Italian Americans

hearingimpared

Yeah I have to admit to a bad temper all my life, but I've learned to reel it in although it pops its ugly head up once in a while.

superjunior

treitz3 wrote: »

I can attest to the temper.....first hand. That's a hard one to reign in when it's in your blood.

yes I understand. I'm Italian, but my wife is MORE Italian :eek:
god help me...

treitz3

Yes, may God help you. That can be bad.

hearingimpared

My wife is Italian and is pretty cool headed but when she does blow her stack I run for cover.

hearingimpared

treitz3 wrote: »

Yes, may God help you. That can be bad.

Tom I had no idea that had the Italian blood in ya.

superjunior

treitz3 wrote: »

Yes, may God help you. That can be bad.

yes, mother in law and everything (insert Italian music here) and when the screaming starts - because thats the way we talk, and the kitchen becomes a warzone, I run for cover in the basemant

treitz3

.....then come up when the food is ready?

treitz3

hearingimpared wrote: »

Tom I had no idea that had the Italian blood in ya.

Yes sir. German - Italian blood. Worst/Best of both worlds. :eek:

I'm still a mutt but aren't we all?

superjunior

treitz3 wrote: »

.....then come up when the food is ready?

I can't help but to laugh here, cause yes, you are exactly right :D:D
screaming stops = foods ready! upstairs I go!

treitz3

I know, that'll shut 'em up quick.

hearingimpared

superjunior wrote: »

I can't help but to laugh here, cause yes, you are exactly right :D:D
screaming stops = foods ready! upstairs I go!

All the screaming is actually an I love you!:D

messiah

Italian americans? Pick one or the other, please. Either be Italian or American. You cant pick both, and you left there for a reason. The same thing goes for asian americans, mexican americans, african americans etc. If you want to be an American, then embrace what America is: a melting pot.

hearingimpared

How about, I'm a second generation American of Italian decent. Does that help?

messiah

hearingimpared wrote: »

How about, I'm a second generation American of Italian decent. Does that help?

LOL yeah, but all the hyphenated **** just pisses me off. We should be way past that.

hearingimpared

Well America IS a melting pot but we should never forget our culture of origin if one has one.

messiah

Agreed. We shouldn't forget our heritage, but to put anything with a hyphen before American is disrespectful to America. Just be an American already.

schwarcw

Stop talking about Italian food!

I want to see some pic's of Italian girls!!:D;)

markmarc

messiah wrote: »

Italian americans? Pick one or the other, please. Either be Italian or American. You cant pick both, and you left there for a reason. The same thing goes for asian americans, mexican americans, african americans etc. If you want to be an American, then embrace what America is: a melting pot.

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong in saying the combo. What it tells people is that you are proud of your family heritage, and grateful to be living in America because a fore-father decided that they wanted their children to have more opportunities. My father came thru Ellis Island at the age of 3 with my grandmother, after my grandfather had saved up from working in the coal mines north of Denver to pay for their passage and had built a bungalo style home over the course of 3.5 years.

In essence, I am Italian, German, Danish, Swiss-American. Proud of all the ingredients of my personal melting pot.

superjunior

markmarc wrote: »

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong in saying the combo. What it tells people is that you are proud of your family heritage, and grateful to be living in America because a fore-father decided that they wanted their children to have more opportunities. My father came thru Ellis Island at the age of 3 with my grandmother, after my grandfather had saved up from working in the coal mines north of Denver to pay for their passage and had built a bungalo style home over the course of 3.5 years.

In essence, I am Italian, German, Danish, Swiss-American. Proud of all the ingredients of my personal melting pot.

salute

hearingimpared

messiah wrote: »

Agreed. We shouldn't forget our heritage, but to put anything with a hyphen before American is disrespectful to America. Just be an American already.

How is it disrespectful to America?

My four grandparents and my father came here and worked their butts off and learned the language and took abuse from people (getting called wop, greaseball, dago etc) and working menial jobs so that me and my cousins and our offspring could live a better life. We were not permitted to speak Italian outside of the house.

They taught me to be proud to be an American as it is a privilage NOT a right but they taught me to be especially proud to be Italian.

I also find it ironic that if anyone makes a slur against Asians, Blacks, **** or Hispanics on this board it gets turned into an uproar and a lynch mob and people get banned for it, but when the slur against Italians in this thread was made no-one said a word. I am thick skinned enough to let **** like that roll off my back but I find it hypocritical of my fellows and friends here to just let it go.

The same goes with Christianity.

superjunior

hearingimpared wrote: »

How is it disrespectful to America?

My four grandparents and my father came here and worked their butts off and learned the language and took abuse from people (getting called wop, greaseball, dago etc) and working menial jobs so that me and my cousins and our offspring could live a better life. We were not permitted to speak Italian outside of the house.

They taught me to be proud to be an American as it is a privilage NOT a right but they taught me to be especially proud to be Italian.

