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15 Things You'll Totally Get If You Grew Up With An Italian Family

Mangia!

Alyssa Innaurato

Jun 11, 2018

West Chester University

885

15 Things You'll Totally Get If You Grew Up With An Italian Family

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1. The three-hour goodbye.

When you're with your family, the goodbyes take YEARS. No one knows why, it just happens. It takes my nonna a total of 5 minutes to say goodbye via phone... and when in person, patience is definitely a virtue. (Love you, Nonna Tina!)

2. Sunday dinners.

Classic. There's nothing better than Sunday dinners. A time when everyone sits down and gets to eat together- the more family, the better.

3. Gravy isn't what you eat at Thanksgiving dinner...

Yup, you read that right. Gravy is red, and don't you dare call it "sauce."

4. Knowing to NOT go to Nonna's if you aren't hungry.

Don't even attempt to say no to Nonna. In the end, you're going to be forced to eat anyway, so you may as well fast your day away.

5. Bread comes with every meal.

Somehow there's always bread on the table- whether it be a loaf of Italian or some garlic bread, it's there.

6. If a pot of pasta isn't on the stove, something's wrong.

When aren't Italian families cooking? The answer is never.

7. Red wine, lots of it.

Bottles on bottles on bottles. My mom can't remember a time, starting with her childhood, when there wasn't a bottle of red on the table at dinner time.

8. If somebody can't make it to dinner, no worries. A plate of leftovers is coming their way.

Nothing is better than leftovers, and on the plus side, you get a little bit of everything. And by a little, I mean a lot.

9. No matter how hard you try, chicken cutlets always taste better if Nonna's the one cooking them.

Something about those chicken cutlets...

10. Panettone always makes its way onto the table.

What on earth is Panettone? If you know, you know.

11. When you're full, but dessert comes out... "Eh, why not?"

But the biscottis… you can't say no. And if you do, you soon regret it.

12. It's impossible to diet...

Don't even try it.

13. Fresh tomatoes from the garden, of course.

And that's what makes the gravy so, so tasty.

14. No Italian-American restaurants compare to your Nonna's cooking.

Yes, there are some authentic restaurants that have the finest of all Italian dishes, but when you eat something made in your nonna's kitchen, nothing compares.

15. Everybody's talking with their hands.

Non-verbals are KEY.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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15 Things You'll Totally Get If You Grew Up With An Italian Family

Mangia!

1. The three-hour goodbye.

2. Sunday dinners.

3. Gravy isn't what you eat at Thanksgiving dinner...

4. Knowing to NOT go to Nonna's if you aren't hungry.

5. Bread comes with every meal.

6. If a pot of pasta isn't on the stove, something's wrong.

7. Red wine, lots of it.

8. If somebody can't make it to dinner, no worries. A plate of leftovers is coming their way.

9. No matter how hard you try, chicken cutlets always taste better if Nonna's the one cooking them.

10. Panettone always makes its way onto the table.

11. When you're full, but dessert comes out... "Eh, why not?"

12. It's impossible to diet...

13. Fresh tomatoes from the garden, of course.

14. No Italian-American restaurants compare to your Nonna's cooking.

15. Everybody's talking with their hands.

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10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

Who knows where we would be without them.

1. Thank you for laughing at my jokes, even when they really aren’t funny.

2. Thank you for singing unbearably loud with me all the time.

3. Thank you for letting me vent to you for hours about anything and basically being my personal therapist.

4. Thank you for ordering pizza with me at 2 in the morning.

5. Thank you for all the movie days when we don’t feel like moving.

6. Thank you for being my workout buddy everyday.

7. Thank you for sharing your closets with me.

8. Thank you for taking naps with me at random hours during the day.

9. Thank you for cleaning our home with me when we absolutely need to.

10. Thank you for all the rides when it’s late and you don’t want me to walk home alone in the dark.

11. Thank you for studying with me in our kitchen when we didn't want to go the library.

12. Thank you for making dinner with me.

13. Thank you for helping with my hair, makeup and outfit every time we go out.

14. Thank you for taking countless ugly pictures with me.

15. Thank you for not judging me when I go too long without showering.

16. Thank you for making our apartment feel like a second home.

17. Thank you for being there through all of our boy troubles.

18. Thank you for giving me a hug when I feel homesick.

19. Thank you for getting excited with me when one of us gets a good grade on an exam.

20. Thank you for still being my friend and not judging me when I say or do dumb things.

21. Thank you for telling me what I should do when I am sick.

22. Thank you for dancing horribly with me everywhere we go.

23. Thank you for staying up super late with me when we aren’t tired or can’t sleep.

24. Thank you for being super weird with me.

25. Thank you for all the unforgettable college memories.

26. And most of all, thank you for being the best friends a girl could have.

I may or may not be stressing right now.

1. "What do I have to study for?"

2. "What class do I need to study for the most?"

3. "I’m going to ace this."

4. "Focus!"

5."I have no idea what I'm reading."

6. "I should call my smart friend about this."

7. "I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail."

8. "I’m dropping out of school."

9. "What grade do I have to get on the final to pass the class?"

10. "Oh, no, I have to do good."

11. "I shouldn’t have procrastinated all semester."

12. "I wanna go to bed."

13. "We did not learn this!"

14. "I should go get food."

15. "Why do we even have finals?"

16. "I don’t want to be at the library."

17. "Get off your phone."

18. "I can watch Netflix for like 20 minutes and then go back to studying."

19. "I shouldn’t have watched Netflix."

20. "You have to study now!"

The "Happiest Place on Earth" has a lot of characters with some pretty great advice.

Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine. — Snow White

The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it. — Rafiki

You don't have time to be timid. You must be bold and daring. — Lumière

If watching is all you're gonna do, then you're gonna watch your life go by without ya. — Laverne

Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one. — Grandmother Willow

Always let your conscience be your guide. — Jiminy Cricket

To infinity and beyond. — Buzz Lightyear

Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved. — Pooh

Let it go. — Elsa

If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all. — Thumper

Today's special moments are tomorrow's memories. — Genie

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