Thursday, November 19, 2015

Four Generations of Pasta Makers

(This post first appeared here three years ago today on my daughter's 22nd birthday. You do the math. (I have a baby who is a quarter century old! Okay, I did it for you. I was a Math major for a while, after all!))

There are a few threads of tradition that weave through four generations of women in my family. A few skipped a generation, like baking for instance, but my Grandma Theresa and my daughter held tightly to each of them.


My great grandmother taught my grandma to make pasta, which everyone in the Italian neighborhood did on Sundays. While my grandma didn’t carry on the tradition in exactly the same way, she shared her talent for pasta making with my mom and me.

As I crawled the floors of a Cicero three flat, Grandma Theresa and her daughter made ravioli for Easter or Christmas and sometimes just because “we had a taste for them”. When I was old enough, my job was the “forker” or sealing those pillow y bundles of delicate deliciousness. Mom was always surprised because grandma never let her in the kitchen to help.

My grandma had the world’s best Italian arms seemingly made for kneading dough. You know the kind... the big, jiggly ones. It wasn’t until I was in high school that grandma determined I had the stamina to partake in the kneading. It seemed like it took hours but in reality was probably only 30 minutes. It was extremely tiring.

As a young adult working and always trying to make ends meet, grandma would call and ask me to take her to the market. I knew what that meant. She was inviting me over to make a pasta feast for two. We always made cavatelli, meatballs, and a big salad. Dessert was inevitably orange or raspberry Jello and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I took leftovers in Tupperware home to my apartment which would last me days.

Twenty-two years ago today, another woman came into our world and it wasn’t too long before my daughter crawled on the floor of her great grandma’s apartment as three older generations kneaded, filled and forked ravioli. Homemade pasta was among the first solid foods my daughter ate.

Grandma Theresa passed away when Amanda was 3 1/2 years old but says she remembers her.

Today, three generations of women continue to make ravioli together several times a year. Not only because “we have a taste for it” but it’s a way to keep the spirit of a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother alive. 

So when my daughter invited her college friends to spend the night at our home yesterday to celebrate her 21st +1 birthday (a day early), she asked if they could make ravioli. She thought it would be fun and said she had a taste for it.


I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that someday I’ll be making pasta with my granddaughter (not too soon though, Amanda). And I hope for at least a few years, she’ll crawl on the floor while a great grandmother, grandmother and mother knead, fill and fork ravioli.

Happy birthday darling daughter.

You have grown into an exceptionally beautiful, intelligent, passionate, fun and kind woman of whom I am exceedingly proud.







(Who'd have known she'd be attending this university many years later and making awesome friends)
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It’s open grid week over at Yeah Write. Please come over and join us for Thanksgiving week! You won’t be disappointed with anything you read over there, I promise!

55 comments:

DEZMOND said...

Happy B-day to your daughter :)

I've inherited a machine for making noodles and pasta from my late grandmother, but it sits down in the basement, maybe I should take it up sometime and try my luck with it :)

IASoupMama said...

Sweet, sweet story!! Happy birthday, Amanda, and happy birth day, mama!

Stacie @ Snaps and Bits said...

What a wonderful story (and tradition!). You and your generations are welcome to make pasta in my kitchen any time! Happy Birthday to Amanda!

Jack said...

Happy Birthday Amanda. That is a very cool story about all of the pasta makers. Grandparents are really important.

About Last Weekend said...

Oh what a gorgeous heart-felt post and am so loving that top photo and how you all get round the pasta and it becomes a tradition and a party. PS, Your daughter and her friends are stunnas!!!

christie tate said...

Hello! I am weeping my eyes out here. Great post.

christina said...

GINA!!!!! tears. tears commeth from my eyes!!
and, are you ready for this? i was raised in Cicero!! born in Chicago, my parents brought me home to our bungalow on S. 60th court where we lived for 13 years. crazy, small world, huh? :)

Samantha Brinn Merel said...

I love this, and so understand the beauty in these kinds of memories. In my family, instead of four generations of pasta makers, we have four generations of challah bakers. My great-grandmother taught my grandmother (my dad's mom) how to bake challah. When my mom and dad got engaged 37 years ago, my grandmother taught my mom, and my mom taught my sisters and me. So even though we all live in different cities now (although not too far away), on Thursday nights, you can usually find all of us in our respective kitchens, baking bread from the very same recipe that was passed down from my great-grandmother. It's one of my favorite family traditions.

