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Genogram: Italian And Polish Culture Personal Review Of Chapters

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Genogram: Italian & Polish Culture Personal Review of Chapters When reading the chapters for Polish-American families and Italian-American families, I felt a strong sense of connection to both. Historically, my family has closely followed the customs of Polish and Italian culture, especially in relation to holiday traditions and religious practices. My maternal grandmother’s father was Polish and her mother Italian. My maternal grandfather’s mother and father are both Italian. These chapters provided me with more context into the childhood experiences they shared and their reasons for sticking closely to the traditions of their culture. Similarities in Polish American Culture The largest similarity I noticed within the Folwarski and Smolinksi’s …show more content…

Differences in Polish American Culture This chapter highlighted many of the negative attributes that are ascribed to Polish American individuals, describing them as unintelligent and low-class citizens. My family often referred to each other and other Poles and Pollacks. I was unaware of the negative connotation of the term until reading this chapter. My maternal family has never struggled with alcohol use, as the chapter emphasized (Folwarski & Smolinksi, 2005). Similarities in Italian American Culture I resonated more heavily with the Italian culture than I did with Polish culture; this is consistent with the proportion of individuals from Italy versus Poland in my family. The compilation of family patterns and roles highly resembles those of my family (Giordano et al., 2005). The expectations of familial closeness surpass those of the nuclear family and include extended family members, which is a concept I struggle with today. Respect for elders within the family is highly …show more content…

This recipe box was in my grandparents’ kitchen throughout the entirety of my childhood until my grandfather’s passing in October. I was able to keep the recipe box and fill it with a culmination of recipes that make up my mom and dad’s culture. I also wanted to integrate the use of photographs, including my godfather who played an influential role in my life and the Italian culture. The other photos are of my parents, my fiancé, my siblings, and my maternal grandparents. I’ve always had a closer relationship with them compared to my paternal grandparents, and this project felt like a way to honor them. Reflection of Experience This project felt nostalgic, allowing myself to look at recipes my grandparents had handwritten and reflect on the memories we shared. It provided me with the time to evaluate the familial values that have been passed on to me and my obligations to continue the traditions with my own children. Cooking was a form of connection for me and my grandparents; most of our time spent together was in the kitchen making eggplant parmesan, pizza, Italian or Polish

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