"Italian Memories" is a column written by Cookie Curci. Its purpose is to help preserve our Italian culture by sharing with you my family stories and memories.

The Best Things Aren't Always the Finest Ones
This Halloween, as my family lights the candles in our freshly carved jack-o'-lanterns, I'll be in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on my pumpkin pies. Baking the pies and handing out trick-or-treat candies to the neighborhood kids is something the grown-up me has learned to do. Every year I think back to that fateful day when my Grandpa made me a Halloween costume that outshined all of my friends.

Body Gestures: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
The written word is a powerful form of communication, and when put to use it has the capability to connect generations, enhance history, and store and create vital feelings. But, before there was the written word body gestures were used as a means of communications.

Dr. Leo Buscaglia
Anyone who enjoys reading a good book or watching public television is acquainted with the words of human-relations author Leo Felice Buscaglia (a.k.a. "The Hug Doctor"/ not one of his favorite titles.) The world-renowned writer, lecturer and former columnist for the New York Times sold nearly 11 million copies of his popular books during his career. Among them: Living, Loving, and Learning, Loving Each Other, Love, Bus 9 to Paradise and his 15th and last bestseller, The Love Cookbook. Writing extensively on the subject of love and selfless giving, Leo was known worldwide as the Doctor of Love.

Eh, Paisano! Pour the Wine
There is a lot that can be learned from having a glass of wine. Not only is it filled with family traditions it also plays an important role in healthy living.

Ethnic Images
This three part article looks at how the Italian American image has been protrayed in the movie industry. Part one looks at "Post War America", part 2 is titled "A New Image Emerges" and it concludes with part 3 "A Darker Stereotype & Hope For The Future".

Ethnic Stereotyping: Going, Going, Gone
When is it okay, in today's socially enlightened world, to laugh at someone's ethnic background? The answer is, of course, never! There was a time, however, when a generation of people of ethnic backgrounds laughed the loudest at ethnic humor.

Family Traditions Burn Brightly With The Lighting of the Christmas Tree
As a senior citizen who is a lifelong resident of my hometown community of Willow Glen, I've seen a lot of changes over the years. The one change I've noticed most this year is the scarcity of Christmas tree lots. Today, most folks just pick up a tree at the local pharmacy, department or grocery store. Things were different when I was a kid. You couldn't throw a stone this time of year without it landing near a vacant lot that had been converted for the holidays into a forest of freshly cut pines, green trees in all sizes, shapes and heights, sold in a variety of prices from 50 cents to 75 cents a foot.

Food For Thought
Research reveals that students who dine at home with their family make higher test scores. Today's experts are finding out what my parents and grandparents already knew about sharing mealtime, that making family meals a priority is more than worth the nourishment it brings to the body and soul, but it also sharpens our mental faculties as well.

Frank Capra's Wonderful Film Gave America Hope When We Needed it Most
During the dark decade of the 1930s, Frank Capra's films brought light where there was darkness and hope where there was despair to a nation in desperate need of an uplifting message. If only for a few minutes, in a darkened theatre, Capra's films inspired irrepressible optimism in American audiences and when they left the theater, they left feeling better about themselves and the future of their world.

Grandma, How Does Your Garden Grow?
Grandma's prolific vegetables were legend among family and friends, they grew to large and unusual sizes. And yet, she never used a commercial compost, fertilizer or bug repellent. She made compost from her kitchen scraps and garden debris; her garden bug repellent from stale beer.

Grandma's Garden Yield's Magical Moments
Long before I began nurturing my own backyard herb garden, I spent my summers watching my Nonna Isolina passionately cultivate her productive garden of carrots, zucchini, string beans, peppers, tomatoes, Swiss chard, rosemary, garlic, escarole, onions, parsley and arugala.

Grandpa Pouted as Grandma Swooned for Valentino
In an era of fast cars, flappers and bathtub gin, a restless and liberated generation searched for a hero. They found him in silent screen star Rudolph Valentino who, a decade earlier, was among the influx of poor Europeans who came to America.