Gina said...

Thanks, Dez! The girls just all left. Boy are they an energetic group of 20 somethings!

Get it out. It is easy to do. But I'll warn you. Once you start, you can't stop doing it because you'll get "a taste for them".

Gina said...

Thanks, IASM! Can't believe how many years it's been since my first little baby sprung to life. And sprung she did!

Gina said...

It is a fun tradition. Tasty too! The gravy recipe that we make is over 100 years old. That I make monthly, if not more. Give me a time/date and I will come teach you to make them. She had such a lovely birthday that she's still sleeping!

Gina said...

Thanks, Jack! Can't believe my baby's grown up! Watch out. It will happen to you too. I miss my Grandma very much. We were extremely close. I'm happy that Amanda has memories of her.

Gina said...

I love that my daughter and grandmother's Easter outfits matched. I always loved that picture. It was sort of like a party when I was growing up because we would laugh and talk while making it. This time it was truly a birthday dinner/party! Her friends are so sweet, fun and NICE. They are all so fresh faced. Love it!

Gina said...

Oohhhh! I wish I could hand you a tissue and I hope they are joyful tears. I appreciate your comment, Christie!

Gina said...

Noooooooo! My grandma always lived in Cicero. Both my parents grew up there but moved out to Elmhurst a year or so after they were married. I know where S. 60th court is!!!!! It is a small world but I love it that way sometimes. I love me some common ground.

Gina said...

Samantha! That is exactly what I'm talking about. Now I will imagine you and your family making challah from the same recipe every Thursday night. And your children will do the same. I love that your grandmother taught her DIL. That something that enfolds her into the family. I'm happy you have a tradition and memories extremely similar to mine. I wish everyone could form them.

Steph said...

What a beautiful tribute to your daughter, Gina, and to the traditions of your family. I watch my young nieces and see how important the traditions we still follow are to them just as they were to my sisters and me. It's heartwarming - like your post.

Michelle Longo said...

Happy birthday to your daughter! I so love that you have this tradition and that your daughter is part of it too. Lovely. Really.

Kinley Dane said...

That's a lovely tradition. I love homemeade pasta, but have never made it myself. It always seems like it would be difficult. How great that your daughter wanted to do it with her friends. Happy birthday to her!

The Dose of Reality said...

Oh my Gosh, this is GORGEOUS. What a lucky daughter to have you as her mom.

Gina said...

As I get older and my children grow up, I can fully see the influence and impact traditions have/have had on their lives. It's comfort and safety and warm cozies and, most of all, love. Thanks, Steph!

Gina said...

It was my favorite thing to do with my grandma and doing it with my daughter is even better. thanks, Michelle.

Gina said...

It's really, really easy to make. Once you do you'll crave it! It was her idea. There was flour everywhere but they had a blast. She had a great birthday. Where did the time go?

Gina said...

THANK YOU! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! She knows she's lucky, think she's lucky more than half the time. I'm the "NO" person in the family and she doesn't always chew that well. Neither do I so I do understand!

William Dameron said...

Very sweet story and beautiful daughter! I am now officially hungry and would like some pasta. FYI, tomorrow will be my first Italian Thanksgiving. Eating with friends and their family who all speak Italian. I am looking forward to some good food!

Unknown said...

I so loved this post. It was so very sweet and endearing. I have never in my life made homemade pasta. I've thought it just seemed like too much of a challenge for me, but this post really makes me want to try sometime -- and maybe pass it on down to my daughter too. Great photos!

Anonymous said...

Oh, this made me tear up! Happy birthday to your beautiful daughter!

What a wonderful family tradition! Go, you and your daughter, for keeping it alive!

P.S. My husband's grandfather grew up in Canaryville and now lives in Bridgeport, so I totally saw little baby you crawling around on the floor of that Cicero three-flat. Great image.

Gina said...

Thank you, Bill. She's a sweetheart. You will definitely have pasta tomorrow. Pasta is traditional with any holiday meal. I would love to share Thanksgiving with anyone speaking Italian. Enjoy! You will NOT be disappointed with the food, that's for sure.

