It is Christmas Eve at my grandparent’s house. I am sitting around the table in the noisy dining room with my whole family. As the seven different fish dishes finish cooking, my grandfather begins to place each one on the table in front of us. My favorite Christmas Eve dish is the first to come out—linguine with clams. As my grandfather enters the room, my senses are suddenly overwhelmed with the smell of the homemade white sauce and the fresh shellfish. My grandfather slowly sets the bowl of linguine with clams in the center of the table and I can barely stop myself from diving right into it. Linguine with clams and the other fish dishes hold a religious significance for most Italians, but for me, these dishes are significant because of the quality time I spend eating them with my family.
Linguine with clams, or linguine alle vongole, is a dish that can be enjoyed on any day throughout the year. However, the linguine with clams that is had on Christmas Eve is much more special. When my mother makes this dish for dinner, she uses clam sauce with small pieces of clams from a can. Although it is delicious, there is nothing like the fresh white sauce my grandfather makes and the whole clams you eat right out of the shells. The linguine with clams we have on Christmas Eve is also more special because of the occasion. For some people, Christmas Eve is just a day to prepare for Christmas Day. However, for Italians Christmas Eve is a holiday in itself and is just as special as Christmas Day. What makes Christmas Eve special for Italians is the meal that is enjoyed on this day. The meal that is made on Christmas Eve is called either The Feast of the Seven Fishes, La Festa dei Sette Pesci in Italian, or the Vigil, La Vigilia. It is traditi...
... middle of paper ...
...o most Italians, especially on Christmas Eve. For me, being surrounded by my family and eating linguine with clams is all I need on Christmas Eve.
Works Cited
Caserta, Silvio and Marie Caserta. Personal interview. 19 Feb. 2014.
Bone, Eugenia, and Edward Giobbi. "Cena della Vigilia." Italian Family Dining: Recipes, Menus, and Memories of Meals with a Great American Food Family. Emmaus Pa.: Rodale, 2005. 230-36. Print.
Hayes, Dayle, and Rachel Laudan. "Italian Cuisine." Food and Nutrition: Grains to Legumes. New York: Marshall Cavendish Reference, 2009. 587-94. Print.
Liberati, Maria. "Feast of the Seven Fishes." The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions. Hartfield, PA: Art of Living, Prima Media, 2010. 36-51. Print.
Parasecoli, Fabio. "Major Foods and Ingredients." Food Culture in Italy. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2004. 41-112. Print.
Many scholars have written about the particularly intimate connection between food and family prevalent in Italian-American culture. Herbert Gans interprets this to be a legacy of the traditional Southern Italian peasant culture that the immigrant generation successfully passed down to the younger generations in America. Thus, the connection is implied to be a “transplanted” cultural trait. However, when viewed in light of the social changes in America, this bond was inevitably affected by the Italians’ experiences in America. Italian-American food culture was a tradition shaped by changes outside and inside the family. An examination of the Italian-American family of the interwar years (c.1919-1940) demonstrates that the critical role food came to play in the family life of Italian-Americans was very much the product of inter-generational negotiation. The second generation , largely affected by public discourse, originally viewed “Italian” food as a marker of social inferiority. Therefore, food became a major source of family conflict between generations. But, through inter-generational negotiation, food was ultimately to become a fundamental unifying force of the Italian-American family. Today, in light of the rise of inter-ethnic marriage rates between Italians and Italian-Americans in America, a new form of negotiation centering on food is taking place within the Italian-American family—‘inter-spousal’ negotiation.
Every summer my family and I go to our house in the cape just north of Boston. One hot summer morning, I was leaving the house to meet my family at the beach, suddenly I remembered my mother asked me to pick up a jar of “Kingfish Herring” for her and her friend to snack on at the beach.
Reading Catfish and Mandala reminded me of my cultural closeness through food. Due to being bi-ethnic I learned how to cook food from both my ethnicities, however there were times when I found myself acting like a foreigner towards certain dishes. A prime example was when I had Chitlins or pig intestines. I had eaten menudo, thanks to my Hispanic mother and this was the first time I had Chitlins, an African American dish via my paternal grandmother. Unlike Menudo, which to me has an appetizing smell and taste, Chitlins were a gray stringy putrid smelling dish. Remembering the utter dislike I obtained from that African American dish, reminded me of Pham’s experience with Vietnamese food. While there are some dishes people can’t stand, most usually embrace a dish from their culture and that helps ease some of the pain or discomfort.
Throughout the story, “Fish Cheeks,” by Amy Tan, the author speaks of her “worst” Christmas dinner when her family invited Amy’s crush and his family for christmas dinner. Overall, the story was actually telling of her best Christmas dinner ever where her parents taught her to respect her culture and not be afraid to be who she was. The author and narrator, Amy Tan, used tone to convey this message to the audience in a few different ways in the story.
