O/T - Ethnic Families

[JoeyT]

Does anybody else here come from or married into a family with strong ethnic customs or traditions where just about anything is cause for celebration and food is the centerpiece? If so, what reasons do you give for not joining in the festivities such as eating fried panzerotti (pizza puff for non - Italians), fried arancini (ball of rice stuffed with cheese, meat and peas, then battered and fried), sausage & peppers, chicken vesuvio (usually aabout a cup of olive oil to 1 whole chicken) and then the sweets?!?!?!?!

 

[TestPolska]

Well I'd imagine if you are married into it, I would ask your significant other to attempt to explain your position.

 

[JoeyT]

That would probably

be easy enough, but we've got the double whammy here! Try telling an Italian mother your not hungry or I can't/won't/don't eat that! Getting smacked with a wooden spoon is not a stereotype - it's true! LOL

 

[buselmo]

in the arabian gulf countries, the culture is very close to italians or greeks... everything revolves around food and loud conversations where everyone talks at the same time ... People get extremely offended here if you don't eat their food, or say you can't attend a dinner or lunch invitation. that's why a lot of my relatives hate my guts ... if we are really close in customs and cultures... there's no way out of this without offending someone.

 

[dragonfire101]

I go all the festivities and they have accepted if I am on a diet and that I will only eat certain things and don't take offense.

 

[asilaydying]

Im a full blown dego myself and I usually try not attending big dinners if im dieting or I say I already ate before I came(which with an italian mother and grandmother doesnt work so well)

 

[eroc613]

Just say that you have your way of doing things, your not trying to insult them by not doing things their way, just as your sure, they wouldn't insult you, by you doing things your way.
My wife is half asian, it works for me. Every culture is different.

 

[Pekkerwood]

I have an Italian girlfriend and spend about six weeks a year in Italy. I eat all I want there and have never gained weight including drinking wine most days. The food is typically lighter than the American/Italian versions, or the second generation Italian versions we have here. When I first started visiting they would make special food for me at there home, but now I eat whatever everyone else is having.

I do agree about the olive oil in abundance in a lot of dishes you might not expect like that chicken one with black olives and fennel. Also a lot of olive oil in the vegetable dishes.

One thing I have noticed as a large difference is in the actual Italian preparations the sausages, meats, cheeses are merely flavorings for the underlying pasta much like a dressing on a salad. A lot of Americans would be dissappointed upon receiving the typical serving style of a dish in Middle and Southern Italy. I have noticed that around the touristy areas, especially those with English signs, the dishes are more like those served here in the States.

My favorite prepartions in Italy are usually the fresh seafood dishes, as the seas seem to impart a different flavor to some fish/shellfish.

Going back in May for three weeks, really looking forward to it.


Pekkerwood

 

[JoeyT]

Six weeks!

That would be incredible! The longest we have gone for is 4. By the time we get done visiting family and having dinner at every family members house, it's time to go home. It seems that there is never enough time when you are on vacation.

The town where our family is from is a fishing town, so the seafood is unbelievable! Everyday we are there, we walk down to the docks in the afternoon when all of the fisherman bring in there catch for the day and pick out whatever you want - they weigh it - pay & your done! I don't think it gets any more fresh than that!

We are going again this year in June, only two weeks this time, but can't wait, we are bringing our son for the first time - all of our family there have only seen pictures or video, so we're really looking forward to this trip!

Pekkerwood, which town is your girlfriends family from? Our's is from Mola di Bari, it is located at the top of the "heel of the boot", Adriatic Sea side.

 

[Mike Pulcinella]

Here's a clip from my first documentary that speaks to this subject.

If you can't tell, we are Italian! 100% Dego! This makes it very hard to go to family gatherings in the months before a contest.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NnPDWklSLz8

 

[JoeyT]

Mike, you hit the nail on the head!

I can hear the frustration!!! That's exactly what I'm talking about (not at the same level of course), but the comments, the misconception of "eating healthy", then the questioning, like - "I want to loose weight, what do you think I should do"? -all while stuffing a fork full of tiramisu in their mouth! Too funny! Where can I geat a copy of that DVD?

 

[bulldog21]

Here's a clip from my first documentary that speaks to this subject.

