Italians are the greatest!

Lets not forget Pasta and Pizza!  

i married an italian,,,a south philly italian to be specific. and anyone who knows philly knows that these folk are a different breed...my wife and i speak of some of these pros and cons occasionally...

pros: the love and tightness of the family / community
if ya know or are related to the right people, anything is a phone call away
the respect of traditions and values
you willl never walk away hungry from an italian meal, if you don't like the food, after sobbing uncontrollably, the woman of the house will make you something you do like.

cons: the way they try to talk down to you by using selective italian phrases and words
the racism that is masked in using some of those phrases and words
paying back the guy after you made the phone call in "pros"
the "you are either the salt of the earth or the scum of the earth" mentality in judging others
the italian temper
the shunning of higher education in some communities that want to keep everything "in the neighborhood"
cheese on EVERYTHING

Pros: Vino, Antipasto
Cons: Their Military.

Nice Sean...all very true *whispers...the CHEESE is a GOOD thing*
Doc...Love antipasto...mighty tastey!

Ill add:

Pros: prosciutto, REAL provolone cheese, Raviolli, Italian sausage, pepperocini peppers, and pepperoni
Cons: heartburn

Pros: Football team, shoes and luggage, Parma ham, Alfa Romeo and Vespas.
Cons: Berlusconi, football mafia, pasta (yuck!)

lol,,,i didn't say i didn't like cheese,,,but they go a lil overboard sometimes, lol

Pros: The women seem to love to cook for me (they seem to clean well too)
Disclaimer: I get this info from 3 Italian families I hang out with

Cons: I hate pasta in all forms
The saying "A O" instead of hi

sidenote,,,about a year or so after my wife and i got married, we found a house to move into...after moving in, we had a house warming party for all the philly relatives. before the event, the old philly relatives were complaining about delaware being a world away (our house is about a 40 minute cruise from south philly)and threatening not to come. in the end, they came...but that's not the point,,,

i am really good in the kitchen. just for stereotypical comparison's sake, i married a south philly italian woman and I do 90% of the cooking in our house. for the house warming party, we decided i would make lasagna. i was still kinda unfamiliar to a lot of the relatives, despite our wedding, in which they all attended, but alas, i was still an "outsider" in their eyes. so we decided my signature lasagna was in order. but we also knew that some of the older ones esp. would not eat italian food made by a "non italian." so i made the lasagna in catering dishes instead of the usual pans i would use. we had to tell them it was catered in from one of the many italian places in philly.

they demanded to know which one, as it was by all accounts, THE best they ever had. we then revealed i made it...they didn't believe us.

i the had to go to the garbage and begin taking out bags that used to contain ingredients to prove it. they finally were convinced. and it was then that they also realized we were just down the road, not so far away.

to this day (a decade later) i am responsible for making the lasagna at all of my in laws events. this includes thanksgiving, which brings me to an additional "pro" italian thing:

***the pasta course before the turkey course @ thanksgiving and other holiday meals!

mafia

no such thing,,,never heard of it.

i the had to go to the garbage and begin taking out bags that used to contain ingredients to prove it. they finally were convinced. and it was then that they also realized we were just down the road, not so far away.

Great Story Sean. Its like that for nearly all Italian families. The dont let "outsiders" in so easily, but once your in, your a trusted member of the family. Congratulations I love lasagna.

Lets not forget Pasta and Pizza!

Pizza & Moretti beer! Good score Jen!!

if you don't like the food, after sobbing uncontrollably, the woman of the house will make you something you do like.

aw shame thats so sweet!

Reply By: Sean Conners, a.k.a. SConn1Posted: Tuesday, October 10, 2006mafiano such thing,,,never heard of it.

The Mafia is a con. One way its damaged Italy in the past is by laundering huge sums of illigally obtained profits from the US through the Vatican Bank.

Okay. I'm a man and I'm Italian/American,

Ditto.

and while I know Italians are the coolest, some may think otherwise.

You had it right the first time. Screw them if they don't recognize magnificence when they see it.

the italian temper

What the @&$# you mean by that?

cheese on EVERYTHING

But I love cheese....

mafia

Nona Campici says that's the Sicilians. Nona Campici says Sicilians aren't really Italians. Nona Campici bears loooooong grudges.

there is one thing italians don't put cheese on, and it's a little confusing...

in and around the italian market in philly, as well in some resturaunts and homes, they sometimes make a dish, usually a snack or appetizer called "tomato pie." it is essentially a piece of italian bread w/ tomato sauce (they call it gravy) and NO cheese. basically a pizza without the cheese...go figure.

philly italians (i think some jersey and new york italians do this too) have some unique ways in describing things, for example...