There’s a lot more to being Italian than the typical stereotypes that we have come to know from movies, television and books. From the Catholic mobsters who kill during the week but always make it to mass on Sunday, to the “how you doin” views of Joey from the television show “Friends”, people often forget the more important parts of being Italian. It is a culture like no other, full of history, art, and most importantly, their passion for food. Italian food, in my opinion, is the best in the world. Italians put so much into everything they make that the time and effort is tasted with every single bite. One of my favorite dishes would have to be fettuccini alfredo and it just happens to be a fairly easy, but extremely delicious, dish to make. Trust me, if I can make it, you can make it.
What about other countries though? Is the Christmas season all about giving and receiving gifts? Are children in Spain rewarded by Santa with gifts and toys on Christmas Eve? In this essay we will look at what Christmas season means in Spain, and what traditions are prevalent in their culture. We will also look at the Christmas related traditions of Americans, and how those compare and contrast to those in Spain.
When I think about Thanksgiving and Christmas, the first thought that comes to mind is the good food. Every year my family and I prepare many homemade dishes to celebrate the holidays. For Thanksgiving, my family and I will go all out the way in preparing dinner. We will actually start preparing the food two days in advance, so we can make sure that we have everything is prepared. The food is traditional with Thanksgiving, turkey, ham, collard greens, yams, stuffing, egg nog, cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie. For Christmas, my family does not prepare as much food as we do ...
Right next to food, family is the most important thing in Italian culture. My mother was born and raised in Naples, Italy and lived with her mother and three siblings after her father passed away when she was only six years old. My mother and my grandmother had a very close bond, the same bond my mother and I share now. My grandmother was a very hands on type of mom my mother tells me. Like most mothers, her children were her pride and joy. My mother’s most vivid memories of her childhood involve my grandmother teaching her how to make tiramisu and lasagna. Practices my mother has now passed onto me. Aside from the cooking lessons, my mother also taught me what it means to be a women. Being independent, never giving up, and working for what
Everything has an origin, a time and a place of its beginning. A lot of things have happened over the course of two millennia’s. The origin of Italian cuisine dates back centuries and over time is has evolved due to political and social changes within Italy and Europe. During the time the Roman Empire controlled many territories and provinces. Italy was among theses territories, and during which time its people generated one of the greatest cuisines in the world. Each territory and providence displayed their individually with their own unique way of cooking. (Steendahl, Par.3). Every town has a distinctive way of making sausage, special kinds of cheese and wine, and a local type of bread. Even if one were to ask around just one town or providence how to make tomato sauce. Variations within the methods and ingredients will be the answers. (Volpi, ...
The foods are delicious. There are different varieties of food to get and to make. One item that gets eaten every time that Christmas comes and they are gingerbread houses. The gingerbread houses get made, decorated, and then eaten. A common food that Mexicans eat for Christmas are tamales. They are delicious. Another item that people eat are stews and soups, which can be eaten to keep warm. Afterwards in the night people can drink hot chocolate or hot cocoa to keep and stay warm. Eating in bed is the only way to eat (“27 Reasons Winter Is Better Than Summer”). Throughout winter, it gets cold so sometimes it becomes hard to get out of bed so eating in bed becomes the best highlight of winter. Nobody can wait for that day to come and then everyone will just be eating in bed and nowhere else.
Christmas to me is a celebration, which includes spending time with my family, decorating the entire house, inside and out, and shopping, for the people I love. Doing this with the people I love is what means the most to me. Spending Christmas with my family is very important to me. We usually gather and celebrate at my parent’s house, in East Tennessee. My husband, our three children, and myself travel from California. My two sisters, their husbands, and children come from a nearby town, for our celebration.
Ever since I could remember, I have spent Christmas at my grandmother’s house, a house which is full of comfort, warmth, and happiness. At Christmas, I have always been able to escape the cold and dark real world allowing myself to truly enjoy just several moments in time. These moments have left impressionable memories from my childhood making Christmas a holiday that is special to me and my family. It is a time for my family to get together, share stories, laugh, and even cry.
Everyone has a Christmas Eve routine. Christmas Eve starts with getting ready for mass. My family is Catholic, so Christmas Eve mass is always long. Christmas Eve mass starts at around 6 o’clock, and usually gets over at around 8 o’clock. It is usually close to two hours long, but we do not mind because Christmas reminds us why we attend. I love Christmas Eve mass because of the music the choir sings. They remind me of the angels that would be singing around the manager of Jesus after he was born on Christmas Eve hundreds of years ago. The music is soothing, and makes a person realize how beautiful celebrating Christmas is. After church, my family heads back to
The capital city of Italy is a very extraordinary place to visit. The population of Rome is well over two-million. The people there are very friendly and are extremely proud of their country. Rome is a beautiful bustling city that has a moderate cli mate. The temperature usually stays around eighty degrees. The main way of transportation is by bus.
As Christmas time approaches, many Americans start to get excited about returning home to all of the familiar festivities. They imagine the smell of the Christmas tree mixed with the aroma of apple cider or think about all of the Christmas specials on television that they will watch. They can not wait to relax in front of the fireplace with their families and to open all of the Christmas gifts piled under the tree.