Some Pasta!

So I really don't have a "Timeline" topic as I'll call them, but I'll just let you guys in a little nip of our cuisine.

Pasta makes up a large portion of the Italian diet, among many things. It's also relatively cheap and easy to cook and/or create delicious meals from. It's a very flexible food with hundreds of combinations when it comes to sauces, additives, spices, makes, shapes, sizes, cooking styles, and much more.

Making pasta is, well, sort of a pain. I won't go too in-depth or in detail, but it involves loads of paitence and time, along with lots of space for drying longer strands.

Personally, and according to my family, Barilla is the most excellent brand if you are not willing to spend hours laboring over making your own pasta. It's the typical blue-box pasta that's found in many types of shapes. My personal favorite must be the rigatoni, mmh, slap a little marinara and you're good to go!

Here's a picture of Rigatoni. Infact now that I've seen the picture I am starting to get hungry!

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Just a quick snippet

I had an after-thought about the last post I had made about our beloved uncle who landed on Manhattan island via rowboat to start a prosperous life.

One of my key questions was to why the Emergency Immigration Act of 1921 was even implemented, whereas Immigration was increasing the population to unprecedented levels globally. I gave it a little thought and may have a reason as to why the act was passed.

When Ellis Island and all immigration ports were opened for the New World, particularlly popular in the early 1900's or the turn of the century, the general aspect was to receive a wide range of immigrants with different working and living backgrounds. Particular to the Italians, the American Government had actually expected a large percentage of the arriving Italian immigrants to become involved in Agriculture among the nation and stimulate the farming goods industries, providing more foodstuffs for the rest of the nation, becoming much of a breadbasket. They had expected such a lifestyle from most Italians because said Italians had mostly grown up in a agricultural environment, shoot, even my grandfather's family comes from a farm. This misconception lead to the welcoming gesture to many eastern and southern European countries, but in truth, the typical immigrant settled right in the city because they were generally unfamiliar with the territories around them. Needing to make ends meet, most found cheaper rents in the smaller and more slum-like areas of Manhattan.

That's just opinionated, but it sounds reasonable as to why the Government would clamp such a restriction upon immigration. What do you guys think?

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"The First Spensieri"

Sorry for the absence! I have been trying to balance my school work with other things and I have just finished a few test and ready for some blog action. How bout' it followers?

With the help of a very close relative I've been able to learn more about "Uncle Nashy" Sadly I never got to meet him, but I am sure he was a brilliant soul. He was the first Spensieri to land in America, at least in our branch of the family.

Ignazio “Nashy” Spensieri was born in the quiet town of Vinchiaturo, Italy 1905. He was theFirst Spensieri from my grandfather’s immediate family to come to United States (1922-23) at the age of 17. He was unable to enter the U.S. legally due to the Emergency Immigration Act of 1921 which restricted immigration into the U.S., particularly from Europe. Prior to 1921 the annual inflow of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe was greater than 685,000 and after the Immigration Act it dropped to 158,000 per year. I was never really sure why the US had implemented such an immigration act, but I suppose it was because they had feared further immigration would shrink the US economy due to shortages of jobs.

Ignazio paid passage on a cargo ship traveling from Italy to New York and was dropped in New York harbor, however his friends on the cargo ship could not deliver him to the harbor without being caught. Determined to make it to shore, he moved on with a rowboat whereupon he rowed to the shore of Manhattan, arriving illegally. Unable to get work in the city during the depression, he moved upstate where he was able to get a job tapping maple trees for syrup. It's this kind of mentality to survive with whatever work comes his way that seems to re-occur quite often in our family.

During WWII he secured a job working in the construction industry in Manhattan for T&D Construction. After he became a foreman, he supplied jobs to two of his nephews when they came over to America from Italy. This helped the development of the Spensieri Building Material Co. in the future immensly.

He married Antoinette “Dooley” and they lived in Flushing, Queens in a 1920’s Tudor on a quiet, tree lined street. They never had children but his nephews and their wives and children visited frequently, filling their house on Sundays and during the holidays. Every year they would make wine and store the barrels in the basement to ferment, along with many types of cheeses and pastas. Typical snowbirds, after Nashy’s retirement, he and Dooley spent the winters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida every winter until Dooley became too ill to travel.

Uncle Nashy had died in 1995 in New York, living a full grand life of 85 years of freedom in America. His paving of the way into New York for the rest of the Spensieris left a lasting mark that would lay the groundwork for 6 new families to be established within the Northeast.

How's that for a post? Special thanks to a direct relative, not sure she'd like to be named but it's late, I'll stick with no for now, haha.

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