My family is Irish.   This has lead to a lot of strange culture clashes between my husband and I, but I believe the most prevalent one is my mother’s ability to incorporate potatoes into every meal….and occasionally 2 or 3 versions of potatoes! One night, we were at my parent’s house for an impromptu dinner and my mom was doctoring up a frozen pizza with leftovers….heaven to an Irish kid because leftovers are fought for daily in our world, a little strange to my All-American husband who believes pizza comes with pepperoni and occasionally the addition of sausage if you’re feeling fancy.

My mother added some extra onions, some peppers, a bit of chicken, and the pièce de résistance: sliced, boiled potatoes.

He was shocked.  Appalled even.   And my mother turned to him with a smug smile and informed him that the pizza she ordered while in Italy had potatoes on it, so she was being authentic.  

He was skeptical for years.   To be honest so was I.   It seemed like a ploy to get one more serving of her childhood staple however she could.   And then we were served our dinner on the Italian airline en route to Rome.   It was the usual suspects: pasta, bread, cheese…and a salad topped with heaps of boiled potatoes.

I hate it when my mother is right…