The North and The South
I'm pissed! Rule #1: Never piss of a Sicilian. As Kim and probably all my suite mates have heard I've been deeply offended and I honestly can't get over it. And it takes a lot to make me mad but this just really got me.
Yesterday, (Thursday)(And this is totally unrelated but) I had an extremely depressing World Religions class, where we talked about the history of Judaism. Leaving there I was ready to cry. I wanted to hold my Jewish suite mate, and kiss my Jewish boyfriend. But then I went to Italian and afterward I was so mad I could have punched my professor.
Before I begin I'd just like to say that I've known some wonderful Northern Italians.
We started to get off topic in class. Some of the students were asking if you could buy things cheaper in the US or in Italy. Then we got on the topic of food and he was recommending Italian restaurants in the city that he liked. He said that the food Americans consider Italian isn't really Italian because the first large immigration of Italians to the US were Sicilian and Napolitan. Thus the food we have here is regional. Someone asked about Little Italy in NY, and he said that that was just a bunch of "cheesy Italian Americans". Listening to that I was not initially offended until I started to think about the implications of what he was saying after class.
I don't know what you know about Italy but many Northern Italians feel they're superior to Southern Italians. Because Southern Italy has experienced poverty, it culture at a certain point in history reflected that. Northern Italy didn't suffer as much. They have art, and fashion and lots of great stuff. So some people believe that Southern Italians aren't classy or educated etc. And that's the racism of Italy. In the US Italian Americans often experienced racism during their first large immigration at the beginning of the 20th Century. That's a big reason why the mafia was instituted. If Americans weren't going to let us get ahead we would make them. The creation of the mafia was extremely unfortunate, though at the time somewhat understandable, it's negatively impacted Italian American culture. There are many reasons why I think that but that's another tale for another time. ANYWAY, back to Italian class.
There are different types of Italian cuisine. In the US if you go to the south, you're going to find very different food then in the north. So does that mean southern food isn't American? NO! That'd be ridiculous to say. And yet my arrogant Northern Italian profesor thinks the only real Italian food is from the North. Now why am I so offended over food? It's just food, right? No, to Italians food is a big deal. In an Italian house food is what brings the family together. All of my families holiday traditions center around food. I remember being at my aunts house and the stack of home made pizzas on the counter at Christmas and making cannoli dough. I remmember my Nonna always making my Nonno pasta or minestra before dinner. I have so many memories centered around food its ridiculous! And it's not just my family, it's part of the Italian culture. The food that my Sicilian Nonna brought to the table, was that not authentic? After all the woman learned how to cook in Sicily! Where did my great grandmother get her sfinge recipe? For crying out loud my father, makes sfogliatelle in his Italian Pastry Shop! That's a very difficult thing to make and takes a lot of skill! These things come from Sicily. They are as authentic as the accents of the people that taught my parents generation how to make them.
And what is this about "cheesy Italian Americans"? The Italian American culture is extremely unique and if you don't understand where it came from then I suppose you would think it was cheesy. Being Italian American isn't about pizza, or the Sopranos, or hanging red horns in your car. Being Italian American has to do with our grandparents and the culture they brought us. It's a celebration of nostalgia for the people that we love. I play Scopa and Briscola because It gives me good memories of my Nonna, my grandfather, and my Uncle Frank. When I see all those ridiculous Catholic relics or a demitasse set I feel like I'm with my grandparents. Italian Americans are the way they are because they're holding on to a culture that no longer exists in Italy. It is the culture of our grandparents. In Sicily today you will not find people who speak Sicilian. But in Little Italy, NY you can.
It is strange to me because i'd like to know who my professor was addressing when he said that Italian Americans are "cheesy"? Obviously there are no Italian born people in his class, so those of us with Italian decent are Italian Americans. And the rest of the students there are from the DR or are just American. Not only is he putting down students in his class but he's promoting other students that aren't Italian to take up his opinion.
It is sick. And it is why The Sons of Italy of America and countless other Italian American organizations exist. We band together to celebrate who we are and when somebody decides they don't like who we are we're going to have something to say about it. Pick up "The Golden Lion" or "Italian America" and see what happens when they make a ridiculous movie like "Shark Tale". I could go on about the mafia but I promise I won't...today. Anyway, the point is that Sicilians are Italians too, and a big part of being American is about learning tolerance, especially toward different races.
