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The northeastern states of Rhode Island and Connecticut have the highest percentage of Italians and people of Italian descent in our country. Around 19 to 20 percent of the total population of each state. Plenty of good Italian restaurants, deli's and grocery stores up that way.
Pizza. I have not been to Italy but I would think that traditional Neapolitan Pizza is the most common followed by the Sicilian thick crust. Not sure of any other pizza styles served in Italy. In America you will find a number of different styles of Pizza. Neapolitan and New Haven styles are most common in the Northeast states I mentioned and NY, MA and probably eastern PA. Greek is also common there. In the Midwest you will find Chicago Style Deep Dish and something called Detroit Style which apparently is a square pizza with thicker crust. St. Louis has something quite retched called St. Louis Style which uses some kind of weird cheese called Provel. Process cheese mixed with Provolone I think. Horrid stuff. And New York is where NY Style pizza originated. Thin crust like Neapolitan but not that crispy and is baked in a 650 degree oven vs. around 800 degrees for Neapolitan or New Haven Styles. Sicilian can be found though it is sporadic as far as the concentration of this kind of pizza in certain states is concerned. I have only seen it in New England and NY but it may be out in the Midwest somewhere as well.
In Cincinnati I have seen a traditional American pizza that has a crust that is thicker than Neapolitan or New Haven but thinner than Chicago Style Deep Dish. Pretty similar to the crust of Greek Style which is common in New England and NY. I'm pretty sure you can find NY Style too. Not sure about the others though but perhaps someone can chime in on this. No doubt some of the places offer Brick Oven fired pizza which is usually pretty tasty if done right.
I've never read a so detailed explanation about different kinds of pizza! Anyway Neapolitan pizza is the most common here, followed by a fake neapolitan pizza made by egyptian people (if you ever come to italy stay away from those places!). I've hardly ever seen the Sicilian thick crust because, at least where i live (which is far away from Sicily) is not so common, you can find it in some bakeries but not in restaurants.
I personally like more the thick one so i'm happy to try the American pizza, i'm sure i will like it a lot!
One thing i was wondering: a couple of months ago I was in a store here in italy with a guy from Connecticut who came to visit a friend we have in common, when we were about to take fruits and vegetables he told me he was amazed about the quantity and variety of things we have and that in the states is not normal or common, i don't remember the word he used.
Is it true?
Quote:
Originally Posted by t45209
Ha! If that's all it is the I guarantee it will go unnoticed. Unfortunately, Americans are pretty ignorant of foreign cultures, and at best you'll be known as the couple with two funny accents.
One last thing I'd say about violence in the US...yes there are high profile incidents that make global news (although we've seen similar things in Finland, the UK, Scotland, Germany, and elsewhere), but I think what sometimes Europeans have trouble grasping is what a huge country this is. One of our states is as big as many European countries. We have a population of hundreds of millions. And so the scale of our country amplifies the occurrences, and yet the odds of being a victim of one of these crazy, heartbreaking tragedies are miniscule.
Well, already now people make jokes about the way we speak (i speak in italian to him and he responds in english) so no problem! Also because i don't like my accent at all and i hope by living in us and speaking/listening practically only english (with a proper accent) i can get rid of my italian one!
About the violence and the fact that America is huge compared to Europe you are right and is what my husband ALWAYS tells me. It's his answer everytime i tell him i'm afraid.
Anyway now that we have only one week more to wait i'm starting to be much more happy/excited to come there than afraid. I think it's a good start!
About the violence and the fact that America is huge compared to Europe you are right and is what my husband ALWAYS tells me. It's his answer everytime i tell him i'm afraid.
Anyway now that we have only one week more to wait i'm starting to be much more happy/excited to come there than afraid. I think it's a good start!
You should try a road trip out west to visit some of our national parks after you move here. You'll be shocked by the size of this place. Plus, it will be fun.
From Cincinnati you can drive 18 hours west at highway speed and still only be halfway to california.
I don't know what to make of the comment about lack of variety in produce. That's become much less the case in recent years with the growth of environmental and health awareness. Even in typical supermarkets you'll now find numerous varieties of lettuce instead of only iceberg, for example. And, whether or not this is good, many fruits and vegetables are grown in wildly varying locations throughout the world and imported to the States these days. No more do you have to wait for something to be "in season." But even with all the importation it can still be difficult to find things which aren't native to the US - unless you go to a specialty store such as Jungle Jim's.
