Grocery Shopping With Nonna

Most people may dread grocery shopping, but when you go with Nonna it is always a blast. Nonnas always seem to have a plan of attack when stepping foot into a grocery store and have multiple stops along the way. It always amazes me how my Nonna, in particular, does not get as tired as she when going grocery shopping.

Normally, Nonna goes to Shaws then Stopping then Russos (a local grocery store).  During this process, she also finds time to return soda bottles and sometimes make a stop at Family Dollar. Nonna clearly has this down to an art.

When Nonna goes grocery shopping, it seems like she is preparing for the end of the world sometimes. It seems like she is always buying food to add to the stock pile she has. For the grandkids, this is not a problem at all because we get food out of the deal!

Natale

Christmas can be exciting for many reasons. The presents, the family time, waiting for Bubba Natale (Santa) to come, and so much more. But for me, Christmas Eve is my favorite holiday just for the food! It is an Italian tradition to have the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, which is why I love it so much.

It is an Italian tradition to not eat meat on Christmas Eve in order to honor Jesus Christ. Instead, fish is eaten. Generally 7 fishes are supposed to be eaten in order to represent the 7 sacraments.  It is very clear that Italians are very religion oriented and it can be seen specifically during Christmas. While religion is key, more focus is put onto cooking rather than going to church. In my 20 years of existence, I do not think I have gone to a holiday Mass more than 5 times.

Holidays are always great to get the family together and be grateful for what you have. But there are always funny jokes, a lot of naps (generally the men fall asleep on the couch), traditions and so much more that make it even more special.

The World of Soccer

Even though some may say soccer is not a real sport, in Europe soccer is the most popular and most played sport. Italians take their soccer very seriously. There are many different regional teams that are followed and when the national competitions come around Italians are glued to the TV to watch their home country play.

In my house, there is almost always a soccer game on the TV. You can hear it from anywhere in the house and also hear whoever is watching it yelling at the TV. When the big games are on and a loss happens, its best to just stay far away.

In addition to watching the game, there is some superstitious acts and back talking that are done in order to ensure a win for Italy. During the world cup, my dad had to wear the same underwear while watching each game.  When the game went into overtime, everyone was on the edge of their seats. My father, however, was yelling from the other room. He couldn't see the TV but was yelling about everything the coach decided on. He then was standing in the doorway and would walk away. He did this for at least 5 minutes. He not only did that but was yelling about the choice the coach made in players for the penalty kick. He said that "Why would he put that idiot in?!" But when  the idiot won the game for us, he was singing a different tune.

Italians are passionate about many things, soccer included. If you ever have the opportunity to watch a soccer game with an Italian, it could be the funniest thing ever or a scary site to see.

Can you hear me now??

Calling long distance can be a tricky thing to do something's. it can be expensive, hard to hear, and sometimes hard to remember time differences.  In an Italian home, you can tell when Italy's being called because you can hear the conversation from three blocks away.

For the longest time I couldn't figure out why my grandparents used to yell at the phone. Then as time go on I found out that one relative was hard of hearing so they felt the need to yell. But it still applied to everyone else they talked to as well.

The Italian comedian Joe Avati believes that when they are on the phone they yell in order to make up for the distance. Which in actuality would make the most logical sense if you don't know the anatomy of a phone.

Homemade Goodies

When you think about something homemade, normally the first thing to comes to mind is something along the lines if chocolate chip cookies. However, in an Italian  household, this term can include many different things. From blankets to cheese, almost anything can be homemade.

When I walk into my nonno and nonnas house, I am offered homemade cheese, home cured meats, homemade bread, and sometimes even homemade wine. It always amazes me just how much is made  from scratch.  Everything is made with such ease and precision. Both my grandparents have mastered these skills and have made their homemade treats into an art.

The joy they get on their face while sharing their creations is the same as watching a child get excited when they show their parents their art work. In all honesty, they love making and well everyone around them love receiving the fruits of  their labor.

Did you say Nutella??

I am sure most people know about the chocolate spread called Nutella. If you have not, drop what ever you are doing, go to the grocery store, and buy 10 jars of it  (you will eat all 10). Growing up Nutella was a special treat to have. It was very hard to find but now you can find it almost everywhere.

In my house, we buy the jumbo size of Nutella. I swear it is like bringing crack into a crack house. It is spread onto anything that it can be spread on. In less than a week, it is either gone or close to it! My dad will eat it till the sun goes down (and probably even after as a midnight snack).  He is normally the one to polish off a jar. When this happens, it is so depressing!  Nothing is more upsetting than when you get a craving for it and go to have some and find an empty jar.

While some people may think Nutella is the hip new trend, it is something that I grew up with. For instance, Nutella is more used in Italy than peanut butter.

The Pope and The Church

We all know that Catholicism is very prominent in the Italian culture. Growing up there was always an endless supply of holy water and rosaries in the house.With Easter approaching and the importance of the pope election, religion has been a hot topic. 

Picture from Nonna Maria

If you go in to my nonnis (grandparents) home, you can find many religious artifacts all over the house.  From candles from religious ceremonies, holy water, palms, paintings of angels or saints, and so on are everywhere! You can't really escape without finding some sort of religious object in the house. 

For a brief amount of time I lived at my grandparents house. I remember when it was time for bed, the religious paintings used to scare me to no end! Even though my grandmother would tell  me it was a type of "protection and safety" it still used to scare me in the middle of the night when you would look up and see a pair of eyes looking down at you!