I also find it ironic that if anyone makes a slur against Asians, Blacks, **** or Hispanics on this board it gets turned into an uproar and a lynch mob and people get banned for it, but when the slur against Italians in this thread was made no-one said a word. I am thick skinned enough to let **** like that roll off my back but I find it hypocritical of my fellows and friends here to just let it go.

The same goes with Christianity.

man I hear ya on this one. I don't let it bother me either.

treitz3

messiah wrote: »

Italian americans? Pick one or the other, please. Either be Italian or American. You cant pick both, and you left there for a reason. The same thing goes for asian americans, mexican americans, african americans etc. If you want to be an American, then embrace what America is: a melting pot.

WTF? Dude, go smoke some grass or something. You need to lighten up. Seriously.

hearingimpared

Watch that Italian temper Tom.;):D

hearingimpared

Lasareath wrote: »

Great video. Funny thing is half of my family calls it sauce and the other half calls it gravy. Both of my parents were born in Italy but they met here on a blind date! They've been married 42 years.

A few weeks ago my Dad was telling me about the cart guys and he said there was one guy that all he sold was te internal organs and the heads of all the animals! My aunt would buy the lamb and goat heads and bake them in the oven for my dad and my uncles.

I remember those cart guys on 9th St. in South Philly. My great aunt used to cook whole lamb heads and pork brains made into cutlets for my uncles.

My mom made the best tripe ever. I still buy tripe, beef & pork kidneys and hearts and cook them up on occasion,. My 26 year old and my 12 year old love the innerds.

We always did and still do call it gravy.

Great stuff Sal.

messiah

treitz3 wrote: »

WTF? Dude, go smoke some grass or something. You need to lighten up. Seriously.

Sorry dude, just one of those things that bugs me. We all have things that bug them and the hyphen is one of my things. Hyphenated last names, hyphenated heritage, etc. I'm a mutt (Scottish,Italian, Romanian) so maybe I don't get it, it just doesn't make sense to me. It's just that when people have asked me what I am, I've always just told them I'm American, and have always been proud to say that. No offense meant.

Jstas

tonyb wrote: »

Then obviously you have never traveled outside the USA.
Every culture is special in their own way,even ours.

Um, yes I have.

But, see, my family is Polish, Austrian and Czech. But apparently, according to Italians though, everyone else is uncultured swine and sucks.

Then the Italians wonder why there tends to be a negative view of Italians.

Guess I'll go have some of my bland Polish food like pirogi, kielbasa (not kebasy you heathens), home made sauerkraut and chrusciki that my mother is home cooking right now and getting ready for the family to come over for Christmas Eve dinner. I think I'll have a bottle of my Czech Pilsner, Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj in actual Czech) to go with some fried kielbasa and pirogis covered in sauerkraut for dinner and finish it up with some Austrian Apfelstrudel (apple strudel to the rest of you and it's not pie) and a glass of my great grandmother's favorite, Einspänner (Austrian type of that Italian abomination "espresso").

The family still gets together every holiday, even though all but one of my grandparents has passed. My grandparents who were Polish always told me "Polski jest ważna, rodzina jest ważniejsza" (Polish is important, family is more important). My Austrian grandmother on my dad's side would tell me that Austrians do not brag about what they do, they just do. There is no need for useless boisterous posturing. She was also very critical of Italians, Greeks, French and Spanish who she considered very flamboyant and untrustworthy. My Czech grandfather died when my dad was a boy so I never really knew him but my great aunt and uncles were typical hot-headed Czech who are proud to be Czech but modest at the same time.

The times that I have gone to places where there is immense Polish influence or even just a Polish-American festival here in NJ, just asking a simple question like "Where's the bathroom?" in Polish (Gdzie jest toaleta?) gets the response of wide eyed amazement and "Jesteś Polski? Cudowny!" (You are Polish? Wonderful!) followed by hugs and food shoved in my face.

At the PA Renaissance Faire, when I walk up to the Bavarian tent where the local German-American Society is cooking hoards of sausages and schnitzels as well as Goulash and ask "Könnten Sie bitte etwas Wienerschnitzel und Weißwurst", the looks on the stern German faces of the grandmothers doing the cooking lighten as if they were talking to their own grandchildren and I can usually get extra helpings!

In a Polish home, if you are offered a drink, it's a courtesy to a guest. If you are offered food as well, you are a welcomed guest and treated like family. If no food is offered, make your stay short because you are not welcome. To this day, even if I go visit my grandmother in the nursing home during dinner, she still tries to hand me half of her dinner plate.

Just because you're Italian doesn't mean you're the only rich culture with an emphasis on family. Just because you feel that the Olive Garden is unfairly labeled an "Italian joint" doesn't mean that Americans only know bland food and that there is nothing out there better than Italian cooking. It also doesn't mean that other cultures look down on America as well. Most of my very extended family in Poland and the Czech Republic that still stays in touch thinks fondly of America and is very proud of their American family members. But hey, those Italians think different so that must be how it is. America really must suck! We should all go to Italy because it's so much better there! :rolleyes:

Yeah, thanks but I'll pass.

tonyb

Touchy eh?

