Campbells

Campbells

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

An Italian goodbye

The first week of school was a sad one for us as we had to say goodbye to a dear Italian family. From the moment the little girl set foot in CC's office and rattled off in her precocious manner, all her numbers in English, to the day we had to say goodbye, they have blessed us and our school.
From this family, my daughter gained a friend. My son gained a friend (even one who was 5 years older than him, but played with him like a buddy.) I learned mushrooms picked on the hillsides of Italy by the grandmother, (frozen and rehydrated) could be cooked to perfection in an Italian cream sauce. I learned there is no such thing as Italian meatballs! I learned Italians really do make their own pasta and wouldn't think of buying it packaged. I learned (sort of) how to make pasta. I learned tiramasu is best homemade.
My oldest daughter learned responsibility and how to be a good baby-sitter.
I learned I will always have a friend in Italy.

I learned, once again, that the goodbyes are the hardest part.

(Regarding the red bow and blue/brown striped shirt of my daughter...all I can say is that I leave before the kids in the morning!) 

2 comments:

Tara G. said...

And it's always good to have a friend in Italy!! :) I'm feeling the "get ready to move" pressure mounting- the goodbyes for my kids will be hard (for me, too!).

J.F. Pizarro said...

Thank you Sara. That's very thoughtful.
Let me just add that we do eat meatballs, maybe I haven't explained very well. They are sort of a "poor food", a way to reuse the leftovers. Probably the immigrants were carrying the pasta dressed with the (leftover) meatballs for lunch in the factories and the colleagues got interested in...
Later the Italians started opening restaurants and this colleagues went in asking for the pasta with meatballs so, in order not to disappoint a customer, they probably started serving "pasta with meatballs" changing the original "recipe with leftovers" into something made with fresh meat (or this is what I'd do...)

God bless you all.
J&B

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