When asked to write about one food that has had a strong impact on me, many different ideas came to mind, but all of them had one thing in common. They were Italian foods. I wondered if I should write about gnocchi, wedding soup, spaghetti and meatballs, pasta fazool, ravioli, or another one of the traditional Italian dishes my family loves to make. These foods are all so delicious and important to me, I couldn't choose just one. The dishes we enjoy are more than just food, they represent memories, traditions, and life lessons I hope to pass along to my children one day.
Because I could not choose one food in particular, I decided to discuss a whole Perno Sunday night dinner. Ever since I can remember, my huge crazy Italian family would pile into my grandmother’s house for dinner every Sunday night. There would always be something dramatic going on: plates being broken, drinks being spilled, people singing and dancing to Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin in the kitchen, kids breaking bones, people getting pushed into the pool, or even fights breaking out in the back room. It was always a fun time with family that we all still talk about and fondly remember today.
Right after arriving and kissing every member of the family, the kids would be sent outside to play house, freeze tag, baseball or swim. We might be lucky enough to watch Home Alone or some other movie with our older cousins. All the women would convene in the kitchen around appetizers of salami, prosciutto, cheeses, olives, and bread, chatting and finishing up any of the last minute details for the meal. The dads gathered in the living room to watch the weekly ballgame.
When the time for dinner finally came, a mom would round up the men and kids, and we would make a big circle around the kitchen to say the prayer, which was usually led by one of the kids. Then everyone would go to their weekly seat; men and older women in the dining room, young kids and mothers with babies in the kitchen, and the rest of the children on the porch, at the bar, or wherever they could find an empty seat. If we moved too slowly, my grandmother would worry that the food would get cold and make a huge scene. The meal often included salad, bread, spaghetti, meatballs, pork, chicken, and potatoes. On special occasions, we might have homemade ravioli, manicotti, or gnocchi, my personal favorite. We would impatiently wait our turns as the different components of the meal were passed around the large table.
I usually sat in the kitchen because of my age, and we got pretty silent as we devoured the best meal of our lives (or week). The kids listened to the conversation in the dining room, which was usually an argument, but we just laughed. We knew that no matter how loud the disagreement became, when the meal was over, so was the argument. If we were at the table with Grandma, she told us about growing up in a large, poor Italian immigrant family. We heard about how her mother made all the spaghetti by hand-no pasta machines and definitely no store bought pasta! She described the way her mother made gnocchi by hand, first making the dough, then cutting and curling each individual piece of potato dough with her fingers or a fork. Grandma, who still made gnocchi at the time, would tell us about wedding soup and the work it took to clean the escarole, roll the veal meatballs, and cut the small sponge cubes. She remembered that it was a treat because they could only afford it a few times a year. Knowing that Grandma made those things for us made us feel special, even though she seemed to forget we had heard all of her stories before. Now I realize that hearing them over and over made me remember them. The stories were about sharing what you had, loving one another, and being there for each other.
After we heard all Grandma’s stories for the billionth time, we would set our dishes next to the sink, thank the mothers for dinner, and run to the back to continue our game or movie. All the women and teenage girls had to help clean the kitchen and dining room and wash the mountain of dishes. It was a treat to avoid clean-up when we were younger because all the girls dreaded the day we would be old enough to help. Once everything was finally cleaned and put away, out came the dessert. Dessert might be anything, but it always included homemade biscotti or pizzelles. Biscotti are thick crunchy Italian cookies that can be made with nuts and are usually eaten with coffee. Pizzelles are very thin vanilla flavored “snowflake” shaped cookies. Whenever it was time to leave everyone would make the rounds to hug and kiss everyone goodbye until the next Sunday night. At least one kid always seemed to be crying because they did not want the night to end.
Even though we do not have Perno family Sunday night dinners regularly anymore, we still eat Italian food often. Whenever we do, I think of those weekly dinners with the whole family. They are the strongest memories from my childhood. These meals are not only important to me because I love the food; they are a large part of the traditions and values I learned from my family especially since all four of my father’s grandparents immigrated from Italy.
Grandma rarely cooks the big meals these days, so my mom and aunts have started to make some of these dishes. To keep these family recipes in the family, one day my sister, my cousins, and I will learn how to cook these foods. More than the food, though, the traditions and values I was taught while sharing food I loved with people I loved is what I want to bring to my own family one day. I think the way we have used Italian food during family meals as a way to share memories could have such an impact on families all over the world if they made the time for each other they way my family always has.