Never said that all other cultures suck so don't put words in my mouth dude. Also never said that Italians are the only rich culture. What I did say was that to experience the true culture,you need to go there. Much like americans get knocked by europeans who have never experienced the american culture. Wasn't intending to put down our culture here in america but just point out how others from europe may view us. If I recall,I sure as heck didn't put down Polish people either so I don't know where your little rant is coming from. Needless to say,it really doesn't matter one way or the other,so have yourself a Merry Christmas chief.

SolidSqual

Jstas wrote: »

Um, yes I have.

But, see, my family is Polish, Austrian and Czech. But apparently, according to Italians though, everyone else is uncultured swine and sucks.

Then the Italians wonder why there tends to be a negative view of Italians.

Guess I'll go have some of my bland Polish food like pirogi, kielbasa (not kebasy you heathens), home made sauerkraut and chrusciki that my mother is home cooking right now and getting ready for the family to come over for Christmas Eve dinner. I think I'll have a bottle of my Czech Pilsner, Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj in actual Czech) to go with some fried kielbasa and pirogis covered in sauerkraut for dinner and finish it up with some Austrian Apfelstrudel (apple strudel to the rest of you and it's not pie) and a glass of my great grandmother's favorite, Einspänner (Austrian type of that Italian abomination "espresso").

The family still gets together every holiday, even though all but one of my grandparents has passed. My grandparents who were Polish always told me "Polski jest ważna, rodzina jest ważniejsza" (Polish is important, family is more important). My Austrian grandmother on my dad's side would tell me that Austrians do not brag about what they do, they just do. There is no need for useless boisterous posturing. She was also very critical of Italians, Greeks, French and Spanish who she considered very flamboyant and untrustworthy. My Czech grandfather died when my dad was a boy so I never really knew him but my great aunt and uncles were typical hot-headed Czech who are proud to be Czech but modest at the same time.

The times that I have gone to places where there is immense Polish influence or even just a Polish-American festival here in NJ, just asking a simple question like "Where's the bathroom?" in Polish (Gdzie jest toaleta?) gets the response of wide eyed amazement and "Jesteś Polski? Cudowny!" (You are Polish? Wonderful!) followed by hugs and food shoved in my face.

At the PA Renaissance Faire, when I walk up to the Bavarian tent where the local German-American Society is cooking hoards of sausages and schnitzels as well as Goulash and ask "Könnten Sie bitte etwas Wienerschnitzel und Weißwurst", the looks on the stern German faces of the grandmothers doing the cooking lighten as if they were talking to their own grandchildren and I can usually get extra helpings!

In a Polish home, if you are offered a drink, it's a courtesy to a guest. If you are offered food as well, you are a welcomed guest and treated like family. If no food is offered, make your stay short because you are not welcome. To this day, even if I go visit my grandmother in the nursing home during dinner, she still tries to hand me half of her dinner plate.

Just because you're Italian doesn't mean you're the only rich culture with an emphasis on family. Just because you feel that the Olive Garden is unfairly labeled an "Italian joint" doesn't mean that Americans only know bland food and that there is nothing out there better than Italian cooking. It also doesn't mean that other cultures look down on America as well. Most of my very extended family in Poland and the Czech Republic that still stays in touch thinks fondly of America and is very proud of their American family members. But hey, those Italians think different so that must be how it is. America really must suck! We should all go to Italy because it's so much better there! :rolleyes:

Yeah, thanks but I'll pass.

I loved reading this, thanks. My sentiments exactly. My polish great grandma would stuff me till I was dying everytime I visited her. Man those are good memories.

Zeros

SolidSqual wrote: »

I loved reading this, thanks. My sentiments exactly. My polish great grandma would stuff me till I was dying everytime I visited her. Man those are good memories.

Agreed. Dziekuje.

Jstas

tonyb wrote: »

Touchy eh?

Never said that all other cultures suck so don't put words in my mouth dude. Also never said that Italians are the only rich culture. What I did say was that to experience the true culture,you need to go there. Much like americans get knocked by europeans who have never experienced the american culture. Wasn't intending to put down our culture here in america but just point out how others from europe may view us. If I recall,I sure as heck didn't put down Polish people either so I don't know where your little rant is coming from. Needless to say,it really doesn't matter one way or the other,so have yourself a Merry Christmas chief.

But, according to you, Americans don't have culture or at least, if they do, it's weak.

Your post came off as dismissive of anyone who wasn't Italian. So I called you on it and then you were dismissive of me again as being touchy. You're not exonerated from your statements. I know I'm not the only one who didn't care for them nor was I the only one who saw this whole thread as a potential mine field. After I posted it, I went to do work. Came back an hour and a half later and had 12 PM's about the thread with positive reactions to what I posted.

Save your ethnic bigotry. My family has European descent. We even have ties to royalty since my Grandmother on my dad's side was part of King Joesph's court. But I am an American and we have as rich and significant culture as any other country/region out there. I cherish my ethnic roots including the American ones. I don't label myself as a Polish-American, Austrian-American or Czech-American. I'm just an American with certain ancestry.