I think the inadvertent new word "hausband" is fantastic!!! There's NO need to apologize for misspellings, or grammar uncertainties, particularly since many "natives" are so poorly educated in their own language these days. And try to take proud ownership of your accent rather than feel embarrassed. My parents (from the Southern US) still sound like they're obviously from that region, but a lot of their "drawl" and unique vocabulary got shamed out of them over time. And the same happened with me and my Cincinnati twang, and unique words/expressions, after a while living on the East Coast. When someone can't immediately comprehend something you're saying, that's their problem.
Others have already brought out that while America is a far more violent nation than any place in the world that's not a "developing" country, you stand little chance of having anything bad happen. But you'll still need to adopt some habits which you may not now have. The main thing you'll need to remember is to always lock your doors and windows while away from home, and to do the same with your car. Gone are the days when everyone knew all their neighbors and there was usually somebody in their house during the day. (Mostly it was a woman, hence the term "housewife." But a growing number of men are now working from home or being the unemployed spouse, which is why I got excited about "hausband." ) Therefore, people out to steal will often target deserted streets in the 'burbs. Then you also have con artists, who are either aiming to part you from money only or are also "casing" your home for a future break-in. They will show up at your door with a sales pitch for knock-off perfume, magazine subscriptions, or junk jewelry, for example, or claim to be raising funds for a school trip or sick relative (among other things.) Many American companies grew their business by hiring door-to-door sales persons - Fuller brushes, Avon cosmetics, etc. In the bedroom from my youth is still the set of World Book encyclopedias that my parents purchased from an eager college lad working his way through school for that publisher. But every legitimate operation has now "migrated" to the Internet, even the Welcome Wagon company which used to have a local "hostess" visit newcomers with coupons from neighborhood merchants. So at the risk of appearing antisocial you might want to buy and display a "NO SOLICITING" sign. Not that that would likely deter the Jehovah's Witnesses anyhow.
As far as going out at night is concerned, you need only be mindful of your surroundings and not put things like expensive cameras or purses on display. In crowded bars or restaurants there will sometimes be people "lying in wait" for shopping bags or pocketbooks to be placed on the floor and promptly not watched. At heavily attended public events there will always be a few groups of individuals "up to no good" lurking on quiet nearby side streets or by remote parking lots. Earlier this year there was an incident at the fringe of downtown Cincinnati, late one night during a festival, that involved a couple of people who were jumped and beaten up - and presumably robbed - as they approached their car. This got publicized for definite reasons, #1 being that the clueless perpetrators attacked the son of a well-known public official. Also, the Cincinnati (as well as American) media like to sensationalize things. When something happens in an urban setting, and more so when it's between differing ethnic groups (particularly Black-on-White or vice versa), you're guaranteed big headlines. Crime reports have always helped sell papers, that and sports "news." What goes forgotten is that if such occurrences took place every day or "all the time" it wouldn't be reported.
OP, when you read the section above I hope it helps to allay some of your fears about the States. After all, Milan surely is a place where there are burglars + con artists + thieves + muggers...right?
I don't know what to make of the comment about lack of variety in produce. That's become much less the case in recent years with the growth of environmental and health awareness. Even in typical supermarkets you'll now find numerous varieties of lettuce instead of only iceberg, for example. And, whether or not this is good, many fruits and vegetables are grown in wildly varying locations throughout the world and imported to the States these days. No more do you have to wait for something to be "in season." But even with all the importation it can still be difficult to find things which aren't native to the US - unless you go to a specialty store such as Jungle Jim's.
I think the inadvertent new word "hausband" is fantastic!!! There's NO need to apologize for misspellings, or grammar uncertainties, particularly since many "natives" are so poorly educated in their own language these days. And try to take proud ownership of your accent rather than feel embarrassed. My parents (from the Southern US) still sound like they're obviously from that region, but a lot of their "drawl" and unique vocabulary got shamed out of them over time. And the same happened with me and my Cincinnati twang, and unique words/expressions, after a while living on the East Coast. When someone can't immediately comprehend something you're saying, that's their problem.
