By Kristian Fearon ’25
Food is more than a necessity: it is also a way to display culture, heritage, and pride. In the DHS community, there are many students and teachers with many diverse backgrounds. Today I focus on exploring the culture seen here at DHS, which is strongly represented in our community by our staff members. The culture I chose to highlight is Italian.
Mr. Sigona: Dweleve into Italy
Hunter Sigona, Italian teacher who not only teaches the language but has an ethnic background, does an excellent job at representing his culture at DHS. When asked what foods are common in Italian culture, Sigona obviously states pizza and pasta. Through his answer, not only did I learn about Italian culture, but also Asian. “Pasta was actually from China, and then came to Italy. It was brought by Marco Polo when he went and visited the East.’’ From then on, Italians learned to make all different kinds of noodles. These foods’ versatility are very much responsible for why they are so popular in Italian culture. There are so many different ways to prepare these dishes. “Pasta can have all these different sauces and it can be put with meats and seafood,” He states. Sigona then began to give me a description of Pasta alle vongole, which is an Italian seafood dish featuring spaghetti or linguine with fresh clams, garlic, olive oil, white wine, and parsley. It can be made without or with tomatoes for variation. In particular, Sigona is a big fan of Cavatelli, (a traditional, small, shell-shaped pasta from Italy’s Molise and Puglia regions) and ravioli (Italian stuffed pasta, typically square or round, filled with cheese, meat, or vegetables, They are usually served with sauces like tomato, butter, or cream).
Food’s importance in Italia?
To express food’s importance in Italian culture, Sigona said “A tavola si non invecchia’’ which translates to “At the table, no one grows old.” This quote displays how food in Italy influences community, conversation and family bonding. Food is an important gateway to a healthy family, it keeps people together. Even though it’s just food, it also connects people through family, heritage, and culture.
The Raider Press 