As a second generation Italian-American, I grew up surrounded by my family’s Neapolitan heritage and traditions. I love being Italian, from the food to the language, the Italian culture is easily recognizable and lovable. Here are some of my experiences growing up surrounded by my big Italian family.

1. Italian food is the BEST.

Baked ziti, pasta fazool, chicken cutlets; the list of my favorite Italian meals go on. The house smells so good every night at dinner time (especially on Sundays). As a kid my favorite snacks were black olives, mozzarella (pronounced muh-za-rell by most Italian-Americans), and salami. Its probably likely that your mom told you at one point during your childhood to bring leftover chicken cutlets to school for lunch. Italian food is amazingly delicious, period.

2. It takes you a good 10 minutes to say hello to everyone at a family gathering.

Holidays like Christmas and Easter are a big deal in Italian families and everybody gets together to celebrate. It’s fun to play with your cousins and have delicious food, but first things first, you must greet everyone. You need to go say hello to every single one of your aunts, uncles, and everyone in between. You work up an appetite by the time you’re finished with all the small talk, why are there so many people in your family?!

3. They aren't mad at each other, they're just talking.

If you've ever interacted with an Italian at one point in your life, you know they are LOUD. I don't know why but it's just a natural reflex for Italians to talk really loud - almost yell - when having a conversation. This can be intimidating for non-Italians, especially when theres Italian mixed in with English and it sounds like they’re angry at each other. Don't worry, it’s common for a conversation to start off in English and end in a heated Italian discussion.

4. You've learned the Italian language.

Hearing my family speak Italian everyday made my life really easy when I started taking Italian class in middle school and through high school. You pick up words that you hear being spoken and learn what they mean surprisingly fast. But trust me, its not as easy to speak with your family as it is to understand what they’re saying, because Italians speak really fast.

5. Sunday dinners.

Sundays are the best days of the week for one reason, Sunday dinner. At around four in the afternoon everyone sits down to eat, talk, and relax. We start with antipasto as appetizers like tomato and mozzarella and cold cuts. Dinner is pasta with sauce and meatballs along with bread and salad. Thinking about all this Italian goodness is making me hungry, is it time for Sunday dinner yet?

If you have any Italian blood in you, you can probably relate to one if not all of these things Italian families do. Whether your family is off-the-boat like mine or not, Italian culture is something to be proud of. So say hello to all of your family members, try to speak some Italian, and enjoy the sauce this Sunday!