If I was African American and having this discussion would my teacher still be working at Manhattanville?
Yesterday, (Thursday)(And this is totally unrelated but) I had an extremely depressing World Religions class, where we talked about the history of Judaism. Leaving there I was ready to cry. I wanted to hold my Jewish suite mate, and kiss my Jewish boyfriend. But then I went to Italian and afterward I was so mad I could have punched my professor.
Before I begin I'd just like to say that I've known some wonderful Northern Italians.
We started to get off topic in class. Some of the students were asking if you could buy things cheaper in the US or in Italy. Then we got on the topic of food and he was recommending Italian restaurants in the city that he liked. He said that the food Americans consider Italian isn't really Italian because the first large immigration of Italians to the US were Sicilian and Napolitan. Thus the food we have here is regional. Someone asked about Little Italy in NY, and he said that that was just a bunch of "cheesy Italian Americans". Listening to that I was not initially offended until I started to think about the implications of what he was saying after class.
I don't know what you know about Italy but many Northern Italians feel they're superior to Southern Italians. Because Southern Italy has experienced poverty, it culture at a certain point in history reflected that. Northern Italy didn't suffer as much. They have art, and fashion and lots of great stuff. So some people believe that Southern Italians aren't classy or educated etc. And that's the racism of Italy. In the US Italian Americans often experienced racism during their first large immigration at the beginning of the 20th Century. That's a big reason why the mafia was instituted. If Americans weren't going to let us get ahead we would make them. The creation of the mafia was extremely unfortunate, though at the time somewhat understandable, it's negatively impacted Italian American culture. There are many reasons why I think that but that's another tale for another time. ANYWAY, back to Italian class.
There are different types of Italian cuisine. In the US if you go to the south, you're going to find very different food then in the north. So does that mean southern food isn't American? NO! That'd be ridiculous to say. And yet my arrogant Northern Italian profesor thinks the only real Italian food is from the North. Now why am I so offended over food? It's just food, right? No, to Italians food is a big deal. In an Italian house food is what brings the family together. All of my families holiday traditions center around food. I remember being at my aunts house and the stack of home made pizzas on the counter at Christmas and making cannoli dough. I remmember my Nonna always making my Nonno pasta or minestra before dinner. I have so many memories centered around food its ridiculous! And it's not just my family, it's part of the Italian culture. The food that my Sicilian Nonna brought to the table, was that not authentic? After all the woman learned how to cook in Sicily! Where did my great grandmother get her sfinge recipe? For crying out loud my father, makes sfogliatelle in his Italian Pastry Shop! That's a very difficult thing to make and takes a lot of skill! These things come from Sicily. They are as authentic as the accents of the people that taught my parents generation how to make them.
And what is this about "cheesy Italian Americans"? The Italian American culture is extremely unique and if you don't understand where it came from then I suppose you would think it was cheesy. Being Italian American isn't about pizza, or the Sopranos, or hanging red horns in your car. Being Italian American has to do with our grandparents and the culture they brought us. It's a celebration of nostalgia for the people that we love. I play Scopa and Briscola because It gives me good memories of my Nonna, my grandfather, and my Uncle Frank. When I see all those ridiculous Catholic relics or a demitasse set I feel like I'm with my grandparents. Italian Americans are the way they are because they're holding on to a culture that no longer exists in Italy. It is the culture of our grandparents. In Sicily today you will not find people who speak Sicilian. But in Little Italy, NY you can.
It is strange to me because i'd like to know who my professor was addressing when he said that Italian Americans are "cheesy"? Obviously there are no Italian born people in his class, so those of us with Italian decent are Italian Americans. And the rest of the students there are from the DR or are just American. Not only is he putting down students in his class but he's promoting other students that aren't Italian to take up his opinion.
It is sick. And it is why The Sons of Italy of America and countless other Italian American organizations exist. We band together to celebrate who we are and when somebody decides they don't like who we are we're going to have something to say about it. Pick up "The Golden Lion" or "Italian America" and see what happens when they make a ridiculous movie like "Shark Tale". I could go on about the mafia but I promise I won't...today. Anyway, the point is that Sicilians are Italians too, and a big part of being American is about learning tolerance, especially toward different races.
If I was African American and having this discussion would my teacher still be working at Manhattanville?