I Remember The Way It Was at Pop’s House

ryangreis — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:41:26 +0000

If you’re not Italian some of these things may seem a little strange. BUT if you are, this is a nice reflection back to the way things used to be …

‘Per tutta la famiglia mia e gli amici, ti amo oggi, domani e sempre’

(‘To all my family and friends I love you today, tomorrow and always’)

01. You have at least one relative who wore a black dress every day for an entire year after a funeral.

02. Your family dog understood Italian.

03. Every Sunday afternoon of your childhood was spent visiting your grandparents and extended family.
04. You’ve experienced the phenomena of 150 people fitting into 50 squa re feet of yard during a family cookout.

05. You were surprised to discover the FDA recommends you eat three meals a day, not seven.

06. You thought killing the pig each year and having salami, capacolla, pancetta and prosciutto hanging out to dry from your shed ceiling was absolutely normal.

07. You ate pasta for dinner at least three times a week, and every Sunday.

08. You grew up thinking no fruit or vegetable had a fixed price and that the price of everything was negotiable through haggling.

09. You were as tall as your grandmother by the age of seven.

10. You thought everyone’s last name ended in a vowel.

11. You thought nylons were supposed to be worn rolled to the ankles.

12. Your mom’s main hobby is cleaning.

13. You were surprised to find out that wine was actually sold in stores.

14. You thought that everyone made their own tomato sauce.

15. You never ate meat on Christmas Eve or any Friday for that matter..

16. You ate your salad after the main course.

17. You thought Catholic was the only religion in the world.

18. You were beaten at least once with a wooden spoon or broom.

19. You thought every meal had to be eaten with a hunk of bread in your hand.

20. You can understand Italian but you can’t speak it.

21. You have at least one relative who came over on the boat.

22. All of your uncles fought in a World War.

23. You have at least six male relatives named Tony, Frank, Joe or Louie..

24. You have relatives who aren’t really your relatives.

25. You have relatives you don’t speak to. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

26. You drank wine before you were a teenager.

27. You relate on some level, admit it, to the Godfather and the Sopranos.. I maka meata ball you can’t refuse! Forrgetttabbboutit! Badda bing!

28. You grew up in a house with a yard that didn’t have one patch of dirt that didn’t have a flower or a vegetable growing o ut of it.

29. Your grandparent’s furniture was as comfortable as sitting on plastic. Wait!!!! You were sitting on plastic.

30. You thought that talking loud was normal.

31. You thought sugared almonds and the Tarantel la were common at all weddings.

32. You thought everyone got pinched on the cheeks and money stuffed in their pockets by their relatives.

33. Your mother is overly protective of the males in the family no matter what their age.

34. There was a crucifix in every room of the house.

35. Wakes would be held in someone’s living room.

36. You couldn’t date a boy without getting approval from your father. (Oh, and he had to be Italian)..

37. You called pasta “macaroni”.

38. Going out for a cup of coffee usually meant going over Zia’s house for coffee.

39. Every condition, ailment, misfortune, memory loss and accident was attributed to the fact that you didn’t eat something.

Roland DeGregorio – A Tribute, Part 1

ryangreis — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:50:50 +0000

Roland DeGregorio – A Tribute, Part 2

ryangreis — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:48:38 +0000

Roland DeGregorio 1922-2009

ryangreis — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:30:46 +0000

Roland DeGregorio, much known as The Hill Historian, passed away peacefully in his sleep at 2a.m. on July 2, 2009 at 87 years old.
Roland DeGregorio began giving tours of The Hill in 1980. The tour business grew out of the constant questions Roland DeGregorio fielded from friends and acquaintances. “For him, it was a passion,” Joseph DeGregorio, Roland’s son, said. “He did it for 25 years, until his legs couldn’t carry him anymore.”
In 2006, Joseph DeGregorio literally followed in his father’s footsteps. As lone proprietor of Guided Tours on The Hill, DeGregorio takes his clients to many of the same places frequented by his father.

Welcome to Hill Stories

ryangreis — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:58:58 +0000

Did you grow up on or have parents or grandparents who grew up in St. Louis’ Italian neighborhood known simply as “The Hill”? We want to hear your stories and share your memories. As generations fade, so go their wonderful tales of the way life was like on The Hill years ago. My mission is to capture, archive and share those stories before they disappear forever. Gather your favorite Hill stories, your family’s Hill stories, your favorite Hill photos and post them on this blog.