Mansfield Mothers' Club: How Families Cross Cultures

By Kate Flinn

An Italian girl marries an Irish man. It’s not the start of an off-color joke, but rather the opening to the story of how my family integrates holiday traditions.

Ten years ago, I married my college sweetheart, thus becoming Irish by marriage and ditching my maiden name, Caiozzo, for the more traditionally Irish, and easier to pronounce name, Flinn. I am of all Italian descent (half Sicilian!), and my husband is of all Irish descent. While the cultural differences are visible on our faces, in our holiday menus (think a buffet of vegetables and meat versus a six-hour marathon of rich carbs, cheese, fish and meat), I must say that the merging of Irish and Italian in our family has been extremely successful. This success is due to the fact that my husband and I both grew up with similar values, and we respect each other’s heritage. We place a high priority on time spent with families and are grateful for this blessing everyday.

In my opinion, in any family, no matter what the cultural background, it is important for children to understand their roots and respect the backgrounds of everyone they encounter. This is important on holidays, but also every other day of the year.  

For example, every March, in our home, we celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 by enjoying a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage and Guinness (for the grown-ups). We also “green” anything we can with the kids, usually cupcakes or cookies. As far as I am concerned, everyone is Irish on St. Patricks Day. I am one of the first people to encourage everyone to wear green, indulge in a frothy beer or two or eat their fill of corned beef. Most of my Irish friends are happy to share their holiday with anyone who is willing to eat, drink and be merry with them.

A few days later, my family switches over to honor our Italian roots as well. Did you know St. Joseph’s Day falls on March 19? This day honors the feast of St. Joseph, Mary’s hubby, and was established in Rome in 1479. Traditionally, Italians, and anyone else with a sweet tooth, enjoy eating zeppoles, cream puff pastry, in honor of good old St. Joe.

I am a big fan of combining both culinary delightful holidays into one big mea!  

Over the years I have found many bakeries that will experiment with different flavors of cream.  My favorite place for a traditional zeppole is LaSalle Bakery in North Providence, R.I. LaSalle offers three different varieties: traditional, chocolate mousse, or Bailey’s Irish cream (how’s THAT for combining cultures?!).  Their website also offers a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own zeppole. As much as I love to bake from scratch, most Marches I make the trip and let LaSalle do the baking for me….and my famiy is grateful for this, too.

How do you cross cultures in your home?

Kate Flinn is a member of The Mansfield Mothers' Club, a non-profit organization aimed at providing support for local parents. For more information visit http://mansfieldmothersclub.com, email mansfieldmothersclub@gmail.com or write to Mansfield Mothers' Club, P.O. Box 831, Mansfield, MA 02048.