if youa re more than one nationality do you..

tend to lean towrds or favor one more than the other?Ffor example my dh is 3/4 irish 1/4 italian and he is all into Italian cooking, wine, going to italian places.His brother is all about being irish. He has a shamrock tatoo his kids have irish names , he is in a irish pipe and drum band etc.
What about you?Do you favor one nationality more than the other?.


ETA; Yes i know we are all Americans but i meant your heritage before you families came to the US. Sorry if offended anyone.

Message edited 1/4/2008 8:14:08 AM.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

I think people bond with nationalities like everything else.. surroundings, friends , expierences... My dh is half irish and half italian but he only says he is irish when asked... I think its bc his best friends are irish and his last name is irsh and he likes what it means to them

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

I don't. I'm a mix of Italian, Irish, German, Russian, French-Canadian & Polish.

DH is a mix of Irish & Italian but will only admit to being Italian. I think it's because he has a very Italian last name & grew up in a very Irish neighborhood where he was busted on my his friends for being Italian. He bashed the Irish right back at them.

I personally think it's ridiculous to deny your nationality.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

interesting topic!

I'm such a mutt- Irish, German, French & Swedish

Considering the combinations I'm probably mostly Irish anyway. My immediate family tends to favor the Irish side since my Grandfather emigrated from Ireland when he was 19. We still keep in touch with our Irish relatives.

DH has basically no interest in his background, it cracks me up. I finally learned from his Dad over xmas what they're all made of.

Funny thing is, DH keeps saying he's Italian- and he sure as hell is not. He says he wants to convert.

Yeah he loves the Sopranos.

Message edited 1/3/2008 7:34:14 PM.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

I'm 1/2 Swedish and 1/2 German.

I am equally proud of both, but I feel more connected to my German side (mom's side). I am closer to that side of the family, grew up on some awesome German food, attended many German club events with my grandparents, and have visited family still living in Europe. Oh yeah, I also aced Advanced German in college, so I know a bit of the language. I know nothing in Swedish.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

I'm a mix of Irish & German, mostly. DH is a mix of Irish, Polish & French Canadian. We both lean toward Irish for some reason. The neighborhood I live in is very Irish, so I guess that was an influence, DH has an Irish last name, so people just naturally assume he's all Irish, so that's a factor, too.

When people ask though, I say I'm a mutt, because that's the reality, and I'm proud of it!

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

I'm mostly German, but because I grew up around my Mom's family (my Grandma was the only one who married a non-Italian) and my Step-father's family (again, all Italian) I tend to associate with the Italian culture a lot more.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

I don't deny my nationality. I am American. My grandparents did not bring the "old country" with them. They did not live in neighborhoods with people of their own nationality. They assimilated. I am completely disconnected from the countries my grandparents left (as were my parents)and I am very content with describing my nationality as American. This may upset some people. Too bad.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

I'm 1/2 Italian and 1/2 Polish. I'd say I'm 50/50 with both nationalities but I lean towards the italian side more.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

I'm Irish/Italian/Slovak/German/French.

I identify myself with being Italian, Irish and Slovak because members of my family followed a lot of the customs or spoke the language, etc..

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

i'm half puerto rican and half peruvian. while some might think that they are both hispanic--and similiar...they are 2 different cultures.

i think i tend to lean more towards the puerto rican side of my family--simply because my dad is the only peruvian from his side of the family that lives here in the states. so i don't get to see the other side as much.

but i'm still proud of my peruvian side and the history and such.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

Definatley.
My mother is from Ireland and my Dad is German-Italian.
I really don't feel Italian at all- for a few reasons. #1-When my Italian grandmother married my German grandfather she adopted the German style of cooking. She sisn't speak Italian either.

Really, I fell Irish, with a proud nod to my German stubborness.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

Um, I relate to my being an American. While I can speak Spanish pretty fluently, I don't really relate to being half Puerto Rican, and while I can make a mean sauce, I don't really relate to being Italian. My family is as American as they come.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

Im 1/2 Spanish and 1/2 American Indian

I relate more to the Indian than the Spanish but we seem to tend to Spanish traditions as that is what most Indians in our area did anyway.

Since my hubby is Chinese our kids would be 1/2 Chinese 1/4 Spanish and 1/4 American Indian. I would want them to lean to Spanish and Chinese with a healthy respect to American Indian

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

Being a "foreign" person, I find all the answers VERY interesting.

YOU ARE ALL AMERICANS. Not Italians, Irish, German, French, etc... unless you were born in those countries

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

I am 50% Swedish & 50% Scottish and do not favor either, but are proud to be both.
DH on the other hand is 50% italian 25% english 25% french, but he acts like and describes himself as just Italian. Its almost annoying!

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

Posted by smdl

Being a "foreign" person, I find all the answers VERY interesting.

YOU ARE ALL AMERICANS. Not Italians, Irish, German, French, etc... unless you were born in those countries

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

Posted by smdl

Being a "foreign" person, I find all the answers VERY interesting.

YOU ARE ALL AMERICANS. Not Italians, Irish, German, French, etc... unless you were born in those countries

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

somehow I posted the same response twice, so I am deleting this one.

Message edited 1/4/2008 11:24:19 AM.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

My ethnicity is 3/4 italian and 1/4 irish...I think I identify more with my italian roots because I guess I look more italian and we follow most of the typical Italian cultural ways...

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

Posted by evenedan

Posted by smdl

Being a "foreign" person, I find all the answers VERY interesting.

YOU ARE ALL AMERICANS. Not Italians, Irish, German, French, etc... unless you were born in those countries

I think we all know that, but clearly the OP's question was referring to our bloodlines and ethnic backgrounds. If I was asked what my nationality was while abroad, I'd say American. Here, since most of us are descendants of immigrants and not Native Americans, the word "nationality" tends to take on a different meaning.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

My background is Irish, Italian, Polish, Russian and German.

I consider myself an American.

My parents have passed on cultural traditions to all their children giving us at least some idea of what we've come from.

I think while it's good to know where you are...it's equally important to know where you came from.

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

Posted by smdl

Being a "foreign" person, I find all the answers VERY interesting.

YOU ARE ALL AMERICANS. Not Italians, Irish, German, French, etc... unless you were born in those countries

Re: if youa re more than one nationality do you..

My grandparents, like Leslie's did not bring a lot of the Old COuntry with them. They assimilated and put a very high value on being American.

That said I identify a lot more with my Italian heritage since my family is 3/4 Italian and I grew up in the same house with my Italian grandmother and my mom who is 100% Italian by heritage. I don't identify at all with the 1/4 German in my adoptive family. I actually HATE the fact that I have a German last name because I don't identify with it at all (though I love fiary tales and german glass arts, etc, it doens't come from a family connection)

However, by birth I am Italian, Irish and German, but if people ask I say Italian and Irish. I've always liked Irish culture and I have an Irish first name and I love Irish names. People always told me I looked Irish (before I knew I was) and identifying with being Irsih is a way for me to connect with my birth heritage.