I am still chomping on the giant chocolate eggs La Bimba received for Easter.
Last night I dreamed a woman in a store? in a hospital? had Pasquetta written on her name tag.
We went to The Husband's sister's house for Easter dinner, a fifty course meal that included fettucine al brodo (pasta made by the nuns), pasta al forno, grilled lamb, veal, pork, ribs, sausage, and wild boar, lamb with peas, various cold cuts and cheeses, hard boiled eggs and ricotta, bread, lettuce and fennel salad, sautéed mushrooms, peppers, ricotta pear cake, mixed pastries (made by the nuns...no I don't know which nuns), wine, Pepsi, many liqueurs including artichoke...are you feeling full yet?
During the blessing of the table (a palm dipped in holy water and then flicked at everyone at the table), we were asked to stand. I had a forkful of fettucine moving toward La Bimba's mouth, so I hesitated a moment. In that moment of hesitation, the father of The Husband's sister's husband, a man of about 78, began to cry and sat back down next to his wife, who had not stood up due to her age (kind of like when my great aunts pleaded elderly so as to avoid sitting on boxes during shivah). I looked at the nonno, then at the nonna, who looked back at me shaking her head, shrugging her shoulders, and rolling her eyes as if to say, "There he goes again. What a putz!" One of the nonno's sons was sitting next to him and didn't give him the time of day. I was sort of paralyzed by the event, and had not yet stood up. Then The Husband nudged me and said, "Alzati" and I realized I should really stand up because otherwise the whole family was going to think I killed Jesus personally. I stood up, I got a drop of holy water in my eye, and then we all sat back down and set to eating. The nonno just whimpered away until a nice piece of grilled lamb was placed in front of him. He seemed better after that.
La Bimba had a blast playing with her cousins, eating chocolate, and finding surprises in the bowels of her cavernous eggs. "Eggies!" she cried every time another one, wrapped in colorful cellophane, came her way. I am already planning for her second birthday in April. La Bimba is nothing if not a party girl.
3 comments:
Did you ever find out what was wrong? Was he just hungry, really?
I am also enjoying the efforts of the easter bunny, though I do let my kids have a little too. (not that you are not!)
Today when we woke up, it was snowing. How's the weather in Naples?
love
gayle
Sounds like the Easter dinners I used to go to at my Grandparent's homes but one was in the Bronx and the other in Queens.
hello. i stumbled on your site in a weird way and would like to chat if thats ok i dont usually leave my email public but i dont see your e-mail anywhere. for the past 2 years ive been living in italy but was born and raised in new york. i didnt even know there was a world of people like me or us in that matter on the internet, i dont feel so lonely after all! if you would like to chat or exchange stories of anything feel free to e-mail me at xxxgoodgirlyxxx@aol.com
oh by the way im in naples as well. Ciao ~nina
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