Interview of Edmondo Catania
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Subject
Description
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Name: Edmondo Catania
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Place and Date of Birth: South Philadelphia, PA, 09/23/1944
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Generation: 2
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Family Origin:
- Paternal = Naso, Sicily, Italy
- Maternal = Capo d’Orlando, Sicily, Italy
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Spoken Languages:
- English
- Proficient in Italian (understands some Sicilian dialect and communicates at an advanced novice level in standard Italian)
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Relocation to Florida: 2012
List of the Italian Expressions and Traditions Mentioned in the Interview:
- Festas (referring to street festivals in Italian American enclaves)
- Agnello (means “lamb”, Ed intended to say “anello”)
- Anello (means “ring”)
- Zingaro (means “gypsy”, Ed intended to say “zanzare”)
- Zanzare (mosquitos)
- Cittadini (means “citizens”)
- Contadini (means “farmers”)
- Lardo (means “fatback”)
- Prosecco (bubbly wine)
- Prosciutto (dry-cured ham)
- Liquore (means “liquor”)
- Bocce (lawn ball sport related to British bowls and French pétanque)
- Morra (hand game that dates to ancient Roman and Greek times)
- Porchetta (fatty and moist boneless pork roast)
- Quanti quante volte in Italia? (means “How many times in Italy?”)
- Prima volta in Italia? (means “First time in Italy?”)
- Edmondo, come stai? Quanti anni? (means “Edmondo, how are you?
- How many years [has it been]?”)
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Transcription
Interviewer
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Time Summary
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0:07 |
Beginning of interview with Edmondo Catania |
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0:56 - 3:00 |
Grandparents settling in Philadelphia and description of the old neighborhood |
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3:30 – 5:00 |
World War II and parents’ newlywedded life |
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5:00 – 6:45 |
Memories of food and festas in Philadelphia, anecdote about grandfather’s bakery |
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7:00 – 8:20 |
Grandfather’s funeral and father’s commitment to Ed’s future |
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8:30 – 10:40 |
Ancestral property in Sicily and Ed’s first trip to Italy at which time he met his relatives who had not emigrated |
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10:40 – 11:40 |
Memories associated with food and navigating the language during the trip to Sicily |
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11:50 – 14:30 |
Piecing together family history through Zio Giovanni’s stories and property ownership |
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14:30 – 15:00 |
Cultural distinctions between maternal and paternal hometowns in Sicily |
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15:00 – 16:00 |
Hosting a dinner and delivering a speech of appreciation to the relatives in Sicily |
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16:00 – 18:00 |
Parents visit to Sicily regarding the land and the continued pursuit of claiming the ancestral property |
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18:00 – 22:00 |
Talks about identifying as Italian growing up in Philadelphia and throughout life, compared to the ethnic identity of his sister, cousins, and next generation |
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22:00 – 26:00 |
Memories of his father including: his father’s letters from when he was in the service, the dedication Ed gave at his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, wartime stories he associated with his father. |
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26:00 – 29:00 |
Ed’s professional life, marriage and family life |
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29:00 – 30:00 |
Use of Italian, English, and dialect in different settings |
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30:00 – 32:45 |
Family professions: baker, tailor, steam fitter, military serviceman; involvement in racketeering |