JCrusher, I'm sorry if I offended you by saying you don't have a clue. You do get the ego part. It's also about pride and respect and knowing your role as a boyfriend in your girlfriend's Italian family.
Going out to dinner with a surfer dude from South Orange County, CA, and an Italian father from Jersey. The scene was real life for me.
It's very authentic. Imo every Italian father would feel insulted just like Tony did. Tony yelled and reprimanded Fin and threw money on the table because of his ego (just like you said.) Any other Italian father would not let that boy pay either! Money would be handed to him, he would be spoken to with less yelling and he would then understand that he is not to pay. No Italian father would put up with what Fin did imo. And since I do not know any Italian male without an ego
it would go down EXACTLY the way it was done in that scene, with the apology at the end!!! That was the real deal right there.
Watch the scene.
http://youtu.be/AXY6fQUDr3o(Lol You can't surf in Mission Viejo)
This will probably be my last post in the Sopranos section
I'm here for fun not to argue