topic Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!! in Among Friends

I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

Newgate — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 04:01:04 GMT

When I saw the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" a few years back I walked out of the theatre and said to my friend "that reminded me so much of my upbringing!!

My parents were both of the same nationality and I had 3 siblings, 2 sisters and 1 brother!

Although my parents were cordial to all they really didn't think anyone else of any other nationality was as smart or as good looking as any of us! Nor could they cook as good as my mother!! And oh boy when my siblings and I were dating, my father would refuse to smile or sometimes even talk to any of them that were from any other background!!

Needless to say my sisters and I cried alot!! As it turned out my 2 sisters did marry one of us but my brother and I did not!! My father did attend the weddings but it took him 20 yrs to accept that we were really happy!! HE DID THEN START TO SMILE AGAIN!!

Any one else out there like me?

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

house_cat — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 04:42:31 GMT

My family is Italian-American. We weren't typical. My parents are not religious and didn't follow many ethnic customs - except for those massive Sunday dinners at Grandma's house. Here's the rub, though. Now that Mom and Dad are in their 90s, all my mom talks about is being Italian. Everytime we meet someone new she asks, "Are they Italian?" Maybe that's because I moved them across the country and everything here is unfamiliar to them.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

Desertdi — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 08:21:57 GMT

We didn't admit where our ancestors came from...........

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

ID2 — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 10:42:59 GMT

Nope. My parents stressed how we were Americans. I gladly really don't know anything about my ethnic background. American through and through.

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debic — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 10:56:10 GMT

Heinz 57, larger part German. My Mother always refused to admit we had Indian in us. I guess it wasn't cool back then.

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jubilant — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 11:27:05 GMT

In my home we were taught as small children that Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world....red and yellow...black and white....they are precious in his sight. Mom used to say we all have red blood running through our veins and God was no respector of persons. Racial slurs were not allowed and if one slipped....we were in trouble! All were welcome in our home. Thanks Mom and Dad for teaching us to love all people.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

gmkb — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 11:54:22 GMT

My parents were born in USA of Polish heritage. They went to schools that taught in English and Polish, they lived in Polish neighborhoods as children, we ate a lot of pierogi and they spoke Polish when they did not want us to know what was being said. Everyone of the siblings married a Polish spouse.

It is interesting that they refused to teach us to speak Polish because in their words -

"you are Americans." They also never talked about their ancestry. I knew nothing about any generation beyond my grandparents. The traditions ended with my generation.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

colliegirls — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:57:30 GMT

It is good to be able to laugh at your ethnic background, your relatives, and yourself. So many people are so uptight and PC these days. Many large northern cities still have their ethnic neighborhoods, it is what makes these cities unique. Of course we are all Americans, that doesn't negate how our ancestors came to be Americans. Laughing is the best medicine for sure.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

songbird — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 14:15:31 GMT

Northern Italian and more then then that. Italian Jews. That is considered an ethnicity in Italy. Not so much a religion. My family has lived in Italy since the middle ages. Northern Italian food and culture is different from Italian American kind. They are from Southern Italy. That culture is most familiar to Americans. 90% of Italian emigration to the UK and US are from Southern Italy. So if we are Italian, it's quite the different kind. I wish more Americans are aware of that.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

house_cat — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 15:16:48 GMT

Interesting comments here.

My mom and dad were both born in America. Most of their parents were born in Italy, though my mom always stressed that her mother was born in America. She wore that fact like a badge of honor. Neither of my parents speak Italian. I guess the goal in those days was to Americanize.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

staciesmom — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 16:20:19 GMT

Both sets of my grandparents were immigrants from Italy, but my parents were born in this country. My Great Grandma lived with my Grandma when I was a child, and she could only speak Italian. The funny thing is, I could understand every word that woman said, but I could never speak Italian. Even now, I recognize many Italian words.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

Bird mama — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 18:06:29 GMT

I can't say my parents were married to their ethnicity. On my Ma's side of the family we are Kashubian. My Ma called it Kashub (polish/german). The food I ate was more german that polish. My Dad was Irish and Native American - I never pushed my maternal grandmother about the NA part of my heritage - she had a really hard upbringing and wasn't one to visit the past. I regret that immensely.

I grew up in a neighborhood of Polish, Yugoslavian, Albanian, African American, sprinkled with a couple of Italians and Germans.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

surfk — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 19:45:05 GMT

deleted by poster

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

blackhole99 — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 19:41:56 GMT

Both my parents were born in this country, but my grandparents came mainly from Poland, Austria and Germany. We mostly observed the Polish catholic traditions and my mother learned to cook the food. We were consided mostly of Polish extraction, which we are. My father wanted us to marry boys who had the same ethnic background. None of us kids married our own kind, my father didn't like it, but he got over it. I 'm very proud of the family traditions we observed all our lives and now I'm making sure my son knows how to cook the food and observe the tradtion, hopefully he will pass it on.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

AuntG — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 20:33:05 GMT

100% German ancestry. What I saw in my parents and grandparents were a strong work ethic (hard working farmers), simple lifestyle (we didn't take vacations) and strict religious beliefs (no dancing at weddings). The next generation lightened up a bit, but we still work hard and try to do the right things.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

riley1 — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 23:55:36 GMT

I must say, I am a little jealous of all you knowing your family heritage. Unfortunately, neither one of my parents knew much of their family history. My mom was adopted and in those days there were no records kept. My dad and his siblings were removed from his Irish parents somewhere in England and raised in a Catholic orphanage - again no paper. He did move to Canada then to the U.S. In honor of my mom's last name at birth, my daughter gave that to her daughter as a middle name (that's all the info we had about my mom.)

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

Moonchilde — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 00:04:23 GMT

Although I had always heard what my ethnicity is, in the US it's considered boring and doesn't have a lot of "exotic" traditions, so no ethnic meals or celebrations for me.

When I got into Ancestrydotcom and started researching, I got all the way back to the Mayflower and Shakespeare's England. On the uptight, keep-yourself-to-yourself end of the heritage spectrum. With various bits and pieces thrown in. When I had my DNA done it was a perfect match. No wonder I've always been an Anglophile/Celtophile.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

FlowershopGirl — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 00:40:51 GMT

I'm third gen American Japanese ancestry on my mom's side. If anything, my grandparents were all American, though they did suffer discrimination due to Pearl Harbor and we won't go into what was done to them, its of no help to do so. However, we were ethnic in our food choices and my mom made some great dishes that are traditional. We seemed to have Japanese work ethics stamped into our DNA too. We spoke Japanese because my mom decided it was very important to do so, though Grandpa didn't like us to! Go figure! Otherwise, we were what my brother terms bananas (yellow on the outside, white on the inside)!

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

NoelSeven — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 01:09:26 GMT

Riley, you can have your DNA tested to see where your ancestors came from. You will need a male relative to test your father's side, if not, you can at least get your mother's side just from swabbing your cheek.

It's only about $99.

Re: I grew up in a very ethnic family!!

NoelSeven — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 01:09:55 GMT

I love knowing my family history and the various groups I came from, I think it's wonderful and it certainly does not take anything away from being American just because we celebrate those who got us here.