1) tomato sauce is gravy
2) any form of pasta is macaroni, thus, when offered "macaroni and gravy" you are being offered a plate of spagetti or the like w/ tomato sauce.
3) they don't turn lights off...they close them
4) a doctor doesn't write a perscription, they "make a perscription"
5) likewise, they don't give you a shot , they "make a needle" for you.
6) in philly, they changed the name of a fairly busy street about 15 years ago, it was called "delaware ave." it was changed to "columbus blvd." to this day, most philadelphians, when you ask them directions that take you on that street, they will call it delaware ave. and you will get lost.
7)on jan. 1st, the city has a long standing traditional parade, it is not exclusively italian, but the roots are there. it's called the "mummers parade." the parade consists of extremely flamboyantly dressed (it makes a gay pride parade look tame) men in groups who dance around and perform goofy songs. every group has a theme and there are specific categories for different types of groups. from an outsider's point of view, it is one of the looniest things ever. to philly italians, it is a sacred tradition.


thats enough for now,,,

sean:)

another italian story,,,,

when my wife and i were engaged, we went on a ski weekend to the poconos. as i mentioned before, italians in this area take a certain pride in using italian words and phrases seemlessly worked into the vernacular.

we arrived atthe 1st dinner that was provided in the package. we sat down and looked atthe menu, they had several choices, one of which was "manicotti." my wife decided to have that.

now to her, it's pronounced "man-a-got" not "man-a-cotee" like everyone else in this country. before the waiter arrived, i warned her that people outside the region don't pronounce it the italian way...she scoffed at me, insisting I was the one in the minority.

the waiter arrived and the conversation went like this...

waiter: and what would you like ma'am?

wife: i'll have the managot

waiter: excuse me?

wife: the managot

waiter: huh?

wife: MANAGOT!

waiter: what's that?

me: she'll have the manicotti

waiter: thank you sir

how to deal with portions when an italian cook offers you 2nd's....

if you are really, really hungry, don't lead on...you will get a portion fit for an elephant...just say "i'll have a little more."

if you just want a little more, whatever you do, don't say that, as you will get the massive portion served above....just say "no thanks, i'm not hungry."

if you really want nothing more, don't say anything,,,,get up and LEAVE the table, safer yet, leave the room...when you come back, there still may be food on your plate, but at least you've distanced yourself.

***sidenote: tip on eating with italians...ALWAYS eat food as it is served. do not ask for salt, ketchup or anything. all options such as salt and ketchup and whatever will be offered by the cook, if they think they are proper for their food. if you ask for something that is not offered, you run the risk of her sobbing uncontrollably, praying to saints, etc, etc,,,because she believes she is a lousy cook cause you wanted to change her food. this woman probably sppent hours, if not days concocting the perfect flavor for her guests...it is what some italian cooks LIVE for...asking to modify that labor of love is considered a major insult to many in that community.

some cooks may have enough pride or self control not to put on a display of emotion in front of you (the outsider) but rest assured, after you have left, the emotions will take over and God help anyone within a short distance.

tip for greeting italians...ALWAYS acknowledge and kiss on the cheek any female even remotely related to you (even by marriage) even if you don't know them. if you don't know them, it is your obligation to introduce yourself (italians put most burdens of conduct and protocol on the outsider, you must "prove" yourself to them)and then lightly kiss them on the cheek. not doing so is considered crass and the act of a "med-i-gawn" (phoenetic) which means "non italian" roughly, orig. used for any american who wasn't of italian descent. it directly does translate as "american" but is used not as an acknowledgement of someone's birthplace, but as a label that you are not good enough for them, it is an insult usually. italians like using italian words to insult you so you don't even know what they are saying and have no way to respond to words you don't know or understand.

shake hands with every man in the room. a cheek kiss is considered proper if the 2 men know each other at least semi-well.

Love the stories and "facts" Sean... Very interesting indeed!!! And agreeable at the same time lol. I have been with my wonderful Italian man for almost 3 years now. And it comes with many pros, but a few cons.... He is an exvellent cook, which means, when he does cook, I am guaranteed to get one of the greatest meals, and eat well. There are many other pros as well. Just dont have the time to list them... But as well, then you go with the stubborn " Hey, Im Italian" side too... Xyhte, you explained it better when you said :......


"''Okay. I'm a man and I'm Italian/American, thus I think Italians are the greatest. I realize however that not everybody has the ego of a middle-aged Italian, and while I know Italians are the coolest, some may think otherwise."""




But still...gotta love dem dere Italians....

Naples was one of my favorite ports when I was in the service. I was seeing a young lady there. I always had to go to her family's home where there were three generations living in one home.

I recall her father showing me the dining table for the first time. It was a magnificent thing of very thick, heavy wood that was kept well oiled. It had been in the family for over 500 years ( as had the house from what they told me).

Pros: Very warm, friendly people and great food!

Cons: Chaperones.

I'm not italian, but I'll play along...

Pros: Belinis, venetian glass, good olive oil and pesto, fabulous shoes, Zambrotta, Gattuso, and Cannavaro.
Cons: Materazzi!

Pros: Bottecelli, Sistine Chapel, Pope John Paul 1, Spumoni, Armani, Benvenuto Cellini
Cons: Polenta