Category Archives: America

Feast of the Seven Fishes

We spent Christmas in Portland with my family this year, but we still celebrated the Italian-American Christmas Eve feast, La Vigilia, or the feast of the seven fishes.  It’s not certain where this tradition arose, but fish is symbolic in … Continue reading

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Some hometown flavor in NYC

As the first real snowfall of the season blankets Chicago, it’s a great morning to drink a cup of coffee, watch the flurries coat the trees, and reminisce about another cup of coffee. Over Thanksgiving, we were in New Jersey … Continue reading

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Home for the holidays

We’ve headed home to the U.S. for the holidays and I’m in Chicago now. Talk about some reverse culture shock! Big SUVs, big supermarkets, big everything. Even the toilet bowls have more water in them than the ones in Italy … Continue reading

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Missing the Oregon coast

This morning it’s already scorching and hundreds of bronzed bodies frolic in the surf. The sea is calm and clear as bathwater, not mosso, with rough waves, like I prefer. Then, I can at least pretend I’m looking at an … Continue reading

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As American as German pancakes

Well, we’re not able to barbecue this Memorial Day, but we’re celebrating a little bit of America by making pancakes. Not many Italians eat pancakes; in fact, we bought syrup at the grocery store a few days ago, and the … Continue reading

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