It’s Valentine's Day!! A day of chocolates, flowers, romantic dinners, and sexy lingerie. It is estimated that the average man will spend $300 to $400 on wooing his true love, or at least his current love. While I don’t want to appear as a Valentine’s Day cynic, I can’t help but feel that all this … Continue reading Love Italian Style
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Befana & the Epiphany
I love being Italian, well technically Italian-American. There are so many things about our cultural inheritance that enrich our lives. The food. The traditions. The music. From pasta fazool to Verdi’s La Traviata, I love it all. One of these traditions is the observance of the Epiphany and Befana. Growing up in the United States, … Continue reading Befana & the Epiphany
The Feast of Seven Fishes, Why It is Important
The further we get from our arrival in the United States the more difficult it gets to preserve our culture. One key solution is The Feast of the Seven Fishes.
Daughters & Dowries
Recently I passed a milestone in the life of a father; I walked the younger of my two daughters down the aisle. As the day approached, I played up the stereotype of the father of the bride, bemoaning the expense of the wedding to friends at work, despite her remaining well within budget. One coworker told me that in India the bride’s family still pays a dowry which can be pretty large. I was told, although the practice is illegal, the families circumvent the law by calling it a gift. The entire discussion, however, reminded me of 15th century Florence’s Monte delle doti, the dowry fund.
Sauce, Gravy, or Dante? (Part 2)
For those of us who are Italian-American, or for those who simply love the Italian culture, we need to understand Dante more. In order to fully embrace our Italianità, we must embrace Dante.
Sauce, Gravy, or Dante? (Part 1)
What is the glory of Dante compared to spaghetti? Spaghetti has entered many American homes where the name of Dante is never pronounced.
I am a proud Italian-American
I am a proud Italian-American. Some people tell me that there is no room in America for hyphenated Americans, repeating a phrase first used by Teddy Roosevelt but he was wrong. Although I have long been an admirer of the 26th President of the United State, even the greatest among us get it wrong at … Continue reading I am a proud Italian-American