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

3 of my 4 grandparents were born and raised in PR.
My paternal grandfather came to the US as an infant from Austria.

I associate more w/ Puerto Rican customs/foods/music. But I do love the bratworst!

Message edited 1/4/2008 10:47:51 AM.

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

Posted by Tilde

i think everyone that read the OP knows what she was referring to - i am surprised at the hostility in some of the responses.

for example, FH is half italian and half irish but closer to his italian family so he likes spaghetti and meatballs . . . i mean not to oversimplify but not everything has to be taken so seriously and so "PC"

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

Posted by pinkiegirl

Posted by Tilde

i think everyone that read the OP knows what she was referring to - i am surprised at the hostility in some of the responses.

for example, FH is half italian and half irish but closer to his italian family so he likes spaghetti and meatballs . . . i mean not to oversimplify but not everything has to be taken so seriously and so "PC"

Hostility on this board doesn't suprise me in the slightest!
We all get what the OP was asking...and yet as per usual it gets blown out of proportion!

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

Posted by Tilde

Posted by anna

Im as Italian as Italian gets. Im Italian American-first generation.

But its funny because growing up we went to ITaly very frequently from June to September, and while here in the US, we're ITALIAN, being in ITaly, we were "THE AMERICANS" so we were flipping back and forth.

as soon as we got out of the car in front of my grandparents' house, a crowd of our friends were waiting "THE AMERICANS ARE HERE !!!"

and growing up here, in school all our lives, with so many wonderful cultures around us (im so proud to have been raised in a very diverse community) we had to identify with our background and that was 100% ITalian...

So Im prooud as EVER to be American, and also VERY proud to be ITalian.
ITs a great combo.

i could have written this myself!

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

Posted by pinkiegirl

Posted by Tilde

i think everyone that read the OP knows what she was referring to - i am surprised at the hostility in some of the responses.

for example, FH is half italian and half irish but closer to his italian family so he likes spaghetti and meatballs . . . i mean not to oversimplify but not everything has to be taken so seriously and so "PC"

Hostility on this board doesn't suprise me in the slightest!
We all get what the OP was asking...and yet as per usual it gets blown out of proportion!

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

My background is a mix of Irish and Polish. I identify with my Irish background more because I think that's how other people identified me.... "Oh, you MUST be Irish..." I have a very Irish last name along with the fair skin and hair (I could be German or Sweedish for all they know!).

I identify even more with my background now because FH is 100% Irish and was raised in an extremely Irish family and everything he was raised to know is sort of seeping onto me.

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

Message edited 1/4/2008 11:17:50 AM.

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

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

My Dad is 1/2 Scottish and 1/2 Italian-My maiden name was very Irish sounding and I guess I look more Irish and resemble my Dad more than my Mom.

My Mom is Italian and Hungarian.

So I am mostly Italian and can cook some Italian foods but I guess I associate more with my Scottish heritage

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

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

I guess I started the "drama" with the "nationality" concept. Although technically your nationality is the country that you were born in or that you changed to (naturalization).

I did not mean to UPSET people. I did understand the OP and what she meant. BUT being a person born overseas it's very "strange" to me that people refers themselves as Italian, English, French, German when they were born in the USA. To ME, you are all Americans. I would not call people Italians unless they were born in Italy. Especially if your ancestors came 100 years ago. KWIM! I have noticed people do that. It's very interesting to me. That was just MY point of view on this! No offense was intended what so ever!

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

Posted by chikita315

3 of my 4 grandparents were born and raised in PR.
My paternal grandfather came to the US as an infant from Austria.

I associate more w/ Puerto Rican customs/foods/music. But I do love the bratworst!

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

i just wanted to point out that everyone knows what the OP meant - i wasnt offended or upset by anything . . . honestly, i dont think anyone was.

maybe "hostile" was too strong of a word

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

DH & I are both the same mix, but we are very different. Although we are both 1/4 English & 3/4 Italian, he is all Italian in practice & I am 50/50.

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

I'm 1/2 Irish, 1/4 Italian and 1/4 german. I identify more with my Irish side because I know the most about it and because I look very Irish. Some of my sisters identify only with the Italian side because they look very italian. It's actaully kinda funny because there are 6 girls in my family and people outside the family say we are all identical but we are like "oh no, these ones have allthe italian genes and these ones have all of the Irish genes"

Can you tell the differnce (the one all the way to the right is my SIL



I find ancestry really interesting and enjoy knowing the stories of why my grandparents (or great, great-great, etc. ) came over, one came over in 1860 and we still have letters that he wrote back home to Ireland - I love that stuff!

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

I'm 100% Croatian, born and partially raised :) but I still consider myself American. I love this country and all it stands for and would NEVER move back to Croatia (even though most of my family is there, including my dad)

I hate people who come to America just to use it for what its worth and always put it down, saying their country is the greatest...well you know what, if it's so great then go the hell back to it! My dad was a perfect example of that, thank god he moved back because if I heard "stupid Americans" one more time, I was gonna smack him!!!

