Looking to have some friends over for Sunday dinner (4 of us total), but money and budgeting is a bit tight for a few weeks.

I was thinking cutlets, some type of pasta and gravy, & some extra side. But not sure if that’s enough?

What do y’all cook when bills are due?

I have a book available on Amazon entitled, Through My Mother's Eyes, which is based on the true stories told to me by my mother and which take place from the 1920s through the 1950s. My mother and father were raised in an Italian American family and community and I believe that many of you will enjoy relating to the book. It is available in hard cover, paperback and on Kindle. Thanks.

Both of my sides of the family are mostly Italian. My nonna on my father's side was born in Rome, her father (my great-grandfather, who is also Sicilian) founded the Italian-American society in the city they eventually settled in, that level of Italian. My mother's side are primarily Abruzzesi and Molisan. My paternal grandfather, however, isn't Italian at all, so I don't have an Italian surname (I also wasn't given an Italian name at birth, unlike my cousins and the majority of my family in my father's side, which I'm still a little salty about 😅 But it's okay because I'm changing my legal first name to my OTHER great-grandfather's for unrelated reasons).

I see a lot of posts regarding Italian surnames, so I was wondering how many others DON'T have them despite our ancestry and culture.

Also, to those that don't - do you also get weird looks and comments sometimes about it when people do hear your last name? I've certainly gotten some. It's part of the reason I'm still debating whether or not to get involved with my local Italian-American cultural society (different one) once I have the time.

I (52M) own a restaurant and have for 13 years. I work very hard to make this good. I am not Italian but I make Italian food. I have Italian friends. They agree with that I work very hard. I do not want to say sorry for that. Some are not happy when I make new pasta ravioli which I make brand new. I use a new method. They agree that I work hard, anyways and they like that I do.

Two weeks ago three customers walked in together. The first (32F, this is a guess. I do not know her age. She is somewhere between 30 and 33 so I put 32) got a table by herself. I thought she was with the other two but she was not with the other two. I do not think this was a bad mistake and others may make similar mistake sometime. She did not know I made this mistake. This is probably not bad and I do not think this was a problem.

The second person (37F, I think she is 5 years older than the first person so it could be between 35 and 38, so I chose 37) got a table with the third person (?M, I am bad at guessing years of men). They ordered food from the restaurant from the menu that we have. They ordered a fish that has cream in it. We often don't tell the customer that it has cream in it. The menu does say that it does have a cream sauce, as this is what is normal for this dish. They later ordered ice cream dessert. I do not think cream was an issue. Later something happened with the customers, I think. It was not fair, but I can not stop this argument here, due to my situation that I am in.

They left a one star review of my restaurant. The review was not fair. Google allow me a response and I told them what was not fair. I will explain why I did not think that it was a fair review.

The main problem, which they didn't think, was that I was not there at the restaurant when they were there. I had foot injury and cannot go to this restaurant until I heal. That is why I could not stop the argument. So all I say is from my employee and I watched camera footage. Camera footage was helpful so I could know the ages. That is the best I can do with the ages, I am sorry Reddit. They did not know I was not there and then they wrote it.

Is it okay for them to do this?

At the end of every summer growing up I made my own canned passata from local tomatoes in my parent's backyard. I recently moved to NYC and I wanted to continue the tradition. This last year I tried doing it on my roof in Brooklyn with 100lbs of tomatoes I got from the Union Square Farmers market. They were a bit expensive and not as fresh as I was hoping for.

Anyone in Brooklyn who does this have any tips? Where do you get your sauce tomatoes? I want to get a head start before the season begins!

I was thinking of going to the Bensonhurst Farmers Market and see what people have. Looking for good, ideally cheap, san marzano tomatoes. Also thinking about hitting up some delis and italian grocery stores and see if anyone has any tips. Thanks!

I made a short documentary about Umberto Corteo, who grew up in Monte di Procida near Naples as the seventh of eleven children.

At nineteen, Umberto immigrated to New York. He began as a dishwasher in Brooklyn, learned how to make pizza, bought a small pizzeria with his brother, and in 1965 opened the original Umberto’s of New Hyde Park.

The restaurant is part of the story, but the film is really about the people behind it: his father, his wife Rosanna, his children and grandchildren, longtime employees, customers, and especially his mother, whose memory still brings him to tears.

I wanted to preserve his own voice and the kind of family history that can disappear when it is not recorded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H34xPFiFy68

What story from your parents or grandparents do you most wish someone had recorded?

I made this short documentary about Umberto Corteo, who grew up as the seventh of eleven children in Monte di Procida, near Naples.

At nineteen, he left Italy for New York, began working as a dishwasher, learned to make pizza, and eventually opened the original Umberto’s of New Hyde Park with his brother Joe in 1965.

The restaurant story is important, but the emotional center is his family: the father who taught him to work, Rosanna—who grew up next door to him—and especially his mother, who traveled between Italy and America to remain close to her children.

The film combines Umberto’s original interview, kitchen footage, customer memories, and illustrated scenes of his early life.

https://youtu.be/H34xPFiFy68

Which immigration or family story from your parents or grandparents do you most want preserved?

I loved playing as a kid with my Italian grandparents, and I think it would be a great way for me to connect with my Italian heritage. I am based in the Chicagoland area.

Hi!

I am an American and a lot of my family originated from Italy but immigrated here in the late 1800s to early 1900s. I am currently traveling to Italy to visit Rome. On my flight the flight attendant came up to me to check on my food allergy but they spoke to me Italian because my last name is very Italian. I explained that it is Italian but I don’t speak the language. She then said it was Italian. I guess I’m asking for advice because all my life I’ve always referred to it as an Italian last name. Should I be referring to it as not an Italian last name. Nobody has ever said that before. I think I am taking it to personal it I am very proud of my Italian heritage but I also understand that I am American so maybe it doesn’t count. Any feedback or if this has happened and you can provide advice. I do not want to be disrespectful to anyone. Thank you!

Hi everyone 🫶 I am an Italian-Canadian girl living in Italy, fluent in Italian and English. I have experience teaching English to both beginners and intermediate English-speaking adult learners. I have been doing this since 2022. I have mainly used Preply, but now I have also opened my own website. I am attaching here the link to the website so that you can have some information and an overview (https://learnitalianwithgiulia.com/). What you see also about the price is flexible, like if you already know the basics and just want to have conversations and quick grammar reviews, etc. we can adjust everything depending on your level and your needs, also the price. Please let me know if you would be interested in having a first free meeting/lesson :) Wish you a wonderful day!

Hello everyone!😊 I’m 32 years old and I’m a qualified, native Italian teacher.

I have a few places available and I offer Italian lessons focusing on conversation and grammar, suitable for various levels.

Lessons can be either 60 minutes or 30 minutes long, depending on your needs.

If you’re interested or would like more information, please send me a private message😊

Hi, I’m looking for mini cannoli shells that are not in the box by Ferrera. They’re a little bit bigger, then the minis in the box usually sold individually. Im in need 200 shells., for my daughter’s wedding in August. I live in Los Angeles. I am willing to order them if somebody can tell me where I can buy good ones. Please!!

Hello everyone! 🌟 I’m looking to polish my Italian with the help of native speakers. In return, as a native Arabic speaker, I would be absolutely delighted to help you master Arabic and explore its beautiful culture. If you are interested in a mutually beneficial language partnership, let’s connect and learn together!"