Others have already brought out that while America is a far more violent nation than any place in the world that's not a "developing" country, you stand little chance of having anything bad happen. But you'll still need to adopt some habits which you may not now have. The main thing you'll need to remember is to always lock your doors and windows while away from home, and to do the same with your car. Gone are the days when everyone knew all their neighbors and there was usually somebody in their house during the day. (Mostly it was a woman, hence the term "housewife." But a growing number of men are now working from home or being the unemployed spouse, which is why I got excited about "hausband." ) Therefore, people out to steal will often target deserted streets in the 'burbs. Then you also have con artists, who are either aiming to part you from money only or are also "casing" your home for a future break-in. They will show up at your door with a sales pitch for knock-off perfume, magazine subscriptions, or junk jewelry, for example, or claim to be raising funds for a school trip or sick relative (among other things.) Many American companies grew their business by hiring door-to-door sales persons - Fuller brushes, Avon cosmetics, etc. In the bedroom from my youth is still the set of World Book encyclopedias that my parents purchased from an eager college lad working his way through school for that publisher. But every legitimate operation has now "migrated" to the Internet, even the Welcome Wagon company which used to have a local "hostess" visit newcomers with coupons from neighborhood merchants. So at the risk of appearing antisocial you might want to buy and display a "NO SOLICITING" sign. Not that that would likely deter the Jehovah's Witnesses anyhow.
As far as going out at night is concerned, you need only be mindful of your surroundings and not put things like expensive cameras or purses on display. In crowded bars or restaurants there will sometimes be people "lying in wait" for shopping bags or pocketbooks to be placed on the floor and promptly not watched. At heavily attended public events there will always be a few groups of individuals "up to no good" lurking on quiet nearby side streets or by remote parking lots. Earlier this year there was an incident at the fringe of downtown Cincinnati, late one night during a festival, that involved a couple of people who were jumped and beaten up - and presumably robbed - as they approached their car. This got publicized for definite reasons, #1 being that the clueless perpetrators attacked the son of a well-known public official. Also, the Cincinnati (as well as American) media like to sensationalize things. When something happens in an urban setting, and more so when it's between differing ethnic groups (particularly Black-on-White or vice versa), you're guaranteed big headlines. Crime reports have always helped sell papers, that and sports "news." What goes forgotten is that if such occurrences took place every day or "all the time" it wouldn't be reported.
OP, when you read the section above I hope it helps to allay some of your fears about the States. After all, Milan surely is a place where there are burglars + con artists + thieves + muggers...right?
goyguy couldn't have said it any better!
Unless you really despise your heritage, there is definitely no shame in taking some pride in it! Flaunt your accent. Follow your customs. The locals will be in awe.
And yes, NEVER trust any door-to-door salesman. I have never been to Europe, but I have read one primary difference is scale. The US is a lot bigger, we rely a lot more on cars, and no one legitimate ever walks door-to-door selling things (except maybe the neighborhood kids with magazine subscriptions).
Going out is also different here. There's not much public transit overall, so going out in places like Mason or West Chester is virtually impossible UNLESS you coordinate a designated driver or cab beforehand. That's one reason why people (particularly younger people) often choose to live in the city. Keep in mind I'm equating going out to including over 2 alcoholic drinks. If you're just looking for good restaurants those can be found anywhere.
Sure there is a lot more we can do, especially demanding our politicians get rid of the stinking guns. But since that violates one of those innate US freedoms it doesn't happen. It is beyond me how an intelligent person can even desire a gun anywhere around them, let alone own one. But that is the US.
Wow, I agree w/ you totally on this
It's an amendment that should have been abolished, just like prohibition...it was originally in place becasue most people had to hunt for food and we had no standing army or police force, so the we had to have well regulated local militias, which required you to have a gun and know how to use it...
To the OP...I wish you good travels and hope you enjoy the trip to the states...even if you and your husband decide not to move here, it's nice to get a nice trip paid for like this. Cincinnati and the whole whole Midwest in general is very family friendly so you will fit right in here. Cincinnati is mostly a german influenced city but as has been mentioned, there are some great italian restaurants around...and what is also great is that Cincinnati is a short drive from a lot of other great destinations that can make weekend getaways fun so you can explore many different areas if you decide to move here.
Lastly, I'll mention, that most of Cincinnati is very hilly, so you will notice distinct neighborhoods through out the city...some can be very nice...where your husband's job would be in West Chester is very suburban which sounds like would meet your needs perfectly...
I don't know what to make of the comment about lack of variety in produce. That's become much less the case in recent years with the growth of environmental and health awareness. Even in typical supermarkets you'll now find numerous varieties of lettuce instead of only iceberg, for example. And, whether or not this is good, many fruits and vegetables are grown in wildly varying locations throughout the world and imported to the States these days. No more do you have to wait for something to be "in season." But even with all the importation it can still be difficult to find things which aren't native to the US - unless you go to a specialty store such as Jungle Jim's.
