Growing up half-Italian In Utica , NY was pretty cool. In this insulated little city, we dominated politics, crime, and the Mohawk Valley food scene for as long as I was there. It was great and weird, but I didn’t know any better. I just assumed that being American meant being Italian-American and that nobody could touch us. The gleaming gold chains, ridiculous rides, and the way Deniro and Pacino set Italians up as heroes on the Big Screen, well, we were due for a fall.
When I moved away from home I was actually intrigued that there were pockets of folks who were prejudiced against Italians (reminiscent of Pesci’s plea for help with a ‘Jew broad‘). My patience was already spent by the Italian folks I knew who spoke perfect Upstate NY English except for the occasional butchered Sicilian pronunciation of an Italian delicacy… “pass the manigot“…”it’s greens sauteed with proszoot“.. and the Tony Soprano endorsed … ” Carm, did you get any gabagool?”. Mayonnaise faces hate it when Italians talk like this, and can you blame them?
So it was not surprising that my friends gave me the come-on-you obnoxious-Italian look when I told them we were thinking about having a Feast of Seven Fishes at my house xmas eve. ” That much fish sounds gross!’ was their obvious reaction. If you don’t know what this tradition is all about, you can check it out here. I guess it bugs me a little bit as well. Last night I was watching the No Reservations Christmas Special and there was a segment on this tradition. At one point the voice over proclaims, “This feast is followed the Italian way, by eating fish all day, and all night.” Now that is gross. Why can’t Italians just have a couple different seafood dishes and be done with it?
Anybody who knows me is aware that I love a good compromise…part selfish grandstanding, part easy cop-out. So this Christmas Eve I am compromising and cooking some seafood, but I wouldn’t call it a feast. Maybe some shrimp for my daughter, a nice tuna steak for my wife, and definitely some calamahd for the whole fameeleeah.
zoe
Dec 20, 2011 at 9:50 am
We do the same thing as you “the 7 fish feast is down to 2-3″ Calmahd, a ragu with a base of cod. Shrimp, and whiting baked with ovv, pasta , homemade bread
and family.
Matt
Dec 20, 2011 at 9:58 am
Dave, that might be my favorite post you’ve ever written.
James
Dec 20, 2011 at 10:01 am
We usually do all 7, which results in dinner being finished around 2 am every year.
Dave
Dec 20, 2011 at 10:10 am
It is a Polish tradition as well.
David
Dec 20, 2011 at 10:28 am
Thanks, Matt!
Alissa
Dec 20, 2011 at 10:46 am
No seafood for me, but what about chicken riggies? I’m willing to bet you have a good recipe.
Sara
Dec 20, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Our family has done this for as long as I can remember. My mom makes zuppe di pesci. it’s like a tomato based fish stew. she serves it over pasta. She uses a few different kinds of seafood in the stew. So yummy. Then we have some fried calamari, shrimp and scallops. There you have it. Pretty easy actually.
Reggio
Dec 21, 2011 at 2:36 am
anchovy, garlic sauce w hot pepper over pasta is a christmas eve tradition
EZ
Dec 21, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Nice…growing up in Rome, I had lots of friends who partook in this tradition. This year I’m hosting my own Fishmas Eve. Courses will be:
Appetizers: Shrimp cocktail (1)
Warm anchovy dip (2)
Assorted crackers / hummus / cheese spreads / olives
First Course: Classic Roman Caesar Salad
Manhattan Clam Chowder (3)
Dave’s famous seared scallops (4)
Main Course: Broiled Fish: Salmon and (TBD…some kinda white fish) (6)
Lobster macaroni and cheese (7)
I don’t think it seems too fishy.
Claire
Dec 22, 2011 at 10:24 am
This was also part of my Italian upbringing, but somehow Grandma pulled it off while my (Irish) mom could not. Did you also notice that all the Italian kids on Saturday mornings were up and working on some project around the house, unlike the American kids who could eat cereal in front of cartoons all morning? I think we were shingling roofs before junior high school!