that's amore

Italian Cuisine and Italian Heritage have been frequent topics of discussion lately. I miss the monthly Italian club dinners my *Nonu used to take us to, and I sure miss my Nonu even more.

I think one of the things I miss most is his gentle simplicity and how that represented Italy and being Italian to me. He was endlessly patient, kind, funny, so loving, thoughtful and generous. He loved to garden, grew much of his own food, loved light but tasty dishes and loved having the family over for a traditional Italian meal.

The thing is, like any place, the food and the culture may have similarities but differ region to region, and change once Americanized. My family comes from Northern Italy, the dishes my family made were so much lighter than most of what is served in restaurants here today, and were full of love, cherished for hours and often eaten outdoors with music playing in the background. Our tradition most closely resembles what a precious few places call "family style"

I miss those happy simple meals and all the family that has since passed. I look forward to passing on some of those traditions and telling the stories I was told, and the details I remember.

Salute!




*(Nonu is Piedmontese for Grandfather, in my case, my great grandfather)