Sunday Dinner for Italians

Italians have a $40,000 kitchen, but use the $259 stove from Sears in the basement to cook. There is some sort of religious statue in the hallway, living room, bedroom, front porch and backyard. The living room is filled with old wedding favors with pouffy net bows and stale almonds (they are too pretty to open).

A portrait of the Pope and Frank Sinatra hang in the dining room.

God forbid if anyone EVER attempted to eat Chef Boy-are-dee, Franco American, Ragu, Prego or anything else in a jar or can (tomato paste is the exception).

Meatballs are made with Pork, Veal and Beef. We are Italians; we don't care about cholesterol. Turkey is served on Thanksgiving, AFTER the manicotti, gnocchi, lasagna and soup.

If anyone EVER says ES-CAROLE, slap 'em in the face -- it's SHCAROLE.

If they ever say ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP, let the idiot know that there is no wedding, nor is there an Italian in the soup. Also, the tiny meatballs must be made by hand.

No matter how hard you know you were going to get smacked, you still came home from church after communion, you stuck half a loaf of bread in the sauce pot, snuck out a fried meatball and chowed down so you'll make up for it next week at confession.

Sunday dinner was at 1:00. The meal went like this...

Table is set with everyday dishes...doesn't matter if they don't match...they're clean, What more do you want? All the utensils go on the right side of the plate and the napkin goes on the left. Put a clean kitchen towel at Nonno & Papa's plate because they won't use napkins. Homemade wine and bottles of 7up are on the table.

First course, Antipasto...change plates. Next, Macaroni (Nonna called all spaghetti Macaroni)...change plates. After that, Roasted Meats, Roasted Potatoes, Over-cooked Vegetables... change plates. THEN, and only then (NEVER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEAL) would you eat the salad (HOMEMADE OIL &VINEGAR DRESSING ONLY)...change plates. Next, Fruit & Nuts - in the shell (on paper plates because you ran out of the other ones). Coffee with Anisette (Espresso for Nonno, "Merican" coffee for the rest) with hard cookies (Biscottis) to dip in the coffee. The kids go play...the men go to lay down. They slept so soundly you could do brain surgery on them without anesthesia.. the women clean the kitchen. Getting screamed at by Mom or Nonna - half the sentence was English, the other half Italian. prom garment suitable for plus size girl

Italian mothers never threw a baseball in their life, but could nail you in the head with a shoe thrown from the kitchen while you're in the living room.

Prom Dress that Zia Ceserina made you... $20.00 for material. Prom hair-do from Cousin Angela... Free. Turning around at prom to see your entire family (including Godparents) standing in the back of the gym... PRICELESS!

