DD Support Board and Research Team

[dukeb]

Years ago I was invited to spend Christmas Day (the first of many) with a friend whose parents were VERY Italian. We sat at the table and were served the most wonderful fresh pasta with homemade sauce - like I'd never had before.

Then came a giant bowl of sausages, braciole and meatballs. Heavenly.

After that came a turkey, but by then I could hardly eat a bite.

And then a green salad was served. At the end.

Desert was Italian cookies and struffoli (which I'd never seen before). Oh, and roasted chestnuts.

The one thing that I found slightly off-putting is that when my portion of meats had been consumed, Mama asked if I wanted a little more. I assented. She took the fork that she had been eating with, jabbed a sausage and plopped it on my plate.

I still ate it, of course; serving others with her fork was just her way.