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The Feast of the Seven Fish
A Taste of My American Life Mixed with a Southern Italian Tradition.
Christmas Eve is approaching again, and for Southern Italians, this is a big holiday. Each year, I stress a bit over finding the freshest ingredients, creating a menu, deciding on the guest list, and fine-tuning the details that make the holiday feel special—flower arrangements, tableware, linens, music, and food presentation.
Various stories exist to explain this special dinner consisting only of fish, no beef, pork, or chicken. It originated in Southern Italy but became an Italian-American tradition after Italian immigrants arrived in the new country. The influence of the Roman Catholic Church is noted in the practice of only eating fish on certain holidays and Fridays during Lent.
Typically, I crank up the Puccini to a tune from Turandot while I submerge my fingers in an icy sink filled with raw shrimp and squid. Immediately, I am transformed back to a skinny, brown-eyed, eight-year-old girl with my father barking orders across the kitchen.
I remember the frigid water numbing my hands while pins and needles shot through them as I carefully shelled and de-veined each shrimp and cleaned out every squid efficiently. Wistfully, I looked out the window, hoping that snow would magically appear and blanket…
