Memories

In the afternoon on Friday, September 6, 2007, my class of Anthropology of Food was invited to make pizzas for the first burning of the cobb oven at the UW Farm. Not only was I overjoyed with the fact that I was able to make a fresh pizza with fresh vegetables but I was able to think about memories that I have shared with my family. I come from a big Italian family which means that we like pasta, we are loud, and we have a good time. My family is very close both physically and emotionally. We know about everything in everyone’s lives and we all live in a five-block radius from each other in Sacramento. My family is proud of our heritage and we embrace the fact that we are Italian.

My Grandpa would always tell stories to his grandchildren about how his father would make the freshest and best pizzas in Italy when he was a younger boy. Making fresh pizza yesterday in a way made me feel closer to my Great Grandfather. I know that I have never met my Great Grandfather but when I was making my pizza on the Farm, I felt that there was a greater force with me. I am proud that I am Italian and I am confident that my Great Grandfather would have been proud of my pizza that I made yesterday. Being at the first cobb firing I felt that I was taking apart of history at the UW. It was a lot of fun to be cooking with friends by my side and to be able to create a pizza and to see the finish product. I am so honored that I was able to be apart of this activity and I hope that there will be many more cobb firings to come!