I grew up in a typical American Italian household, at least typical to what most think and no I DO NOT mean like the people from Jersey Shore or The Soprano’s. I grew up in a big family, we are loud, we love our food and yes we talk with our hands... A LOT. Many ways that Hollywood portrays the “typical American Italian household” is completely wrong. But I hope you all knew that; but if you didn’t you do now.
I grew up in a big family. Our grandparents were King and Queen, they set everything. The way I grew up with a big family is that we were always together; whether it was a holiday like Christmas, Easter or Labor Day and we were pushing five to six to seven tables to Sunday dinner at the grandparent’s house when we had 2 tables together.
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No matter how many people we are having over, whether it is 5 to 50 we always make way to much food. Every holiday we have some type of pasta styled dish. Christmas Eve is the homemade sauce and spaghetti; Easter is my aunt’s lasagna. Birthdays is a range, from what your favorite pasta dish is. We also always have Italian cookies and sweets and don’t forget the espresso and Sambuca to finish any great night off.
We are LOUD! When we shout at each other we are mostly likely having a normal conversation. Many times in my life I have been told to “stop shouting” or asked “why am I screaming?” For the longest time I never knew why people always said this to me. But as I got older and experienced other families I realized how loud we really are… It literally sounds like we are fight all the time until someone starts to just laugh and you realize “Oh gosh! They were just having a normal conversation.”
We talk with our hands. Yes if you tried to tie our hands together you might get some peace and quiet. I believe that it is in our blood. Every Italian talks with their hands, whether it be that we were telling a story or just having a normal conversation. It is an attribute that is passed down through the bloodline, from grandparents to parents to their children. Many people have been smacked, poked and punched due to my swinging hands while I tell a story or have a normal conversation with my friends and