The photos below are all pictures that I took of my traditional italian deli that I go to when I am home in Staten Island. The deli has been owned by the same italian american family for 3 generations now, and everyone from older italians in the neighborhood to cops to family friends stop by to grab a delicious chicken cutlet sandwich for lunch. Italian deli’s are different from normal american ones in many ways, such as: most of their goods are imported, ingredients (such as fried chicken cutlets) are made fresh to order, and the deli also serves as a hangout during lunch time for many italian americans. There is not a day I go in there when there isn’t a group of middle aged italian men chowing down on prosciutto balls, chicken parm, etc, drinking coffee, reading the paper, and talking neighborhood gossip. Another unique thing about a place like this is that everyone knows each other, and the family aspect that you get just from picking up your lunch is welcoming and natural to me. I walk in and say hi to Mario (the manager), order “my usual” from Al (the cook), and talk to Mario Jr. about how college is going while I’m waiting. You can’t find some place like this just anywhere, deli’s are a unique aspect of the italian american lifestyle.
Italian American Culture Blog 