
“Chianti Bottles”
Painting by Anke Wheeler
At fineartamerica.com
Full Title: Sunday Dinner at an Italian-American Household
Subtitle: Lessons in Rhetoric – A Window on My 1950s Youth
sit down to table at noon
say grace and open the wine
l’antipasto – the appetizer
converse between bites
family updates
local news of the day
neighborhood gossip
open more wine
put records on the victrola
l’insalata – the salad
argue between bites
ethics
religion
philosophy
open more wine
spare the neighbors, shut the windows
la zuppa – the soup
argue between sips
politics
state of the union
economics
open more wine
spare the little ones, shoo them outdoors
il primo – the pasta
argue between bites
law and order
crime and punishment
corruption
open more wine
save the crystal, switch to plastic
il secondo e contorno – the meats and fishes and sidedishes
argue between bites
marriage
parenting
education
open the grappa, sambuca, anisette, limoncello, lacryma christi, amaretto
serve coffee, espresso
il dolci – the desserts
argue between bites
men vs. women
prejudice and discrimination
family responsibilities
open the brandy
bring out mandolins and guitars
la frutta e noci – fruits and figs and nuts
sing between bites
traditions
memories
the good old days
stand up at nine
kiss everyone goodnight
apologize for bad behavior
cursing in Italian
banging the table too often
throwing your napkin or bread at someone
calling someone stunato (moron) or capotosta (thick-headed)
breaking the cavatappi (corkscrew)
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