My brother stopped by this morning and gave me a copy of Gravy Wars: South Philly Foods, Feuds & Attytudes by Lorraine Ranalli. The title is not misspelled and it captures the essence of Philadelphia. The book is full of Italian traditions, superstitions and delicious recipes – gravy, meatballs, pizzelles...
It's available at Amazon.
I’m not Italian but I grew up in South Philly and no matter what your ancestry may be, the stories are bound to bring back memories of your own family and holidays past.
Lorraine does answer the age-old question “Is it gravy or sauce?” You have to read the book to find out. Does anyone outside of South Philly refer to tomato sauce as gravy? Whatever you call it, this book took us on a trip back in time and brought back all sorts of pleasurable memories and some bittersweet ones as well.
There’s something about welcoming in a new year that makes me nostalgic. Rather than ring out the old, I prefer to remember times past while I bring in the new.
Happy New Year!