Grateful Memories: A Memorial To My Mom Sarah Curci
When someone has given you inspiration, knowledge and creativity to excel at something, we often say these people are the "wind beneath our wings". Although those words have become cliché, I believe I can use them now without hesitation and with complete honesty when I describe my Mom, Sarah Curci.

Holy Family Church
In July 1904, these conscientious immigrants began working diligently with one goal in mind: to construct a lavish church that would embody the spirit of their newly established Italian community. It would be a church that represented century old traditions and beliefs. It would exemplify hope and prosperity.

How Do You Spell Relief?
In an active household, where hardly a day goes by without someone skinning a knee or suffering a mild body ache, a well-stocked medicine cabinet is essential. Maintaining that cabinet has become increasingly expensive. I couldn't help but remember when I was a kid in the 1940s. Our household medicine chest was a simple one, consisting of one jar of Vicks Vapor Rub, a bottle of aspirin and a box of baking soda.

How Italian Influences Affected America's Taste For Glamour
During the 1950s and '60s, what America wore, what its citizens drove, and how they looked, was, in a large part, dictated by Italy's trendsetters, which included fashion designers, film directors and automakers. If it originated in Italy, and the designer's name ended in a vowel, the American public was buying it.

It Took a Tough Woman To Make a Tender Home
My grandmother Maria Carmela came to this area from the town of Tricarico, Italy. The daughter of a tight-knit Italian family, she and her siblings came to America after her parents had both died of influenza. Rather than face life in the town orphanage, the children pooled their money and boarded a ship for America.

Italian-American Crooners Speak the Language of Love
For nearly a century, the tantalizing recorded voice of the Italian crooner has touched the hearts of music lovers everywhere. This five part article takes a look at these great crooners and how they spoke the language of love.

Italian American Innovators
The entire world is familiar with the accomplishments of the great Italian inventors, artists and explorers. The artistic contributions of Leonardo da Vinci to the art world, the genius of Guglielmo Marconi to science, and of the discovery of America through the explorations of Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo). But what of the lesser known inventors and innovators, the ones whose creativity and inventions have given America some of its most beloved daily used products and places.

The Italian American Woman's Tenacious Spirit
Much has been written of the Italian male immigrant-- of his intrepid desires and accomplishments. But what of the tenacious Italian woman who came to America in search of success-- her numbers are also strong and many.

Jukebox Amore
As a writer of nostalgia, I have a passion for things and events that have faded into the past: things such as the grand old Wurlitzer jukebox that once held a place of honor in my Dad's 1940's soda shop, and the classic chromed Seeburg jukebox that later took center stage in the 1950's and '60s.

Lady Liberty
My grandfather never spoke much about his early days in America, or the long ship ride over the ocean, but he often mentioned the awesome feeling he experienced as a young boy when his steamer ship from Naples, Italy, approached Ellis Island. The moment was engraved in his memory.

Local Tricarico Club Celebrates The Crowning Of New Queen
On June 12th, the Tricarico Men's Social Club, in association with the Maria Di Fonti Ladies club, hosted their annual picnic honoring their patron Saint Maria. The celebration was held at Willow Glen's Assumption of Mary Croatian Catholic church in San Jose, Ca.

Making It in America: Family Business Spelled Success for Italian Americans
Success for the Italian American immigrant depended a great deal on family unity. Working together as a unit was the catalyst for achieving a successful goal in the New World. With that in mind six brothers sensed a golden opportunity to find some measure of success in a struggling economy and opened up a fast food diner. Were they able to find the success they were looking for?

The Most Treasured Gifts Come Without Ribbons or Bows
When I was a little girl, Christmas Eve was a time of family storytelling. One of my favorite childhood stories was one that Grandma told every Christmas Eve. "Sometimes the best gifts come without ribbons or bows," she would say to her family before beginning this favorite story.

