New Traditions

We all have traditions - Growing up Italian one of our regular traditions has been Sunday dinners. Over the last 15 years or so, I have spent most Sundays at my parents house. My brothers my cousin and I would head to my parents on Sunday mornings and spend the day with my parents. Some times there were other people, but it was usually just the family.

It was comfortable, and as most of you reading this will probably agree although may not admit out loud, there is no place quite as comfortable as your parents home. Especially when you parents have lived in the same house for your entire life. So for the last 780 Sundays (give or take a few) I left the city and headed into Jersey for Sunday dinner. The food was usually the same mixed variety depending on time of year, who was coming, and frankly - what we asked for. There was almost always fresh mozzarella, foccacia, pasta, olives, Italian cold cuts, and wine - yes wine counts as food. There was almost always a fight or two, lots and lots of teasing, and again depending on the time of year Giants or Yankees on the TV - because the Shalhoub family, yeah we love our NY sports.

Well I am now just a little far to head home for Sunday dinners andchances of me finding decent fresh mozzarella on this Island is slim to none and French television doesn't care about the Giants or Yankees but thankfully as much as things change, they stay the same. While I no longer leave the city to head to the burbs, we do have a group that we dive with on Sundays. Usually the same group of guys with the occasional tourist or more likely crew from one of the boats.

The day goes something like this: we meet at 10, everyone gets their gear together and we head off to one of the dive sites and down we go. Then after we return, the gear gets put away and everyone enjoys a post dive drink - Ricard avec l'eau (this is a type of Pastis served with cold water). After the gear is put away a smaller group heads out to lunch on the other side of the island. There is still some teasing among the group, rarely is there a fight - but this group isn't my family and no group of people can have an argument the way family can. There isn't nearly as much food either but there is still wine (for me anyway). After lunch, Didier and I do something just us - a walk on the beach, a swim, or just hang out.

 So while I definitely miss my family, watching sports, and the fresh mozzarella (mom please have some for me when i get back) we are making new traditions, and I guess that's just another part of this process.