Salvatore Manzi, born 9 November 1969, Kansas City, USA

What is in a name? They say a person’s name defines him. The name Salvatore is Italian for “Savior,” and Manzi is “meat.” Yes, I am a vegetarian, but am I called to rescue the world from the meat industry; mad cow, chicken flu and all?

With a name like Salvatore, people usually ask for a nickname. It has Southern Italian origins, and during my youth in Kansas, it was unusual and difficult to pronouce, but here in Italy, it is a common name, traditionally shortened to Toto. A boy from Kansas named Toto? Yes. And as if the irony were not too much already, consider my mother’s name is Glenda, she has three sisters… for no one does it hold more truth than me whenever someone says, “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

Leaving Oz behind, I moved to New Zealand and found work in a café called Kerouac. Found is somewhat of an understatement as the owner celebrated my arrival as if I were the long awaited messiah. In his defence, Kerouac is the American author whose book, “On the Road” is about a traveller named, none other than Salvatore. The book reads like a autobiography as I too have lived in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Mexico... but add to that Miami Beach, the Virgin Islands, and now Italy.

Years before I arrived here in Italy to teach English, a very famous teacher broadcast a national television show to teach the country how to write, spell and speak correctly. He and his show were called "Maestro Manzi," (Professor Manzi). You can imagine the look on my students’ faces when I am introduced to them as Maestro Manzi.

Fiction or fantasy, savior, professor or other, the search for label continues. Of course some try to call me Sal, but that name is reserved for family use only. Early on it was Little Sal, until I out-grew my dad, then young Sal, until it seemed unkind to call my dad old, and more recently, I’ve been given the name I prefer above all others, Uncle Sal.