Mustard Greens--More Than Just a Pretty Valley Flower
For those who enjoyed eating them, the pungent mustard greens were a fresh source of vitamin A. Valley ranchers generously allowed residents on to their land to pick the cherished greens. After a spring rain, my family and I were among the many mustard green enthusiasts to beat a path to the muddy orchards to gather our share of the bitter greens.

New Year Brings Nostalgic Memories For The Past
Like most of us, I've had plenty of time to say good-bye to the passing year- to decide what I'll miss most about it and to brace myself for the coming new year.

Nonna's Sunflowers
Nonna's sunflowers produced magical moments that will last a lifetime. Today, on hot summer nights, when I open my own bedroom windows overlooking my little garden, a sigh of sage, lavender, and sweet basil rise to greet me like Nonna's gentle touch. Her golden sunflowers still grace my garden always reminding me of her sunny smile.

Old World Italian Style Romance
With a little well meaning family interfering this "arranged" romance and marriage lasted a very happy fifty years.

Old World Ways & Superstitions Are Still Alive
A friend asks you how you're feeling. You answer, "Fine, knock on wood," and rap your knuckles on the nearest piece of lumber. Someone sneezes, and you respond, "Bless you." Are your responses motivated by tradition or superstition?

Papa's Radio: The Gift of True Friendship
At a time when Italian immigrants were branded as enemy aliens and restrictions were set upon them a simple radio became the gift of true friendship between neighbors from varying cultures and lifestyles.

A Rose by Any Other Name
Most all of us are given a first and last name when we enter this world. We have nothing to say about who chooses it or why. Our surname is the product of our family lineage, while our parents decide upon our first name after hours of agonizing deliberation. Chances are, after all the work and energy mother and father put into choosing our names, friends or family will replace it with a whimsical nickname.

The Secret of Grandma's Sugar Crock
Through the years, I've discovered bits and pieces of the past that when put all together, make up my extraordinary Grandmother. It was only recently that I would discover yet another missing piece to Grandma's past that would help me know her just that much better. The secret of my Grandma's sugar crock was finally unveiled nearly a half century later during Christmas as I stopped at a little church I just happened to be driving by.

Short Fences Kept Italian American Folks Neighborly
Most of the memories I recall from my childhood concern my family circle. They were the people who cast the greatest reflection on my life. However, there were times when a stranger became a close part of our daily living and in the process became a part of our family.

Table Tells Tale of Family Togetherness
It's an unlikely- looking treasure, that old oak table of mine, with its cracks, weakening chairs and worn out corners, but it is a treasure to me. The memories it holds are timeless and priceless.

That Timeless Blue-Eyed Mystique
I recall that fate filled day when I met Frank Sinatra. It will be a time that will forever be etched in my memory and one that I share with you.

The Romantic Italian Heartthrobs and How They Made American Women Swoon
In my opinion, the two most romantic and dynamic Italian leading men, imported from Italy, were Marcello Mastroianni and Rossano Brazzi. Just saying and hearing their names titillated American woman......and when these actors emoted on the big screen...well, it was like every adult female in the audience believed it was for her eyes only.

Things Your Italian Grandma Never Told You But Should Have
Just what are some of the things your grandma never told you? This two part article shares with you memories of growing up with grandma and the secrets that she contained in her garden.

When Dino Sang, That Was Amore
Dean Martin's charisma appealed to all types and ages. The ladies were attracted to his dark good looks and romantic singing voice. Youngsters adored his silly shenanigans with partner Jerry Lewis. But it was Martin's bon vivant lifestyle that earned the envy of every man.

Will The Real Italian American Actor Please Stand Up?
There are many actors that people assume are Italian, but in fact are not. Just like there are many actors that people do not realize that they are Italian. This three page article looks at these actors and uncovers which ones are truly Italian and which ones are not.

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