Showing posts with label Kinley Perno. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kinley Perno. Show all posts
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Holiday!- revised
The song “Holiday” by Green Day is a song that cries out about the American government. It talks about the modern-day problems dealing with Bush, the Iraq War, oil, and environmental issues. It is easy to tell it is a political song because it includes words such as, “Armageddon”, “company”, “war”, “protester”, “flag”, “monument”, “bombs”, “kill”, “government”, “Eiffel towers”, and “trials”. Green Day is singing about how they are “outlaws”, and they are trying to gain support and get the rest of the American people to join them in the fight against the government. This song has been the center of much conversation regarding the war and the feelings of the American people. Green Day is effective in getting people to think about the issues that are important to them, especially through the use of pathos.
Green Day is speaking to the young and middle-age voting American public. They want the people who are making the decisions to be informed of all the things they believe the American government is doing wrong since September 11. They are hoping to change the minds of the American people so they will become outraged like them, and want to do something to change things. They use the word, “Hey!” at the end of some of the lines and say “Can I get another Amen? (Amen!)”, as a way to get people pumped up and show that people agree with their opinions against the government.
One of the themes the song speaks about is everything bad since September 11th and the war that has been an outcome. They disagree with the war and the fact that so many people have lost their lives for a war that may not even be necessary. This theme is seen when they says things like, “And bleed, the company lost the war today,” and:
Hear the sound of the falling rain
Coming down like an Armageddon flame (Hey!)
The shame
The ones who died without a name
Another theme in this song is their disapproval of the American government. They are taking a stand against all the empty lies the government is telling the American people, and all the control they have. In the lines that say, “Another protester has crossed the line (Hey!) To find, the money's on the other side” Green Day is saying that the people who are trying to make a difference just find that the government and people with money control everything, so all their efforts are pointless. The government is going to, “Kill all the fags that don’t agree!”, which means that the government does not really care about the opinions of the American people, and they will do whatever they want to anyone who doesn’t agree with what they have to say. They want to stand up against it because if something isn’t done now, then nothing will ever change; things will just get worse. This is seen in the chorus:
I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies
This is the dawning of the rest of our lives
On holiday
“Holiday” by Green Day is a song that represents all three of the ideas of pathos, ethos, and logos. Pathos is the idea that is most present in this song. The idea of pathos is represented in this song because they use examples that are intended to produce a reaction or shock out of the people they are singing this song to. This is seen in examples such as, “The shame, the ones who died without a name”, “And bleed, the company lost the war today”, “There's a flag wrapped around a score of men”, “A gag, A plastic bag on a monument”, “Bombs away is your punishment!”, and “Kill all the fags that don't agree!”. All of these phrases are meant shock people and spark a reaction so that something will be done to stop what the government is doing with the war. Green Day was very effective in portraying the idea of pathos. Many of the lines they sing are meant to get people fired up about supporting their case. They scream the word, “Hey!” and “Amen” to get people pumped. These phrases show emotion, and the examples can be personal to the audience, but they are definitely not over the top.
The singers of Green Day also portray the idea of ethos and logos, just not as strongly as pathos. This is seen because when they say, “The representative from California now has the floor…”, it makes it sound like it is a credible source who is talking about all the concrete details. Even though ethos is present in the song, I don’t think it is very effective. They sound like they know what they are talking about, but the only real credible source in the song would be the representative from California. The fact that the band is singing things like, “And bleed, the company lost the war today”, “Another protester has crossed the line (Hey!)To find, the money's on the other side”, and “There's a flag wrapped around a score of men (Hey!) A gag, a plastic bag on a monument”, gives concrete details about why they are mad about what is going on, which are examples of logos. Logos isn’t a real effective part of the song either because they gave examples of why they are rebelling, but they never use real numbers or facts.
Overall, “Holiday” is very effective in sounding like a credible political song by the use of pathos, ethos, and logos. Green Day does a good job clearly stating their thoughts and opinions. They also do a good job getting people pumped up and excited about the song and what they are talking about by adding the “Hey!” and “Amen” phrases throughout the song.
Green Day is speaking to the young and middle-age voting American public. They want the people who are making the decisions to be informed of all the things they believe the American government is doing wrong since September 11. They are hoping to change the minds of the American people so they will become outraged like them, and want to do something to change things. They use the word, “Hey!” at the end of some of the lines and say “Can I get another Amen? (Amen!)”, as a way to get people pumped up and show that people agree with their opinions against the government.
One of the themes the song speaks about is everything bad since September 11th and the war that has been an outcome. They disagree with the war and the fact that so many people have lost their lives for a war that may not even be necessary. This theme is seen when they says things like, “And bleed, the company lost the war today,” and:
Hear the sound of the falling rain
Coming down like an Armageddon flame (Hey!)
