After Steve and I had been dating for a few weeks, he invited me to his house for dinner with his family. Dinner with the family can be very overwhelming, especially when it is a large, Italian family. But Steve was cute and I figured I could handle it, so I agreed to go. I was getting my wisdom teeth out two days before the Big Dinner, but I thought... how bad could it be? When I found out we were having spaghetti, I was so thankful. Something slippery and easy to eat...perfect for my sore mouth and my hugely puffy chipmunk cheeks. Yes, I did show up to the Big Dinner with chipmunk cheeks. And I learned something about Italian cooking that night. Spaghetti with homemade sauce is not - I repeat, NOT - a suitable meal for a chipmunk girl. Seriously. Homemade spaghetti sauce (at least the way Steve's family makes it) is far different than my traditional and much loved Ragu. I took one bite and felt sure my huge cheeks were going to burst into flames. Saying that it was hot is an understatement. I pretended to eat it, while I wondered how I was going to extinguish the fire in my mouth (and still be polite and kind and likable during the Big Dinner). Thankfully, I learned another great thing about Italian families that evening...everyone talks and laughs and drinks red wine in generous amounts. So when they weren't looking, I slid my bowl (yes, Italians eat pasta in bowls...how weird is that?) to Steve and said in a very firm voice "Here, EAT IT." Which he graciously did.
Today, nearly 14 years later, we laugh about the Big Dinner and my flaming chipmunk cheeks. Recently, Steve wanted to introduce Kate to the fun of Italian cooking (the real way, not the Ragu way that takes place in our household). So we made a trip to Steve's parents to make ravioli. Everything in the ravioli was homemade by Steve's dad - the pasta, the cheese, and the sauce. Isn't that amazing? Who makes cheese these days? Kate had a fun time helping in the kitchen and the rest of us enjoyed the awesome, true Italian meal. Thankfully, my cheeks have even learned to handle the flaming spaghetti sauce!
Thanks Pop Pop and LoLo for the great dinner! Salud! (see, I am becoming Italian, sort of).
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