I'm an Italian AND a New Jerseyan, and let me tell you how pissed off my grandfather would be about these stereotypes if he were still around. My great-grandparents were Italian immigrants in the late 1890's who lived in Newark and then Montclair (which both used to be heavily Italian areas). They did not read or write English, and raised 7 kids who worked hard their whole lives to get an education, be independent, and provide for themselves. My grandfather was a doctor, who went to medical school in Italy. He and his 2 brothers ALL served in the military during WWII. Of his 4 sisters (3 of which are still alive at the ages of 91, 93, and 96)- the two oldest went into nursing school, and worked TWO fulltime jobs for their whole lives. The other sisters worked in factories, and even made ammunition during WWII- the original Rosie the Riveters:)
They all had families of their own, many cousins in my Mom's generation- all of which went to college... doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, etc. The grandkids are similarly successful (I, of course, am the black sheep lol). This is an Italian, NJ family who values education and hard work, being successful, being dependable, but most importantly- FAMIGLIA<3
When someone is sick or needs any kind of help, there's an extended family of 20+ people who are all willing to drop everything to help out. When my grandfather was dying of cancer, all 4 of his sisters moved into the house to help my Grandma take care of him around the clock. My family doesn't drink or curse either (this also doesn't include me lol). But, we do cook- A LOT lol. There are so many family recipes that have come directly from Italy, and date back to the early 1800's. They've all been passed down to the grandkids, as well as family photographs, documents, knickknacks, stories, etc. My 93 and 96 year old Great-Aunts live in the next town over, and they still insist on cooking for us every time we visit. I literally will say "I'm in the area and I'm stopping by to say hi" and by the time I get there, they have a tray of food in the oven lol... My Mom and my Uncle take them to doctor's appointments, I take them grocery shopping, my cousins take them out to eat, etc... We are a very close-knit, supportive family.
This is what it means to be Italian. Not tanning, getting sloppy drunk, talking like a moron, overusing hair products, etc. I was raised with a large sense of pride that being Italian is the greatest thing in the world. It's about family, good food, making good memories, sharing history, passing on traditions, being loud, talking with your hands, and knowing you're superior to everyone else LOL <3
(I'm actually only 25% Italian, but it's the most important 25%... Gramps would be happy to know that the superiority complex will be passed down hehe:) )
NJ is a great place- culturally and geographically diverse, with the best italian food, pizza, and bagels in the country. I can drive 30 miles and be in NYC, but I wake up every morning with deer in my backyard. I'm an hour and a half to the shore, but I can walk to the lake for a swim anytime. I had friends in high school who lived on a legit farm- horses, cows, chickens, etc, while the other side of town is full of "McMansions" and hoity toity folks who do business in the city. There are a lot of museums, historical sights, and awesome farm markets (Hey, they don't call us the Garden State for nothing!) We have everything here, and I think the only thing I don't like about living here is the weather.... Hawaii looks better to me every year:)