The shame
The ones who died without a name
Another theme in this song is their disapproval of the American government. They are taking a stand against all the empty lies the government is telling the American people, and all the control they have. In the lines that say, “Another protester has crossed the line (Hey!) To find, the money's on the other side” Green Day is saying that the people who are trying to make a difference just find that the government and people with money control everything, so all their efforts are pointless. The government is going to, “Kill all the fags that don’t agree!”, which means that the government does not really care about the opinions of the American people, and they will do whatever they want to anyone who doesn’t agree with what they have to say. They want to stand up against it because if something isn’t done now, then nothing will ever change; things will just get worse. This is seen in the chorus:
I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies
This is the dawning of the rest of our lives
On holiday
“Holiday” by Green Day is a song that represents all three of the ideas of pathos, ethos, and logos. Pathos is the idea that is most present in this song. The idea of pathos is represented in this song because they use examples that are intended to produce a reaction or shock out of the people they are singing this song to. This is seen in examples such as, “The shame, the ones who died without a name”, “And bleed, the company lost the war today”, “There's a flag wrapped around a score of men”, “A gag, A plastic bag on a monument”, “Bombs away is your punishment!”, and “Kill all the fags that don't agree!”. All of these phrases are meant shock people and spark a reaction so that something will be done to stop what the government is doing with the war. Green Day was very effective in portraying the idea of pathos. Many of the lines they sing are meant to get people fired up about supporting their case. They scream the word, “Hey!” and “Amen” to get people pumped. These phrases show emotion, and the examples can be personal to the audience, but they are definitely not over the top.
The singers of Green Day also portray the idea of ethos and logos, just not as strongly as pathos. This is seen because when they say, “The representative from California now has the floor…”, it makes it sound like it is a credible source who is talking about all the concrete details. Even though ethos is present in the song, I don’t think it is very effective. They sound like they know what they are talking about, but the only real credible source in the song would be the representative from California. The fact that the band is singing things like, “And bleed, the company lost the war today”, “Another protester has crossed the line (Hey!)To find, the money's on the other side”, and “There's a flag wrapped around a score of men (Hey!) A gag, a plastic bag on a monument”, gives concrete details about why they are mad about what is going on, which are examples of logos. Logos isn’t a real effective part of the song either because they gave examples of why they are rebelling, but they never use real numbers or facts.
Overall, “Holiday” is very effective in sounding like a credible political song by the use of pathos, ethos, and logos. Green Day does a good job clearly stating their thoughts and opinions. They also do a good job getting people pumped up and excited about the song and what they are talking about by adding the “Hey!” and “Amen” phrases throughout the song.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
How To Make The Perfect Pumpkin Pie
What do you think of when you think of your favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal? Some people think of the turkey, some people think of the sweet potato soufflé, and others think of the stuffing. Personally, I think of the pumpkin pie. Maybe that’s because I love how it tastes, but I also love making it from scratch with my mom every year since I was a little girl. I think everyone should know how it make this delicious dessert, so here my recipe and directions on how it make it.
Before you begin making the pie, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. To begin making the pie, you first make the pie crust. My mom uses an old recipe from a cookbook from her hometown of Buena Vista, Georgia. You can use any pie crust recipe, or even be lazy and use a pre-made refrigerated pie crust. For the homemade recipe my mom uses, the ingredients are:
1 1/3 cup of plain flour
1 teaspoon of salt
½ cup of Crisco
3 tablespoon of ice water
*1 ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice may be substituted for the cinnamon, ginger and cloves, but the flavor may differ
Once you have all your ingredients out on the counter, you need to get out your bowl, your measuring instruments, your pastry cutter, and a rolling pin. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, a fork may be used. You will mix the 1 1/3 cup of plain flour, ½ cup of Crisco, and 1 teaspoon of salt in the bowl for a few minutes until it is crumbly. Next you add the ice water, which will make it smooth and not crumbly anymore. After you have added the ice water, you need to get your rolling pin and cover it in flour. Now take the pie crust out of the bowl and roll the crust out on a flat nonstick surface such as your countertop. Once it is flat and thin, place it in an ungreased glass 9 inch pie pan that holds a volume of 4 cups. Press the crust firmly against the sides and bottom of the of the glass pie pan. You are going to trim the excess crust even with the pan edge and press the edge with a fork to prevent shrinking. Place the pie crust aside and get ready to make the pumpkin filling. The ingredients for the filling are:
¾ cup of sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon of ground ginger
¼ teaspoon of ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can of 100% pure pumpkin
1 can of evaporated milk
When you have all those ingredients out on the counter, the tools you need to get out are measuring instruments, a small bowl, a large bowl, and a spoon. First, mix the ¾ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves in a small mixing bowl. You will mix all those ingredients together with a wooden mixing spoon. Next, take the two eggs and crack them against the edge of the large mixing bowl. Then you will beat them with either a whisk or a power mixer. Now take the pumpkin and sugar-spice mix you just mixed together in the small bowl and stir it into the large bowl that contains the two large beaten eggs. You are going to gradually pour in the can of evaporated milk and mix it into the rest of the filling. Lastly, you mix all of the ingredients of the filling up very well and slowly and carefully pour the filling into the pie crust you made earlier.