Vent over

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

my heritage is 50% Italian, 25% sweedish, 25% Norwegian.

DH is 100% PR.
his parents grew up there and the rest of his family.. DH was born here though

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

I am Danish and Irish - but I guess I identify more with my Scandanavian heritage. Mostly because my father was a 'proud Dane' and impressed the importance of that culture on me. My mother is 1/4 Danish and 3/4 Irish and never really had any particular affinity for her ancestry - except to balk when my father would tell her that the "Danes cut the tails off of the Irishmen and civilized them." I guess her lack of enthusiasm - coupled with my father's zealous patriotism make me identify slightly more with my Danish side. But I am still American through and through!

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

My mom is Italian, my dad is Portugese. I'm first generation with my mom & dad both speaking broken english. You can imagine how hard it was growing up & trying to learn the right way to speak English! I speak Italian, Portugese & English fluent although I tend to mix up languages alot! Its a great mix for me & my family because both of those nationalities share the same cultures & beliefs. I consider myself American, but when asked I say Im 1/2 Italian 1/2 Portugese.

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

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

Posted by Goldi0218

Posted by nrthshgrl

Actually my mistake. I read nationality as "ethnic background". We both are Americans. Considering I used to work in an umbrella organization of every ethnic social organization, I should have known better.

When asked to identify ethnicity, we had people fill out nomination forms as "Jewish baseball player"
We have repeatedly told people that we don't accept "Jewish" as ethnic background, but people fill it out year after year - even though we write "NOT RELIGION".

When I spoke to my mom about the ongoing problem, she said as a Jew, her family was kicked out of every country in Europe. How does she identify her "ethnic background" after that?

Anyway, though it was a good point - but would need to add "Jewish" to my list.

Excellent point and thank you for acknowledging this.

I certainly understand why people get flustered Jewish people identify their ethnicity or culture as Jewish because it is a religion. I do, but I generally don't identify my nationality as Jewish. You'd be surprised how many people think all Jews are Israeli.

I always identify my ethnic background as Jewish. Many Jews, regardless of nationality do regardless of the literal translation of ethnicity. I think that because of how our people have been treated historically (and biblically) the one thing that holds us together is our faith. When people are shuffled around and not accepted, it is hard to hold on to a country that doesn't support your existence. Maybe that is what made it so easy for so many Jewish immigrants to assimilate and leave their nationalities behind. The Jewish religion did not shun its people, the weak governments did and its hard to hold on to national pride when nobody wants you.

You would never know that my family is of Polish, Romanian and Russian background, but you WOULD know to this day, that I was raised in a Jewish home. The door knocker that says "Shalom" on it is a dead giveaway!

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

I am not more than one nationality. My parents are from Ireland and so I am first generation American.

I defintiely relate to my ethnicity because my parents were not American born, so being irish (going to Ireland often, our Catholic faith, etc.) was so instilled in us from day one. It's funny, here in America when people ask me, I say, "I'm Irish" but in Ireland, I say, "I'm American" and all my cousins call me the Yank. :) Both of my parents consider themselves American now and were very proud to become American citizens, although they are still very much "Irish" if that makes sense.

DH is Irish and Italian. His father is Italian born, DH speaks Italian and an Italian dialect fluently, but he is more "Irish" in personality and spirt as he spent most of his childhood in Ireland with his Irish grandmother. Thank God he's an Italian when it comes to food! ;)

DH and I both hold our dual citizenship with the United States and Ireland and are proud to do so.

Most Americans have become so removed from their heritage... particularly if they were not born in another country or are not at least first generation. Sometimes it bothers me when people claim how "Italian they are" or they're "99% Irish or whatever... how can you be 99% of sometihng... lol. and they've never even been to the country, no idea about the language or have no concept whatsoever how life is there. I tihnk after a generation or two, you're just American with roots elsewhere and that's it. The beauty of America is all the ethnicities that it encompasses.

Message edited 1/4/2008 11:42:39 PM.

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

Yes.....I am 1/2 polish, 1/4 irish, and 1/4 german....Joe is 100% irish. I am very into my polish culture and am proud of who I am and where I come from. Joe is proud also and so now its fun learning about both cultures. When me have a son someday his name will be Fritz...in honor of Joe's German culture. Our families are and always have been VERY supportive. Hope that helps......Oh..the food Some of it is to die for and some of it is just but I have tried a lot of it. NOBODY can make bean soup like my Grandmother

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

Both DH and I are mostly 50 Irish/50 Italian, we definitely favor the italian more...but that doesnt mean I dont want my meat and potatos from time to time

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

Posted by Tilde

i think everyone that read the OP knows what she was referring to - i am surprised at the hostility in some of the responses.

i mean not to oversimplify but not everything has to be taken so seriously and so "PC"