Italian...and Loving It

Venice

A bus stops and two Italian men get on. They seat themselves, and engage in animated conversation. The lady sitting behind them ignores their conversation at first, but her attention is galvanized when she hears one of the men say the following:

''Emma come first. I come. Dennis come and Dennis come again. I come again. Two asses, they come together again. I come again and pee twice. Then I come once-a-more.''

''You foul-mouthed swine,'' retorted the lady indignantly. ''In this country we don't talk about our sex lives in public.''

''Hey, coola down lady,'' said the man. ''Imma just tella my friend howa to spella Mississippi.''

I have mentioned a couple of times that I am Italian. I am a first generation Italian American. Both my parents are from Italy and moved here in 1959. I am very proud of my parents for moving to a country not knowing how to speak the language, but learning and becoming citizens of the United States. I do not remember much about my dad (he passed away when I was six), but I do remember how proud my mom was to be an American.

Mom & Dad's wedding day

I am very proud to be an American, but I am also very proud of my heritage.

I want to become fluent in Italian, I know quite a bit since my mother always spoke it in the house (especially when any of us were in trouble), but as far as reading and writing...I stink at it. So where to begin......hand gestures, table manners, and a little bit of humor...


Hand Gestures

Connecting your index finger to your thumb on both hands and moving from the inside out means "perfetto" = perfect

Bring your hands together and place them under your cheek.

 means "Andiamo a dormire" = let's go to sleep 

Bring your hand palm side down to the side of your stomach.

 This gesture means "Ho fame" = I'm hungry

 OK now I have some basics, but I need to remember about customs especially around the table. Here are some things I picked up, and some I read about...

Table Manners

1. Food is a big part of Italian hospitality. In fact it might be the biggest part of Italian hospitality. How you react to what is placed before you at the table can make or break relationships. This is no time to be a fussy eater, so, unless you have medically verifiable food allergy you should really eat everything put before you. It will probably be amazing anyways so you can only really win with this one.

2. Bread is put on the table next to your plate.  There is no bread side plate. There is no butter or spread for the bread. The bread is used for soaking up the sauce after the pasta and/or salad. Bread is therefore not served with pizza.

3. There is more to Italian cooking than pasta and pizza. A lot more.

4. If there is no salt on the table, don’t ask for it. If there is no salt it’s because the cook has deemed the meal tasty enough. Sometimes salt is put on the table, then, add as much as you like.

5. DO NOT ASK FOR KETCHUP or TOMATO SAUCE. ever.

6. An Italian meal is often a multi course affair. This means that you have to be wise and eat appropriate sized portions for what you think you can handle. You will leave the table feeling like you need elasticized trousers regardless, the real question is HOW stretchy do those trousers need to be.  If you eat all that you can in the first course you are (literally) stuffed for the next five.

7. Generally wine and water are served with food. Sometimes carbonated drinks and fruit juices are also served, but not regularly. Hot drinks like tea and coffee are served after the meal.


8. People in Italy have been eating like this for thousands of years. The Roman Empire was built on this stuff. The international beauty Sophia Loren famously said “Everything you see, I owe to pasta.” Italians enjoy the food but also just the moment of being together. This means that even a sandwich meal can easily take 45 minutes. So, just relax, enjoy your meal and this special moment you have been invited into.

Maybe have some of this on hand

9. My Aunt said to me "that when you are gathered around the table you do not age." good reason why meals last so long, and if its true I will be moving my laundry room next to the kitchen table.

So I am on my way to being a better Italian, I have a long way to go, but I cannot wait to learn more and more, next maybe some little known facts about Italy. The more I learn, the more I like learning.

Michael & I in Cento

I know this...In My Life I will face many challenges and some will be tougher than others, but I will enjoy the ride.