Once all the filling is inside the pie crust, it is time to put it in the oven. You should have already preheated it to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, so it should be ready to go right in. Put it on the top rack of your oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It will bake on this temperature for 40-50 minutes depending on how your oven cooks. If it cooks quickly, set it for closer to 40 minutes, and if it cooks more slowly, set it for closer to 50 minutes. You might even want to set it for a lower time, even if your oven does cook more slowly so you make sure your pie doesn’t overcook. When the timer goes off, check the pie by sticking a knife or other utensil through the center of the pie. If it does not come out clean, put it back in the oven for a short amount of time, checking it regularly. If the utensil does come out clean, you know the pie is finished and it can come out of the oven. Now let it sit out and cool on a wire rack for about two hours. After two hours you can either serve it immediately or cover it with saran wrap and put it in the refrigerator.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do. This pumpkin pie recipe serves about 8 people, so you may need to make more depending on how many people you serve at Thanksgiving dinner. It is great when served with a dollop of cool whip and some vanilla ice cream. It is also good left-over, which is convenient since everyone is usually too stuffed with all the other Thanksgiving food to eat much dessert, but I guarantee they will want some pumpkin pie the next day!
Before you begin making the pie, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. To begin making the pie, you first make the pie crust. My mom uses an old recipe from a cookbook from her hometown of Buena Vista, Georgia. You can use any pie crust recipe, or even be lazy and use a pre-made refrigerated pie crust. For the homemade recipe my mom uses, the ingredients are:
1 1/3 cup of plain flour
1 teaspoon of salt
½ cup of Crisco
3 tablespoon of ice water
*1 ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice may be substituted for the cinnamon, ginger and cloves, but the flavor may differ
Once you have all your ingredients out on the counter, you need to get out your bowl, your measuring instruments, your pastry cutter, and a rolling pin. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, a fork may be used. You will mix the 1 1/3 cup of plain flour, ½ cup of Crisco, and 1 teaspoon of salt in the bowl for a few minutes until it is crumbly. Next you add the ice water, which will make it smooth and not crumbly anymore. After you have added the ice water, you need to get your rolling pin and cover it in flour. Now take the pie crust out of the bowl and roll the crust out on a flat nonstick surface such as your countertop. Once it is flat and thin, place it in an ungreased glass 9 inch pie pan that holds a volume of 4 cups. Press the crust firmly against the sides and bottom of the of the glass pie pan. You are going to trim the excess crust even with the pan edge and press the edge with a fork to prevent shrinking. Place the pie crust aside and get ready to make the pumpkin filling. The ingredients for the filling are:
¾ cup of sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon of ground ginger
¼ teaspoon of ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can of 100% pure pumpkin
1 can of evaporated milk
When you have all those ingredients out on the counter, the tools you need to get out are measuring instruments, a small bowl, a large bowl, and a spoon. First, mix the ¾ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves in a small mixing bowl. You will mix all those ingredients together with a wooden mixing spoon. Next, take the two eggs and crack them against the edge of the large mixing bowl. Then you will beat them with either a whisk or a power mixer. Now take the pumpkin and sugar-spice mix you just mixed together in the small bowl and stir it into the large bowl that contains the two large beaten eggs. You are going to gradually pour in the can of evaporated milk and mix it into the rest of the filling. Lastly, you mix all of the ingredients of the filling up very well and slowly and carefully pour the filling into the pie crust you made earlier.
Once all the filling is inside the pie crust, it is time to put it in the oven. You should have already preheated it to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, so it should be ready to go right in. Put it on the top rack of your oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It will bake on this temperature for 40-50 minutes depending on how your oven cooks. If it cooks quickly, set it for closer to 40 minutes, and if it cooks more slowly, set it for closer to 50 minutes. You might even want to set it for a lower time, even if your oven does cook more slowly so you make sure your pie doesn’t overcook. When the timer goes off, check the pie by sticking a knife or other utensil through the center of the pie. If it does not come out clean, put it back in the oven for a short amount of time, checking it regularly. If the utensil does come out clean, you know the pie is finished and it can come out of the oven. Now let it sit out and cool on a wire rack for about two hours. After two hours you can either serve it immediately or cover it with saran wrap and put it in the refrigerator.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do. This pumpkin pie recipe serves about 8 people, so you may need to make more depending on how many people you serve at Thanksgiving dinner. It is great when served with a dollop of cool whip and some vanilla ice cream. It is also good left-over, which is convenient since everyone is usually too stuffed with all the other Thanksgiving food to eat much dessert, but I guarantee they will want some pumpkin pie the next day!
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