Quyen's Day Two reflections: On being Italian for a day

The thing about Angela is that when she says her family is Italian, she REALLY means they are Italian; not like some people who claim to be Italian because their last name ends with an i, like, Bianchi or some such last name. If you couldn't tell from her cooking that Angela is from a strong Italian heritage, look only to her parents. Their strong family values makes you wish you were Italian too. Before the big Italian wedding, I spent most of my day enjoying John's (Angela's dad) top ten advice for traveling the open road.

John's top ten:

1. Always look like you know where you are going. Look straight ahead. The minutes you look down, you become a victim!

2. Always carry a Road Map. The GPS could fail or lead us on the wrong course. You got to have back up.

3. Always check the car's temperature. Make sure it doesn't overheat. If it starts rising, turn on the heater. That will draw the heat away from the engine and cool it down a bit.

4. Stop every three hours, max. Got get out and stretch a bit or else the drive will be too much.

5. If you stop in Vegas, play the penny machines and always bet the minimum. Budget a stash of cash just for gambling and put it in a separate pocket so you don't loose more than you intended.

6. Check out the breakfast buffets in Vegas. They're AMAZING, John says.

7. If you're in Nebraska, call John. He knows a guy who owns a slaughter house and can cut you a mean steak.

8. Watch the clock. Other people may not realize we're on a tight schedule, especially when they're having fun. They're not the ones who have a 6-8 hour drive ahead.

9. Don't drive out late at night. Get to the hotel before nightfall.

10. Don't be afraid to call for help. John knows a lot of people. He is Italian after all.



So what's a big Italian wedding like? This can best be summed in the following song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOubTef0FVo.

That's not stereotypical. They really played this song at the wedding.

How do Italians end their weddings? With mini canollis, almond cookies, mini Napoleon cake, and cream puffs.