I then wanted to look into my Italian side a little bit. When people think of Italians, things come to mind such as loud, tan women, the mob, gravy vs sauce, and it’s sad to say but, jersey shore. I decided to give that side of my family the chance to defend the reputation of their culture and give me the true meaning. So, I interviewed my grandmother who was born in the U.S., but grew up in a household of family members that came right over from Italy.
When I think of being Italian I always think of all of the foods that I was raised on. Italian food was special in each household. It all revolved around the sauce your mother made and how she made it. Everything went with this sauce and eating out at your Italian friends’ houses was never quite the same and a meal made by your mother. My family made sure to make traditional Italian food a big part of my every day home life. Another huge aspect was not just the food but the time you spent eating it. Sunday dinners were always a tradition in my house. It wasn’t just the immediate family living in your home, but everyone. All the cousins, siblings, significant others, etc. made their way to the designated grandmother’s house to have a big dinner. This time was spent catching up on everyone’s week and any big news. It really gave you a sense of family. It was a few hours out of the week that you got to sit back and remember what was important in your life.
I married an Irishman, so Italian food wasn’t the extent of our dinners. I still always shared the traditional Italian meals with my kids, but we ate all sorts of things for dinner. But, one thing I did make sure to keep in the family was Sunday dinners. These dinners weren’t as big as the ones I was use to, a lot of the time it was just the immediate family, but no one ever ate alone on a Sunday. I felt this time was important to spend bonding with the people who love and care about you the most.
No matter how stressful your week was or how bad of a day you were having, Sunday dinner was a time that you could be surrounded by the people you love and care about who support you no matter what. It gave you a nice little break from all of the worries in your life and would never fail to give you lots of laughs. I always left a dinner with a completely different outlook on things. I would go into it with a lot of stress and a lot on my mind but after spending time with my family I would walk away realizing nothing was as bad as it seemed and it really allowed me to start the next week on a positive note. It always gave me something to look forward to and I never felt alone. This culture gave me a very, very strong sense of family.
Sunday dinners made me extremely close with all of my family members. I wanted this for my kids. There are some things you just don’t feel comfortable with sharing with your parents, but, because of these dinners, I always had someone to turn to whether it be a distant cousin, aunt, etc. It allowed me to know I always had a lot of people on my side. I wanted my kids to always have people to turn to and to always know they’re not alone. Friends come and go in your life but family are always there. This is why I felt that it’s very important to have a strong bond with your family members.
When I think of being Italian I always think of all of the foods that I was raised on. Italian food was special in each household. It all revolved around the sauce your mother made and how she made it. Everything went with this sauce and eating out at your Italian friends’ houses was never quite the same and a meal made by your mother. My family made sure to make traditional Italian food a big part of my every day home life. Another huge aspect was not just the food but the time you spent eating it. Sunday dinners were always a tradition in my house. It wasn’t just the immediate family living in your home, but everyone. All the cousins, siblings, significant others, etc. made their way to the designated grandmother’s house to have a big dinner. This time was spent catching up on everyone’s week and any big news. It really gave you a sense of family. It was a few hours out of the week that you got to sit back and remember what was important in your life.
I married an Irishman, so Italian food wasn’t the extent of our dinners. I still always shared the traditional Italian meals with my kids, but we ate all sorts of things for dinner. But, one thing I did make sure to keep in the family was Sunday dinners. These dinners weren’t as big as the ones I was use to, a lot of the time it was just the immediate family, but no one ever ate alone on a Sunday. I felt this time was important to spend bonding with the people who love and care about you the most.
No matter how stressful your week was or how bad of a day you were having, Sunday dinner was a time that you could be surrounded by the people you love and care about who support you no matter what. It gave you a nice little break from all of the worries in your life and would never fail to give you lots of laughs. I always left a dinner with a completely different outlook on things. I would go into it with a lot of stress and a lot on my mind but after spending time with my family I would walk away realizing nothing was as bad as it seemed and it really allowed me to start the next week on a positive note. It always gave me something to look forward to and I never felt alone. This culture gave me a very, very strong sense of family.
Sunday dinners made me extremely close with all of my family members. I wanted this for my kids. There are some things you just don’t feel comfortable with sharing with your parents, but, because of these dinners, I always had someone to turn to whether it be a distant cousin, aunt, etc. It allowed me to know I always had a lot of people on my side. I wanted my kids to always have people to turn to and to always know they’re not alone. Friends come and go in your life but family are always there. This is why I felt that it’s very important to have a strong bond with your family members.