The Italian Culture of Coffee - Conversation, Family and Love

Enjoying a cup of Lavazza espresso with my family --made with my new Philips Saeco Espresso Machine

What is it about espresso and Italian families?  The one food element in an Italian family that often brings us together and gives us a sense of comfort at family dinners, occasions and most events.   Since I was little, growing up in our Italian household --I always thought coffee was normal where even kids could drink it.  I remember my father even putting a little bit of coffee in my bottle as a baby. Granted I may have been a hyper baby, but ask any Italian and they say they put a little coffee in the latte.    As I got older,  you realize that having a cup of espresso is really a lifestyle.  There is style, etiquette and a lot of emotion that goes into espresso.  Often when we would visit my family in Italy over the summers, I remember my Uncle Franky taking such pride in boiling the espresso, waiting, stirring the sugar and then serving it right away so it wouldn't lose it's savory taste or heat.    Not only did making espresso at home become such an important element in our family, but it also signified a time for family to gather, talk,  digest and really slow down to enjoy the moment.  You think -- 'Really does espresso do all that? I say, yes... if you go to Italy and someone invites you for an espresso,  you better accept!  If you deny someones invitation for an espresso at home or at an espresso bar you're basically saying 'I don't want to invest in that slow down or in conversation or time with you.' -(Yes --That is the translation--no, not really literally but Italians can get dramatic..)  I laugh as I write this, because to someone who doesn't know or understand the Italian culture you could say, wow Italians take their espresso as serious business.  I confirm that! 

Recently, I received a Philips Saeco Syntia Espresso Machine along with Lavazza coffee beans from the awesome teams at both companies.   I have to be honest with you,  I've never made espresso in a machine like this, espresso was always made in the old school pot called a 'bialetti.' The only time you would see an espresso machine would be if I went to an Italian coffee bar.  

My first time experience with making the espresso in this machine was beyond any appliance experience, the machine is so easy to use, it tells you exactly what to do, what you need and it respects the process of making espresso so much, that you end up respecting the machine.. it sounds silly, but I honestly want to spend a lot of time now really perfecting and make variations on my espresso.  

I was unsure how I was going to make the espresso,  let's be honest, when I make espresso I'm usually in company-- and by company I mean by my loud, overly involved family. So I wanted to wait when I knew I could share my espresso first time experience with my family.  I'm not kidding.   In setting the machine up I had my mother and father in on it too, my mother really loved looking at all the intricate details of the machine and was so impressed with the taste and 'crema' of the espresso. 

The quality and taste of the espresso was beyond my expectations and my family's.  Let's be honest as Italians we are very critical of food and especially the holy espresso. My sister, Maria was so in love with her cup that she asked if she could take my espresso machine home with her.. of which I said no, but she can come over when she wants.  My brother Santo, wanted to try the cappuccino variation and asked me "Marg, what do we need, what kind of milk should we go buy so it comes out perfect?" I mean this Philips Saeco espresso machine turned my family into a competitive bunch of baristas -- of which I have to laugh.. my family is a sit-com in itself.   So, I had to fight everyone off not to take my machine home with them, now they're begging to use it or for example my brother is moving into a new home soon and gently hinted "you know Marg, that would make a nice house-warming gift.."  I told him .."Sure Santo..." --yeah right.. you're not touching my machine." 

So what turned out to be a first time experience using my Philips Saeco Espresso Machine, turned into a night of conversation, family and lottttssss of love.  I love my new machine, the coffee beans from Lavazza were also as my mother says, "speciale"-- the brand Lavazza is something we grew up using our whole lives, so when I told my family I have Lavazza beans to use in the machine, they all immediately nodded with approval, because any Italian knows and uses Lavazza coffee.   Lavazza is also history to me -it's a familiar staple in the Italian family.  Overall, if you're going to invest in a way of etiquette for espresso making the Philips Saeco 'Espresso Perfetto' machine will fulfill your needs and supersede your expectations.  Grazie a Philips Saeco e Lavazza! 

To learn more about the Philips Saeco machine visit:

http://www.saeco.philips.com/

To learn more about Lavazza:

http://www.lavazza.com

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JOVANOTTI, ITALIAN ARTIST, TO TOUR THE U.S - Fall Dates Announced!

Culminating a lifelong love affair with America, Jovanotti (Lorenzo Cherubini) is now engaging professionally with the U.S. as never before. ATO Records is determined to introduce American audiences to him with today's release of Italia 1988-2012, a career retrospective including four new tracks.

In October, the Tuscan artist, who has sold over five million albums in his native Italy, will tour this country, performing in sizable venues nationwide. Please see below for an itinerary including the fall tour and shows this month in San Francisco (at the Outside Lands Music Festival), Los Angeles (an in-store performance and CD signing at the legendary Amoeba Music in Hollywood), Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, OR.

Italia 1988-2012 is the artist's first physical album of studio recordings to be released in the U.S. In fact, very little of the material has been released here in any format. The album has garnered pre-release acclaim from The New York Times http://nyti.ms/N60i3e , NPR, The New York Daily News and others.

