her own set of qualities that make her one special
person. She may or may not bring a tiara back home to Italy,
but win or lose, this sweet girl will undoubtedly be appreciated by
those who will get the chance to really know her as she chooses to
remain simple and level-headed.
“People see the celebrity in us
(beauty queens) because they see us on TV for a few hours. In
real life, I’m normal. I make the same choices like everyone
else,” she humbly said. I can only wish Miss Italy the
best of luck in the pageant. She may not be among the most
popular choices as of now, but I see why Italy couldn’t have made
a better choice in Monica. Viva Italia! |