I think the inadvertent new word "hausband" is fantastic!!! There's NO need to apologize for misspellings, or grammar uncertainties, particularly since many "natives" are so poorly educated in their own language these days. And try to take proud ownership of your accent rather than feel embarrassed. My parents (from the Southern US) still sound like they're obviously from that region, but a lot of their "drawl" and unique vocabulary got shamed out of them over time. And the same happened with me and my Cincinnati twang, and unique words/expressions, after a while living on the East Coast. When someone can't immediately comprehend something you're saying, that's their problem.
Others have already brought out that while America is a far more violent nation than any place in the world that's not a "developing" country, you stand little chance of having anything bad happen. But you'll still need to adopt some habits which you may not now have. The main thing you'll need to remember is to always lock your doors and windows while away from home, and to do the same with your car. Gone are the days when everyone knew all their neighbors and there was usually somebody in their house during the day. (Mostly it was a woman, hence the term "housewife." But a growing number of men are now working from home or being the unemployed spouse, which is why I got excited about "hausband." ) Therefore, people out to steal will often target deserted streets in the 'burbs. Then you also have con artists, who are either aiming to part you from money only or are also "casing" your home for a future break-in. They will show up at your door with a sales pitch for knock-off perfume, magazine subscriptions, or junk jewelry, for example, or claim to be raising funds for a school trip or sick relative (among other things.) Many American companies grew their business by hiring door-to-door sales persons - Fuller brushes, Avon cosmetics, etc. In the bedroom from my youth is still the set of World Book encyclopedias that my parents purchased from an eager college lad working his way through school for that publisher. But every legitimate operation has now "migrated" to the Internet, even the Welcome Wagon company which used to have a local "hostess" visit newcomers with coupons from neighborhood merchants. So at the risk of appearing antisocial you might want to buy and display a "NO SOLICITING" sign. Not that that would likely deter the Jehovah's Witnesses anyhow.
As far as going out at night is concerned, you need only be mindful of your surroundings and not put things like expensive cameras or purses on display. In crowded bars or restaurants there will sometimes be people "lying in wait" for shopping bags or pocketbooks to be placed on the floor and promptly not watched. At heavily attended public events there will always be a few groups of individuals "up to no good" lurking on quiet nearby side streets or by remote parking lots. Earlier this year there was an incident at the fringe of downtown Cincinnati, late one night during a festival, that involved a couple of people who were jumped and beaten up - and presumably robbed - as they approached their car. This got publicized for definite reasons, #1 being that the clueless perpetrators attacked the son of a well-known public official. Also, the Cincinnati (as well as American) media like to sensationalize things. When something happens in an urban setting, and more so when it's between differing ethnic groups (particularly Black-on-White or vice versa), you're guaranteed big headlines. Crime reports have always helped sell papers, that and sports "news." What goes forgotten is that if such occurrences took place every day or "all the time" it wouldn't be reported.
OP, when you read the section above I hope it helps to allay some of your fears about the States. After all, Milan surely is a place where there are burglars + con artists + thieves + muggers...right?
First of all, thank you so much for this comprehensive explanation.
I was asking about vegetables and fruits because i don't eat meat and fish (i'm not a vegetarian, i just don't like them at all) so i like to eat a lot of different vegetables and fruits (like asparagus, zucchini flowers, broccoli, turnip, celery, various cereals etc.) and in italy they are quite cheap because we grow a lot of them here (even if we import also a lot of fruits) and i was wondering how are the prices in the US and if you can find vegetables and fruits easily in supermarkets. For example usually here we have a huge area just for that.
Milan is at the moment really unsafe, there is no way you can leave doors or windows open when you go out, actually all the people who live in the first floor (or even in the second) have barred windows and a lot of houses have an alarm. With the car is the same thing, my husband got his car broken into 5 times during the last two years!
We also have door-to-door sales persons but i never open my door to them so no problem.
I'm usually really mindful when i go around because as i was saying before Milan is not safe so i'm not really afraid about thieves since sadly i'm used to them.
PS i don't want to keep my italian accent just for the simple reason that here in italy people are picking on each other on their accent when speaking in english. In italy the lack of a proper accent (british or american) is often understood and taken as lack of knowledge of the language.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ohioaninsc
Wow, I agree w/ you totally on this
It's an amendment that should have been abolished, just like prohibition...it was originally in place becasue most people had to hunt for food and we had no standing army or police force, so the we had to have well regulated local militias, which required you to have a gun and know how to use it...