Gina said...

It is not challenging at all. As a matter of fact it's quite easy. It's a fun thing to do with kids. They always want to help in some way and they can. Some of my personal favorites as far as photos go. I'm glad you like them.

Gina said...

I love happy tears or sentimental tears...well I pretty much don't mind crying which is good because I do. She wants to do it more often than I want to and I know she will keep the tradition alive with her kids. As a matter of fact, those girls will be living together next year at school (in a house) and they've already said they are going to make pasta themselves than invite some boys over. They thought it was a great hook!

I know exactly where that is. I know some people that grew up in Bridgeport as well. It's not often that people can get a "real" mental picture so I'm happy you did. Happy Thanksgiving, Kathleen!

Unknown said...

Oh this is so lovely! What a wonderful gift for your daughter—the pasta and the post. And your kitchen is AMAZING!

http://truthfully.ca

Dilovely said...

Beautiful tribute! And homemade ravioli... MMMMM! So festive.

Gina said...

Thanks, Shannon. It was so much fun. Thanks about the kitchen too. It's very homey, cozy. And it gets used a LOT.

Gina said...

We LOVE homemade Ravs. And my daughter is a delight. Thank you for appreciating my story for her.

A Morning Grouch said...

Aw, that is such a beautiful thing!

Gina said...

Thank you so much!

lumdog2012 said...

Beautiful! Beautiful writing and beautiful story. My ex-wife is Italian and all I can say is I miss "la familia". You brought this all back. Lovely. Can I come for dinner?

Azara said...

Happy birthday to Amanda! What a sweet birthday message to her. My Oma has the German Mennonite arms that are just like the Italian grandma arms. I'd like to be able to make zwiebach like my Oma, but I admit I'd like to skip the arms. It's not looking good so far.

Miz Yank said...

Gina, you had me with the first couple lines. My Italian grandmother is 91 and sadly, a shell of the dynamo she used to be, but we'll all always remember her for the homemade ravioli (which we all know how to make) and pasta on Sundays, just like you said. How lovely.

Michelle aka Naila Moon said...

Beautiful memory.
Hmmm...now I want ravioli! ;)

Amanda Joy said...

Aw, very sweet story!

50Peach said...

So touching. Lovely retelling of a wonderful family tradition. <3

Gina said...

I bet you do miss them, lumdog. I'm glad I took you back to good memories. Dinner is at 7pm.

Gina said...

She had a great birthday. Thanks! I'm so scared of getting those arms. So scared that I do a lot of tricep, bicep and delt work out of sheer fear!

Gina said...

You too!!! I'm thrilled to share that memory with you. We have pasta all the time. There's probably never a moment in this house that I don't have some gravy made for pasta either in the frig or freezer. Thank you so much for your comments!

Gina said...

Have some this weekend right after turkey day. We have pasta as well on Thanksgiving. I do the turkey and all of that and my mom is bringing lasagna (I think).

Gina said...

Thank you Amanda!

Gina said...

On days like today and even though Grandma Theresa has been gone a very long time, I miss her. We will definitely spend some time today remembering all our loved ones who aren't here.

Ginny Marie said...

What a wonderful tradition! There's nothing like homemade pasta, and I rarely get to eat it. Now I want ravioli for dinner!

Gina said...

It is super fun for all of us! Plus we are piggies when it comes to anything having to do with pasta. It's in the blood! Go to the best Italian restaurant you know and order some. Or come over here but today it's lasagna (with turkey)!

Larks said...

What a beautiful (and tasty!) family tradition to have! And happy birthday to your daughter!

Gina said...

Tasty! YES! Thanks, Lark!

Ginny Marie said...

What a great tradition to pass on to daughters and granddaughter! Of course, it's more than just the pasta making, and the picture of your daughter with her friends show what it's really all about. :) Love it!

Ginny Marie said...

Ha, I'm scrolling up and I commented in 2012, too! Have we really been blogging together for that long?!? :)

Gina said...

Hahaha! Ginny, I just went back to look too! We have been. I think we met at YW's first NaBloPoMo grid in 2012!!!!! I haven't been a good visitor to some of my old friends but look for that to change!!!