JacquelineM

Was your grandfather Italian? French? I wish I had fond memories of grandparents. You are so fortunate. I hope I will be an amazing grandma someday…

He was Italian but you know how everything is so close there – his ancestors on his father’s side were French (and mother’s side Austrian). As far as I know my grandmother was Italian, and on the my Father’s side Italian, but my other grandfather was from Rome, which usually means they came from somewhere else. Add to that -both grandfathers and one grandmother had blue eyes, everyone with fair skin, and I really wonder! I tried to do the ancestry thing where you give your DNA to get tested, but it only shows the matrilineal line for women (so I would only know my maternal grandmother’s dna, and she is the least mysterious one!)! and my father and both grandfathers are dead, so I will never know unless I try to do ancestor research, which is fascinating but time consuming. Maybe after school is done :) Maybe better to stay a mystery. Sorry that was long!!!

But what I wanted to say too was that marzipan is also an Italian delicacy, and a flavor that instantly takes me back to being a child. The marzipan wikipedia entry is completely fascinating – the culture involved in a little bit of almond and sugar! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marzipan

And to further show how mixed up everyone is – my husband’s father is from Italy but his ancestors came to Italy from Albania! There are a whole bunch of Albanian Italians http://www.initaly.com/regions/ethnic/arberesh.htm

I’m glad to be the catalyst! :) And get ready for more marzipan in some of the other teas… it’s one of my favorite flavors!

I will look up the info on marzipan you mentioned. I think it would be wonderful to have a big huggy Italian family! My mom was raised in an orphanage so I never knew her parents and didn’t get to see my father’s parents, and his mother died when I was 9 so I didn’t really know her well. I am looking forward to being a benevolent matriarch! I will be the grandma who reads aloud to you in a tent and helps you collect bugs! :)