There's something unique about being Italian. Whether it's the impeccable food we create, the pride that beams from speaking the words "I'm Italian" or our deep rooted commitment to family, there's an unexplainable sense of dignity that Italian's carry. Much of my childhood was modeled around values that my great grandparents (Giuseppe and Giuseppa) brought to America when they migrated from Italy and I consider that a blessing.
Famiglia aka Family
As a child, I quickly learned that family is the most important thing in my life. When my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and my grandpa got older, my sister and I cared for them just as much as my mom did. It's also typical for Italians to have a big family. We have cousins in San Diego, Vegas and even Cleveland! You can expect to spend about an hour looking at our family tree that is always displayed across five folding tables at our annual reunion.
Mangia!
My mom always cooks more food than necessary, regardless of the occassion. If a guest left our house hungry, my grandma would say "that's a sin!" My mom really set the standard because I often attend other parties and think that they never have enough food. We love when people try our dishes and if you refuse food, don't be surprised if we seem a little disappointed. In 2018, Josh celebrated his first Christmas Eve with my family and he was shocked by the surplus of appetizers. Little did he know, three different pasta dishes were cooking on the stove and a table of desserts awaited him after the main course. It might be the food, but now that we are married, Josh likes to say that he's 50% more Italian.
Turn it down a few notches...
I'm not sure why, but most Italians like to talk a lot and when they do, it's above average volume. I remember my sister used to say, "Diana just talks a lot because she likes to hear herself." But, I love that about myself! And the best part is, you will never be out of place at an Italian restaurant because everyone else is already talking louder than normal. Whether it's in a restaurant or in every day life, you form an immediate connection with other Italians. Our heritage bonds us in an unexplainable way.