If you can't tell, we are Italian! 100% Dego! This makes it very hard to go to family gatherings in the months before a contest.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NnPDWklSLz8

I am right there with you Mike I am part Italian and part Korean.....My mother who is Korean actually was taught by my dad's (Italian) mother how to cook italian food and more importatnly was taught how to make her meatballs...

Every sunday is family dinner night and they have pasta and meatballs....

When My Korean Grandma was alive she was just like your mother she hated when I was dieting....hated it....that meant she couldn't feed me teh way she wanted too....It drove her nuts! lol..

 

[Pekkerwood]

Joey T:

Her parents/sister brother live in Rome. They have relatives and we visit through the Campania region. We are going to Pulia (sp) in late May/ early June which is near the "heel of the boot" and they say it is terrific. I may take the hydrofoil to Greece for 2 or three days as I have a Friend there on a small Island that is getting up in age and wants me to visit.

Buying the seafood from the coastal towns is the best. You actually can even do it from Rome, the Port is about 30 minutes drive. Her brother is an expert. He usually buys at the docks, but when we go to a restaraunt they immediately bring him into the kitchen to inspect and order. It is fantastic.

Pekkerwood

 

[Pekkerwood]

Supplements:

I find basic supplements in Rome, but when her family members visit who are bodybuilder/lifters, they literally can spend four hours in a supplement store. I almost always end up leaving my protein mix, bars, etc for them when I visit.

Pekkerwood

 

[Mike Pulcinella]

I can hear the frustration!!! That's exactly what I'm talking about (not at the same level of course), but the comments, the misconception of "eating healthy", then the questioning, like - "I want to loose weight, what do you think I should do"? -all while stuffing a fork full of tiramisu in their mouth! Too funny! Where can I geat a copy of that DVD?

That's my brother Dave Pulcinella in that clip. I watched that scene play out so many times at family parties that I had to videotape it just to show what he goes through. It turned into "Raising the Bar", a very popular documentary in the bodybuilding world. Now there's a Raising the Bar 2. Here's the trailer for RTB2...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=r-tRhKKoIFQ

And our MySpace page which explains a lot more...

http://www.myspace.com/raisingthebar123

I'm working on a third installment due out late this year.

Both RTB1 and 2 can be found at www.houseofbodybuilding.com. Thanks for your interest!

Mike

 

[lynx]

I'm Native American so my family also does a lot of things revolving around food. It was hard at first to tell them that I couldn't eat but now most come to expect it. It's really hard around ceremonies.

 

[JoeyT]

Mola di Bari is part

of the region Puglia that you will be visiting! That is where out family is from. When you get there, you have to go visit a few places that are like no other! I will get the names of them from my wife and post them here for you! I am excited for you!

 

[JoeyT]

Which types of food

I'm Native American so my family also does a lot of things revolving around food. It was hard at first to tell them that I couldn't eat but now most come to expect it. It's really hard around ceremonies.

are typical Native American? I don't really know that much about that culture, but if I had to guess, I would think that most food is ok - probably not fried or smothered in any sauces - just my guess though....are family parties called ceremonies or is that something different?

 

[thebrick]

My wife is from Mexico City so when we go down to see family a couple of times a year, I dive in the food is so delicious. Oh well… its my little vice. On the plus side, the food is 10 times better than what people call Mexican food here in the states. Lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat. Nothing is buried in cheese like they do here + portions are WAY smaller than what Americans are used to. If I asked for an burrito, they wouldn't know what the hell I was asking for…

 

[lynx]

are typical Native American? I don't really know that much about that culture, but if I had to guess, I would think that most food is ok - probably not fried or smothered in any sauces - just my guess though....are family parties called ceremonies or is that something different?

For ceremonies the food is pretty good (EXCEPT for fry bread and bannock bread...yum, yum!) but not really measurable if you pre-contest. The most sought after dish is berry soup. It's made with Sarvis berries and some people put tongue in it, but I like just the plain berry soup, no tongue please. No sauces. People can put ketchup on their boiled meat if they like or mustard.

There are other ceremonies that require different traditions and they can be very specific, I'm just talking about the more general ceremonies like give-aways (done after someone has passed away) and name-giving ceremonies (when someone is given their Indian name) or general celebrations.