Termini. How I love thee. Cannolis, almond cookies, pignolis, biscotti, torrone, amaretti….. My waist is expanding just thinking about these delights! Actually, it's expanding because I'm eating some of these bad boys as I type....just took a bite....here's another! Yum.
Termini is a family owned and operated pastry shop which originated in South Philly in 1921 by two brothers from Southern Italy. It has been passed down from generation to generation using family recipes that have not changed since its inception. It’s a Christmas tradition in South Philly. Ask anyone from South Philly and I guarantee you they know of Termini. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that this place invokes a certain amount of nostalgia for them as well.
Chris’ roots are grounded in South Philly. When he was growing up (and even more so with his parents) this area was primarily made up of Italian Americans. There are loads of wonderful attributes found in Italian Americans. One of which is taking their food and the traditions that follow very seriously. I’m not a South Philly girl so obviously for me it’s not the same. However, I have inherited this nostalgia by marriage and have fully embraced it. The embracing didn't take long. I remember one of my first Christmas’ with the Frigs and the excitement by the entire family because they received a little package of Termini’s cookies in the mail. The first time I visited Philly with Chris, meeting his Mom Mom for the first time and getting a true taste of South Philly and Termini’s. It was easy to fall in love with all of that. So, now that I’m thinking about it, I guess for me the nostalgia is discovering Chris’ heritage and remembering Mom Mom.
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| ARose's first Termini experience....she was more interested in the top than the cookies though! |
3 comments:
Not to burst any bubbles here, but OK - maybe to set the record straight - when we moved from Philly when Chris was 8 and I was 10 we had actually gone to South Philly less than a handful of times in our whole lives at that point. We were squarely rooted in NE Philly as were our grandparents, so we had no ties to the area and probably didn't taste Termini's until we were in our late teens in Atlanta. Now, if you want to talk about the traditions of eating Homantashen or Tasty Kakes, hell yeahs, but we were as authentic South Philly as Sly Stallone was - i.e, not much.
Moik, Moik, Moik, Bah Humbug to you too! You may deny it but you can't escape it. South Philly is in your Genes. It's right there next to the string that defines your intelligence and savoir faire.
Debbie Downer at it again. You may not have fond memories but others do. Now,sit down, shut up and enjoy your Homantashen for pete's sake :-)
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