Barbecued rabbit and Grandma

In my 8/30/2010 post, I mention barbecued rabbit, a recurring thread in Half Italian. For almost forty years, I've thought the only images of that annual Easter feast were in my head, until the family video editing project. But there it is, one black and white 16mm clip converted to video, a few precious seconds not only of meat sizzling on the barbecue, and the men at work, but also people waiting in line to fill their plates. That's the part I remember most -- finally getting to the steaming hot rabbit, and foil-lined boxes of barbecue-toasted, butter-dipped French bread. The video appears to be taken a few years before I was born, but the scene is what I remember. The trees are a bit shorter. The annual Easter party continues, and meat is still barbecued, just not rabbit.

Today is my beloved grandmother's birthday. If Half Italian is ever published, readers will understand why I say "beloved." She would have been one hundred and nineteen years.

-PJ