Jovanotti Summer U.S. Dates

August 16 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
August 18 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre
August 19 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater

Jovanotti Fall U.S. Tour Announced

October 1 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
October 2 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
October 5 Boston, MA Royale
October 6 New York, NY Terminal 5
October 8 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
October 9 Orlando, FL House of Blues
October 10 Miami, FL The Fillmore Miami Beach
October 12 Austin, TX ACL Music Festival
October 14 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
October 15 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
October 17 Chicago, IL The Vic Theatre
October 18 Detroit, MI Saint Andrew's Hall

See you there!

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Italian American Grandchildren Understanding Their Culture

Anthony & Gianna

Yesterday, my nieces and nephew were eager to help my mother collect the ripe tomatoes off the plants my parents had growing separate from the garden. My mother had done it earlier and the kids went crazy, asking 'Nonna, why did you do that without us?' She had to think quick and tell them OK, we have the other plants you can collect from -- she saved the day otherwise there was going to be trouble. As I stood there watching and laughing at their enthusiasm, it made me so proud. They listen to every word my mother says, on how and which tomatoes to pick, the kids understand that growing your own garden is second nature and they know Nonna makes the most amazing tomato salad with the tomatoes and basil fresh from the garden. Sometimes, I think will my nieces and nephew have the same passions as Italian Americans like my siblings and I do? Today it's harder than ever to raise kids to know or even understand their background. We're so saturated with technology and lack of culture in suburbs or maybe even in the cities - there is an disengagement factor that happens and it's not on purpose. My nieces and nephews get their education straight from Nonna and Nonno, which I think is amazing. They know they're Italian American and they know my parents came from Italy. They understand the struggle and learn more about our traditions as they get older and become more aware of their identities. I'm so happy the kids get this pure exposure to their culture. Growing up Italian American can not be compared to anything else. Tweet

Digital Diary - Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy - 7 Days, 7 Artists, 7 Videos...

I was contacted by one of the producers of the Digital Diary series when they first produced the first video in Basilica, since then they've produced a newer one in Friuli Venezia Giulia - it's by far one of the most interesting takes on showcasing Italy and it's amazing regions. They have 7 artists, (producers & camera people) travel within 7 days of their designated project and shoot their 7 videos, which then becomes the digital diary masterpiece. Here's a bit of their explanation on what they do:

'7 Artists. 7 Days. 7 Videos.
We’ve imported some of the most creative minds around to work on our Digital Diary of Italy. We’ve got young photographers, video makers, animators on the project to give us their impression of Italy.
Totally subjective. Undemocratic. Creative."

Learn more here: http://www.cantforget.it/artists

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Growing Up Italian American .. and DisFunction is A Key Element

I will start my post off by saying, I love that I grew up Italian American, have Italian parents, and know the value of culture, family, love, support and yes this may shock many of you, but I will also add disfunction. This may be the first time I ever wrote anything about this topic and quite frankly to keep the blog real, if you tell me you've experienced no disfunction in an Italian American family then I'm gonna have to call you out and say you're full of it. I am sure many families not just Italians go through this, but I have to say as Italians or Italian American everything is magnified x10!!!

As Italian Americans we grow up with people in our families speaking loudly, arguing, and maybe even getting more animated than the norm. Now a days, this is considered bad behavior or grounds for analysis. To you and me as Italian Americans, we may not know any different and think it's normal. Along with the arguing is something called family dynamics, yes you know what I mean.. it's all about making sure you give certain people the right amount of respect and interacting with some family who you may not get along with, but you do for the sake of the family.

I love my family very much, but I think we all reserve the right to be who need to be as individuals, I don't always agree with my parents or siblings but in the end or when we need each other most YOU can best your ass we are there for each other. I always say blood is thicker than water... and this is true. So, without our disfunction we would be boring, and that very disfunction is also the element that keeps our family strong. I embrace the disfunction.. and sometimes have to laugh, because at times you think do other people's families go through this madness like us.. or is it just us??? I'm finding we all have our madness somewhere, but LOVE and family are everything. Can you relate?

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Rick Steves Travels To: Rome, Italy: The Ancient Forum

You know what they say, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do.' If you've never been to Rome, your missing one of the most historical and educational trips of a lifetime. To be in Rome is to be in the middle of history. The structures, streets, architecture leave you in awe and all the while you're standing in modern day Rome. Watch this tour with travel guru Rick Steves as he ventures into historic and new Rome.

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Happy Mother's Day to my Italian Mother....

Here is a picture of my mother, Francesca. This picture was taken in Reggio Calabria,Italy while we were there visiting on vacation. It's difficult to sum up what a mother means to a person or how they've positively affected you. Don't get me wrong my mother drives me nuts too.. LOL but --I love my mother and thank her for not letting me forget who I am.. Happy Mother's Day Ma!


Photo: Copyright of ItalianAmericanGirl.com - Italian American Girl 2012 - You must ask permission for reuse. Tweet