My Mixed Marriage

Ok, the title is a misnomer. I am not in a marriage- but I am in a relationship. And, as we all do with relationships, we spend time with the other person's family. In an Italian family, a lot of this time revolves around grandparents and the copious amounts of food they seemingly have on hand, any time anywhere. 

A meal like this is ready anytime- anywhere

So, being the gentleman that I am- I offered to do some of the last minute shopping that my girlfriend's grandparents needed. I wasn't high enough on the totem pole to pick out the traditional salumi- prosciutto, capicola, sopressata- that was a chore for family. It didn't matter that my family was from the same town as hers- I was a newbie and I wasn't going to be able to touch the cold cuts. And, if this was Christmastime, I assure you I wouldn't be able to purchase the fish either.

Anyway, I did the shopping. The list was simple: extra virgin olive oil (1 tin), loaves of Italian bread and cheese (Reggiano).

What I purchased was this: 1 tin of Colavita Olive Oil, 5 loaves of Italian bread and Reggiano cheese.

You might be saying- “Ok, you are blogging about a shopping list that you executed perfectly.” And, you would be wrong. Turns out, I only got 1/3 of the list “giusto” (correct) according to my girlfriend's family. Why?

Well, my household is a “Filippo Berio” household- we always use that specific oil. Filippo Berio in the cupboard has been around here longer than many cats, dogs and spouses. I have never seen another oil label in my house. My girlfriend's family is a “Colavita” family. Likewise, they have never seen another label in their house. When I took the oil out of the bag, the oil was inspected as if it was passing customs. The response: “What did you bring, gasoline? We don't fry things in gasoline” The mixed marriage title is starting to make sense, right?

Note: Gasoline

Note: Not Gasoline

 The next, massive faux-pas that I made was my choice of bread. To the casual observer, Italian bread is Italian bread, regardless of shape or size. But they have a huge distinction- one is found only in America. Admittedly, my family enjoys Italian American bread more than Italian bread.

Traditional Italian Bread

Italian-American Bread

The bottom picture is distinctly Italian American in origin- it is not native to Italy. Why does my family prefer this bread? I'm not sure. All I know is that this bread was purchased on a daily basis by my immigrant grandparents from an Italian immigrant baker. The response here? I might as well have brought my girlfriend's family Wonder Bread- Italian Style.

Blasphemy

The event, while excruciating at the time, made me realize that there are different shades of what it means to be Italian. Here, our families are not just from the same country- but from the same town. While we do share a great deal in common (and that has been a huge plus) we also have many differences. Are you in an Italian "mixed" marriage or relationship? Let us know in the comments!