Every family has its own quirks and things that set them apart from everyone else. Italian families are absolutely no exception. While some things may differ, there are a lot of relatable experiences that you are likely to see yourself growing up in an Italian household. The following list outlines a few of these experiences:
You don't speak Italian, but you understand what your older family members are saying when they speak it.
I can recall multiple occasions when my grandfather would start speaking Italian to me. Between being familiar with the cognates of romance languages and his hand movements, I typically have no problem deciphering what he is trying to tell me.
Holidays yield the greatest feasts.
Of course, holidays are the best time for food for any family. However, I've been to plenty of these gatherings and, I'm sorry, but Italians do it the best. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, or any time the whole family gets together, the food is never disappointing. Lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, pizza, lamb, ham, stuffed mushrooms and peppers, fried seafood, and so much more. Not to mention all of it is homemade. There isn’t anything quite like sharing homemade Italian food with your family.
You find yourself waving your hands around when you talk.
Italians tend to be very animated. I often find myself doing this every time I start to get passionate about a topic of conversation. Sometimes I don’t even know I’m doing it until my friends feel the need to point out that I’m “doing the hand thing again."
You call relish “Pickleilly.”
Okay, not many people actually call relish "picklelilly" in the first place, but most of the people I’ve heard refer to it that way were Italians. For example, an older Italian woman came into the grocery store that I work at looking for "picklelilly" and the first two people she asked to help her find it had no idea what she was talking about. They then referred her to me and I immediately said "oh, it’s in aisle ten.” Never knew being Italian could actually help me at my job.
When other kids got the belt, you got the pasta spoon.
We’ve heard the stories. Some of us have experienced it ourselves. For most kids, when you did something wrong and your parent's belt comes off, you know what's about to happen. A lot of times for Italians, mom or dad takes a walk to the kitchen to retrieve the wooden pasta spoon. Just please wash it after.
You don’t actually know a lot of your family, mainly because it's so big.
I have shown up to many family outings and parties at which I had no idea who people were. I would always have to ask my parents who people were and how they were related to me and at times even they could not answer that for me.
Your pantry is always filled with pasta.
Whenever you go to grab a snack, there's always that one section of the pantry that is filled with boxes of pasta. Its a staple food for Italians. A box of pasta is like a blank canvas. You can do so much with it. Whether you want to make a giant vat of red sauce and make spaghetti and meatballs, or you want to make shrimp scampi, you absolutely cannot go wrong with pasta.
Your stomach is always filled with pasta.
Carbs are a must in an Italian diet. Pasta is a large part of that. While pasta is delicious, it’s very important to use those carbs and exercise on a regular basis. Admittedly, it makes cut-season difficult, but to some people it’s completely worth it.
Tomato sauce from the jar is considered a mortal sin.
The vat of red sauce I was talking about earlier? Yeah that's the only way to make red sauce. If you dare suggest to an Italian that they use “Ragu,” or “Prego,” then that will likely be the last suggestion you ever make to anyone.
No matter how angry you get at each other, family always comes first and you’ll always be loved.
While this is true for many different kinds of people as well, I know firsthand that Italians value family more than anything. I’ve been in screaming matches, physical and verbal fights, and much worse, all with family. At the end of the day, we value our bond much more than we do these fights, and we know we can always count on each other for love and support.
