u/chaveluca

I'm wrapping up Season 4 and honestly the only thought running through my head is: is this real? Is this what New Jersey is actually like, or is this a Real Housewives thing?

For context, I'm European (southern European, specifically), so a lot of this is fascinating to me. The cast right now is basically just two families, and I cannot get over the whole "half-half, I'm Italian, no, I'M Italian" thing. The way being Italian seems to be someone's ENTIRE personality. The way it becomes a genuine offense if you question it. The intense commitment to eating only Italian food and flying the Italian flag at all times.

And here's the thing — I'm from southern Europe too, and family is a huge priority where I'm from, so I get that part. But over here it comes across less "close-knit family" and more... mafia? Like, they themselves seem to “want” to be called that. I'm flabbergasted.

So genuinely: is everyone in New Jersey like this, or is this an exclusively Real Housewives phenomenon? I need someone to explain the Jersey Italian-American experience to me because I have so many questions and no frame of reference.

Quick context before I get into it: I'm European and have zero connection to the American background these people come from, so a lot of the way they relate to each other genuinely goes over my head. This is also my first time watching this specific franchise. I've seen other Real Housewives franchises before, but Jersey is new to me, and the family dynamics here feel like a different animal.

Anyway, I'm on Season 3, Episode 14, and I need to talk about Ashley. What's the general consensus on her?

I've been trying to figure her out since Season 1. I was honestly bracing for the worst — like maybe there was some really complicated relationship with her dad that would explain the attitude. But then this episode shows her dad, and her dad's girlfriend, and they seem like completely normal, civil people who support her. Same with her other parents. If anything, my read is that they all indulge her a bit more than she deserves given how she treats them in return.

So that's where I'm stuck. I feel awful for all of her parents, but at the same time I can't help feeling a little sorry for her too. I can't fully explain why.

A few questions for people who've been through the whole show:
- Does she get better over the seasons?
- Is there context I'm missing that explains why she is the way she is?
- Am I being too hard on her, or too soft?

Would love to hear what longtime viewers think.

So far, I have only been able to try 4/15, but I honestly cannot wait to try them all. I think they are fantastic burgers. I went to ZUP, Char-Bistro, Parlay and Bella Vita.

Any recommendation on which one I should try next? What are your ratings on these burgers?

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a recurring dream I used to have as a child and ask whether anyone has any thoughts on what it could mean, or why I still remember it so vividly after all these years.

When I was a kid, I had this dream several times, and it always happened when I slept at my grandparents' house. In the dream, my mum’s parents, both of my parents, my uncle (mum’s brother), and I were all in the desert. Sometimes there were more family members there too, but I think they were from my mum’s side of the family.

In the desert, there was a mountain with a spiral ramp going up around it. At some point, for some reason I don’t remember, we would start going up the mountain. Then a T-Rex would appear and he would only eat me.

Once I was inside the T-Rex’s mouth it wasn’t really like being eaten. It was more like being inside a cave. There were magical creatures there and I remember things like three witches floating on a cloud, magicians, ghosts, and other fantasy-like figures. They weren’t necessarily terrifying or evil, but the dream still had this intense feeling around it. I would always wake up thinking omg not this dream again.

I also remember that whenever I slept at my grandparents’ house, I would worry before bed because I didn’t want to have that dream again.

At the beginning of the dream I had no control over what was gonna happen to me but once the T-Rex swallowed me I could kinda control what I was doing inside his mouth/cave.

But, the last time I had that dream as a kid, at the beginning of it, I realised what was going on, and I convinced my mother to stay with me and that nothing would happen to us. Then, when we were eaten I showed her the inside of the cave and ever since I haven't had that dream.

I usually struggle to remember my dreams day to day, but I never forgot this one and I find it weird because it has stayed with me for years.

Does anyone have any interpretation of this? Could there be a reason why I remember this particular dream so strongly? Why might it have been connected to sleeping at my grandparents’ house, and why did it stop after I brought my mother into it?

Hi everyone,

I’m quite new to Chinese cinema and literature, and I have to write a fairly in-depth research essay for a university course on contemporary Chinese literature/cinema.

The assignment asks us to focus on one Chinese author or director, analyse one or two of their works in detail, and build an argument around recurring themes, aesthetic features, narrative style, etc. So it cannot just be a descriptive essay, it needs to have a clear line of analysis and compare how the selected works connect.

I was thinking of choosing Wong Kar-wai because I’m a bit more familiar with his films than with mainland Chinese cinema or literature, and I feel that, as a Western student studying in China, I might find more accessible scholarship and criticism on his work.

Would Wong Kar-wai be a strong choice for this kind of essay? If so, which two or three films would you recommend focusing on?

I am going crazy trying to figure out what to do so I appreciate any suggestions!

Thank you so much! :)