Those Big Italian Family Meals
February 9, 2009
Jessica Linquata grew up near me, in a large Italian family that loves to cook. When she moved to New York, in pursuit of an acting career, she found that she missed those extended family meals. She put together a book, originally meant for her two younger sisters, full of family recipes and traditions. She called it Ennnjoyyyy…Don't Forget to Bend Your Elbows.
Now, in Brooklyn, when she can, she cooks a multi-course meal and invites her 20-something friends to her apartment. "To be able to sit down and have a conversation in a home, not in a restaurant, is really nice. It makes everything taste a little bit better. We set the table, light candles, say grace, be thankful for the food that we do have."
And when she comes back to visit her family? "I'm there for Sundays at my grandmother's house, for sure. My favorite times are getting together with my sisters who are off in college. When we're at home, we sit at that dinner table for hours. It's just our way of catching up and reconnecting in person."
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today.