To the OP...I wish you good travels and hope you enjoy the trip to the states...even if you and your husband decide not to move here, it's nice to get a nice trip paid for like this. Cincinnati and the whole whole Midwest in general is very family friendly so you will fit right in here. Cincinnati is mostly a german influenced city but as has been mentioned, there are some great italian restaurants around...and what is also great is that Cincinnati is a short drive from a lot of other great destinations that can make weekend getaways fun so you can explore many different areas if you decide to move here.
Lastly, I'll mention, that most of Cincinnati is very hilly, so you will notice distinct neighborhoods through out the city...some can be very nice...where your husband's job would be in West Chester is very suburban which sounds like would meet your needs perfectly...
I'm always curious to go to italian restaurants when i'm abroad so i will for sure try one when i'm in the states. I ate one of the best pizzas ever when I was in Finland in an ''italian'' pizzeria called ''Napoli''.
I agree with you about the great position of Cincinnati, in fact we were thinking to visit also Columbus and Cleveland while we are there, to have a bigger perspective on Ohio in general.
First of all, thank you so much for this comprehensive explanation.
I was asking about vegetables and fruits because i don't eat meat and fish (i'm not a vegetarian, i just don't like them at all) so i like to eat a lot of different vegetables and fruits (like asparagus, zucchini flowers, broccoli, turnip, celery, various cereals etc.) and in italy they are quite cheap because we grow a lot of them here (even if we import also a lot of fruits) and i was wondering how are the prices in the US and if you can find vegetables and fruits easily in supermarkets. For example usually here we have a huge area just for that.
. . ..
A myth about Europe is that there is this great variety of fruits and vegetable, super fresh. Let me help with this.
Very little is actually grown in any city, here or in Europe. The produce grown in the countryside many miles from the city. It is picked, sorted, washed and sometimes trimmed. Then put on a truck and sent to market. Some open air markets (here called farmers markets) skip the washing and bring the produce to market dirt clods and all. In any event, the efficiency of transportation is the largest single factor in the kind and quality of produce.
When I have traveled in Europe, I have been stunned at the poor quality, appearance and variety of produce after hearing the myth of great produce from travel shows and cooking shows, etc. It is simply not true.
Your local Kroger store here, Hyde park if you choose that neighborhood, or any one of the other 10 or 15 local stores will have produce from all over the the US picked 48 hours before and all over the world, nearly as fresh as it appeared in Chile or France or whatnot. It will have shipped in refrigerated trucks. And, it will be displayed in air conditioned environment with a clerk spraying it down every hour or two instead of sitting out in an open air market in the sun and exposed to insects and the elements.
Or, you can go to one of the many open air markets here locally. My cousin is a farmer in Southeast Indian and brings her produce to Findlay Market which I highly recommend.
OP ... You will find lots of fruits and vegetables.
Some of the vegetables you did not mention would be acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, cucumber, cauliflower, green beans of a half dozen varieties, radishes, just to mention a few.
Ye i'm happy to hear it.
I've thought like this because everytime i say to someone ''hey i might move to USA'' they respond that ''there you eat badly and unhealthy plus there are no vegetables or fruits'' (as my friend from Connecticut ''confirmed'' by being overwhelmed by the local supermarket offering).
Another thing that concerns me is how easy is to meet/find new people. In the beginning at least i will be staying at home because quite surely i will not have found a work, that means i will be dying of boredom. What do young people do and where do i find them? keep in mind that i'm not sportive (but i can do sports that don't include too much running ) nor do i drink excess amounts of alcohol.
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And the same happened with me and my Cincinnati twang, and unique words/expressions, after a while living on the East Coast. When someone can't immediately comprehend something you're saying, that's their problem.
) Therefore, people out to steal will often target deserted streets in the 'burbs. Then you also have con artists, who are either aiming to part you from money only or are also "casing" your home for a future break-in. They will show up at your door with a sales pitch for knock-off perfume, magazine subscriptions, or junk jewelry, for example, or claim to be raising funds for a school trip or sick relative (among other things.) Many American companies grew their business by hiring door-to-door sales persons - Fuller brushes, Avon cosmetics, etc. In the bedroom from my youth is still the set of World Book encyclopedias that my parents purchased from an eager college lad working his way through school for that publisher. But every legitimate operation has now "migrated" to the Internet, even the Welcome Wagon company which used to have a local "hostess" visit newcomers with coupons from neighborhood merchants. So at the risk of appearing antisocial you might want to buy and display a "NO SOLICITING" sign. Not that that would likely deter the Jehovah's Witnesses anyhow. 
keep in mind that i'm not sportive (but i can do sports that don't include too much running 
