How we cite our quotes: Chapter.paragraph
Quote #1
Everyone digs in. We eat long, flat pasta—pappardelle. The same as most nights. They're the easiest shapes to cut.
Carlo does all the cooking. In a way he's the one who really makes us a family, 'cause that's what we become when we sit down at this table to eat. (5.20-21)
Mealtime is where Calogero gets to connect with the people he lives with, when they come together to relax and let loose a bit. What is mealtime like in your house?
Quote #2
The pasta is covered with fresh spinach and Italian olive oil that we order through New Orleans. So good. We finish and wipe the bottom of our bowls with bread. Then there's baby artichokes, fried whole. I eat and eat. (5.22)
The type of food, how it is served, and how people eat it, is very important—in this family, it is a ritual, something practically sacred to them.
Quote #3
"Figs, pomegranates, oranges. […] They didn't have good fruits or vegetables in this state before the Sicilians. Without us, all they'd eat is squirrel and possum and alligator." (6.110)
It is far nicer to have imported fruits when they are out of season, and the people that order and ship and generally provide them to a community are valuable—if completely underappreciated in this case—members of a community.