The week before Christmas was the most exciting time of the year. The entire family got in the car and drove to all the Italian markets in the city. The stores were crowded with other Italians getting the same foods for their Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals. Double-parked cars lined the streets, as we circled the blocks searching for a spot.

At the fish market, we got all the Christmas Eve fish—capitone (eel), baccalá, stocco, octopus, shrimp, lobster, etc. At the salumeria, we got meats for the antipasto—capocollo, soppressata, prosciutto. We got mozzarella and ricotta at the cheese store.