The true Italians will love this, those of you who are married to Italians will understand this, and there are those that wished they were Italian, and finally, those of you who are friends with Italians will remember and will forward it to their Italian friends.
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Michelle Manicone
Michelle Manicone Amen
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· Reply · 4h
Gerrie Salvatore
Gerrie Salvatore Hey, where's the meat from the SAUCE??
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Josephine Cicci-Neff
Josephine Cicci-Neff Saved Wedding Favors (Bombonierri) oh my, yes! Lol
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Anna Longobardi
Anna Longobardi That was decades ago. This is 2018 and we don't have anything like that now. Even my mother didn't and she came here in 1920.
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Paul LaFond
Paul LaFond Amen I so can relate too this
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Patty Capasso Variara
Patty Capasso Variara Memories ❤️
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Bill Presti
Bill Presti Memories of long ago.
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Marisa A. Agostino
Marisa A. Agostino Not me got rid of all those favors..live in a condo apartment now no room for all that stuff n old ugly pics..its 2018. No more 70...s thru those all out hate them dust gathersers..they are..
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Bernadette Ann Witt
Bernadette Ann Witt All so true and it brings back so many beautiful memories!
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Joe Capone
Joe Capone My mom's neighbors have just the same set up
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Silvia Costa Puccio
Silvia Costa Puccio Yes and yes! except Sunday dinner is at 2
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Cynthia Bene
Cynthia Bene Love it ?
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Dave Caserta
Dave Caserta Are Sunday meal was noon sharp and don’t be late ?? ❤️ ?
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Roe Cannella
Roe Cannella 98
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Audrey Costa-Chmiel
Audrey Costa-Chmiel I thought my grandfather was the only one to put 7Up in his homemade wine.
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Adele Ronollo Randazzo
Adele Ronollo Randazzo You forgot the plastic slip covers on the furniture! ?
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TerriLynn Marie Luzzi
TerriLynn Marie Luzzi So true,but us kids ate before the grown ups.
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Paula Hoene
Paula Hoene I had the candied almonds at my wedding, with bows the same colors as the cake.
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Michelle Manicone
Michelle Manicone I miss this so much ..
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Antoinette Impresa
Antoinette Impresa So true. ?? ?? ??
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Fran C. Alfonsi
Fran C. Alfonsi I love being a italian
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Dana Gioia Golio
Dana Gioia Golio So so true ❤️ ??
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Elaine Sapochetti DeVivo
Elaine Sapochetti DeVivo This really covers it all. Love the old traditions ?? ?? ??
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Robert Fazio
Robert Fazio Every word is just priceless, Bellissima
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Maryann Manley
Maryann Manley Most of my family are gone now, happy and sad reading this. All my relatives homes were like this. My mother was Irish, so our home was filled with books, antiques, oriental rugs and beautiful art, but she was the best cook in the family,all the Italian relatives said.
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Marie Como Colleameno
Marie Como Colleameno Lol so true
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Robert Marie Caselli Silvey
Robert Marie Caselli Silvey This is all so true
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Lucia Riopell
Lucia Riopell Memories - Fun Weddings Lots of dancing!!!!!
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Paul Mangano
Paul Mangano Sounds about right. ? ?
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Paul Mangano
Paul Mangano Hanging garlic and peppers in the kitchen.
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Mena Pedorenko
Mena Pedorenko Love being Italian
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Lelia Fileni-Modafferi
Lelia Fileni-Modafferi Love your description. Miss this hoopla.
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Mary Jo Bushell
Mary Jo Bushell Hilarious! Wish I could forward this to my family!!! Also, if you weren’t eating with gusto, Nonna would keep saying ‘manga, manga, Bella’
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DiAne Hazeltine
DiAne Hazeltine Hilarious and so true!!
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Gr Ace
Gr Ace Funny but so true
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Stephanie Prado
Stephanie Prado True this!
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Florence Matteo Campanella
Florence Matteo Campanella So very true. Are we related
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Ann Romano
Ann Romano This was lovely. You nailed it! Thanks.
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Jim Cammarano
Jim Cammarano Woops almost forgot. BLood Pudding. Great stuff
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Angelo J Cataldo
Angelo J Cataldo Jim you are right on the money, basement has The Wine Cellar the stole the refrigerator. The backyard has the tomato plants the Fig Tree The Grapes the roses. And early evening get the beach chairs to sit out front with the old Paisans. I lost my dad 4 years ago and I miss seeing him in front of the house..
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Jim Cammarano
Jim Cammarano We ate at 2 and during the holidays started up again about 7pm.
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Anne Carey
Anne Carey Oh my gosh so true. More like my grandmother and great grandmother.
It was awesome.
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Marie Visconti-Keenan
Marie Visconti-Keenan Omg did I love it! Perfect!
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Veronica De Nisco Alverson
Veronica De Nisco Alverson Were you at my house. Nailed it.
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Maria A. Morreale
Maria A. Morreale YES! I miss it!
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Rosalie Tucci Kleopfel
Rosalie Tucci Kleopfel Truth!
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Miriam Favretto
Miriam Favretto ALL SO TRUE , MANY YEARS AGO, THE GOOD OLD DAYS, TODAYS KIDS DONT KNOW WHAT THEYRE MISSING TOO BAD, WE HAD IT GOOD AND SO MUCH LOVE AND RESPECT THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES BENEDICA!!!
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Miriam Favretto
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