Italian By Marriage
I am actually NOT Italian. I am Irish, German, and Polish. So why do people always think I am Italian. I married my husband 30 years ago and my last name changed to Falvo. So that is one reason people may think I’m Italian. When I first met my husband, I knew he was an Italian American. What I didn’t know was that his parents and all his aunts and uncles were born in Italy and came to America to create a better life for their families. Throughout our first year together, I started to realize how important being Italian and following cultural traditions were to my husband and his family. I began embracing this from day 1 and we have made sure to have our children understand the customs and pride of their heritage. The Falvo family is a very large family that truly has each other’s back. My husband has 7 first cousins that all live in NJ. When there is an occasion, they are all there!
So here are just a few things I learned and adopted through the years that may also make people think I’m Italian.
*You do not put cheese on your crabs and spaghetti Christmas Eve or any time for that matter. I did this in year one. My brother-in-law Brian offered it to me to test me. LOL! I never failed again.
*You eat your pasta first and then have your meat and vegetables. It does not go on the side. I do love preparing an Italian feast. Lots of courses to enjoy. Antipasto, Pasta, Homemade Tuscan bread, Meat & Vegetables, Fruits, Cheeses, and Desserts. Of course, lots of wine to go along with these dinners. The wine drinking came along as I got older. I had to fake that in the beginning especially when his uncle (Zio Renato) would make me drink his homemade wine.
*Saying Mozz, Prosciutt, and shortening other Italian words is not acceptable with real Italians. They pronounce these words in their entirety like Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Antipasto. You get the picture.
As for the language I am a forever student of Italian. I do my best to respect those in the family still living where this IS their first language.
So, No I am actually not Italian. I do take pride in my own families heritage as well, however marrying into an Italian family has been a beautiful experience in life and taught me so many great family values.