Growing up in an Italian family is quite the experience. Between the huge families, the huge parties, and the HUGE amounts of food that your grandmother makes every Sunday, growing up in an Italian family is something that I love to talk about.
SUNDAY DINNER
Every Sunday since I could remember, we have spent eating at my grandparents’ house. The whole family comes over and we do what Italians do best: eat. And Grandma’s always cooking enough for a small army.
FOOD/SAYING THAT YOU’RE HUNGRY
One thing that I have learned to never say unless I truly feel like I could eat a three-course meal is that I’m hungry. Do not tell your grandmother that because she will take everything out for you that she made the past week and, before you know it, she’s already boiling some water and crushing some tomatoes for a fresh sauce. Beware. Food is no joke. You will end up eating at least seven times the amount that you were planning on.
In Italy, food is a way of bonding. Family dinners are vital to their lives because that is the time they get to sit down and share food and communicate with each other. If you ever tell your grandmother that you didn’t eat dinner, you better know that your grandma is going to pull out everything she has and make everything she could humanly make within the 10 minutes it takes for you to get to her house. And trust me, she usually manages to pull off at least a three-course meal in that time.
FAMILY
We’re known for having a huge family and we are proud of it. Growing up with twenty cousins that are all close in age to you means that there is always someone there for you. It also means that when everyone is together every Sunday, it is havoc. And don’t even get me started on the family parties.
Italians are obsessed with being Italian
The cat’s out of the bag for this one, we have that Italian pride.