We ate them, cooked them, and jarred them, Of course, we also grew peppers (hot and sweet), basil, parsly, lettuce and zucchini. Not just flower gardens, but huge gardens where we grew tomatoes, tomatoes and more tomatoes. There was another difference between US and THEM. They never knew the pleasure of waking up every morning to find a hot crispy loaf of bread waiting behind the screen door. Americans went to the stores for most of their foods. We would wait for their call, their yell, their individual distinctive sound. They were the many peddlers who plied their wares in the Italian neighborhoods. There was no animosity involved in that distinction, no prejudice, no hard-feelings.just, well, we were sure ours was the better way, For instance, we had a bread-man, a coal-man, and ice-man, a fruit and vegetable man, a watermelon man, and a fish-man we even had a man who sharpened knives and scissors, who came to our homes or at least outside our homes. Everybody else.the Irish, German, Polish, Jews, they were the "MED-E-GONES". But I was ITALIAN.įor me, as I am sure for most second generation Italian-American children who grew up in the 40's or 50's, there was a definite distinction drawn between US and THEM. Americans are people who ate peanut butter and jelly on mushy white bread that came in plastic packages. Of course I had been born in America and had lived here all of my life, but somehow it never occurred to me that just being a citizen of the United States meant I was an American. Live up your 20s because they go by quickly and you can't get them back when they're gone."I was well into adulthood before I realized I was an American. Those older than you have stories to tell and wisdom to share if you're listening. Who is that exactly? Anyone helping you in your life journey, that can be a mentor. It's a great time to have that sense of adventure in your 20s. TASTE: Try new foods and experience new cultures.You'll be working for a while down the road, so if you can enjoy it, even better. WORK: Don't be afraid to work at a few places to see what you most like to do.Now is the time and you will most likely find your opportunities more limited as you get older. TRAVEL: If you have a chance to travel, go.So without further ado, here are 6 things I'd say to someone in their 20s now: In hindsight, I think that experience as a single person helped with my independence, which any adult needs a sense of. ![]() I had a few girlfriends but I also spent years solo. I'm so grateful that I was raised the way I was raised and that I was able to grow up in this family. I can't imagine not having the relationships and traditions that I have with my family. We cook, we drink, we speak as much Italian as we can and we laugh. Food at college tastes like garbage compared to my grandmas cooking.Īlthough we aren't straight off the boat Italians, we still do many things my great-grandparents and grandparents did when they were in Italy. Its more of a curse then a blessing because my grandma gave me such high expectations for food that anything else I eat tastes mediocre. ![]() When it comes to the holidays, her, my mom and my aunts never fail to cook and bake the most extravagant food. She also taught my mom, my aunts as well me and my cousins how to cook so pretty much every meal is the best meal I've ever had. ![]() ![]() My grandma cooks the best food I have ever. It's no lie that Italian's are amazing cooks. The house is not only full with with noise it is always filled with the beautiful smells of food.
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