At 14 years old, I fell in love with an Italian girl. Her parents were the first American born of immigrants from Italy. I was invited to their house for Christmas dinner and what a culture shock that was. I, being from a Protestant and Jewish household, was in awe at the traditions involved in a Catholic Italian dinner. They first served a salad, then we had pasta and home made gravy (spaghetti sauce) with pieces of pork chop, sausage and meatballs. I had NEVER tasted anything so good in my life. I was really chowing down and my girlfriend nudged me and said don't eat so much. THEN, out came the capons, one for each of us, with mashed potatoes, veggies and of course wine. I sat there is a food coma for a while, then they served fresh fruit. About an hour and a half into the meal, the roast beef came out, again with mashed potatoes and everything else. I never saw so much food in my life and then realized why everyone in the family, except my girlfriend, was so fat and happy. Following dinner, we had a cake with a baby Jesus sitting on top and we all sang happy birthday to Jesus. That, along with many other family traditions, just blew me away.
