The spaghetti sauce that Josie helps her family make every year represents her relationship to her Italian heritage. The tomato sauce makes it clear that Josie isn’t totally at peace with her Italian identity—she and her cousin Robert refer to the day when the family makes their tomato sauce alternatively as “Tomato Day” or “Wog Day,” using an anti-Italian slur that illustrates how embarrassed they are about this ritual and the Italian culture it symbolizes. Josie is certain that other Italian Australian teenagers in Sydney observe the same tradition—and that they are just as embarrassed about it as Josie and Robert are. At least in part, Josie sees her Italian identity as something to mock and be ashamed of.
Josie nevertheless insists that she’ll always observe Tomato Day. In particular, she notes that she’ll always enjoy the huge spaghetti dinner she and her family always have after making their tomato sauce. Her Italian identity is something that’s an essential part of her, and though it may be embarrassing sometimes, Josie nevertheless finds it meaningful.
Spaghetti Sauce Quotes in Looking for Alibrandi
Tomato Day.
Oh God, if anyone ever found out about it I’d die. There we sat last Saturday in my grandmother’s backyard cutting the bd bits off overripe tomatoes and squeezing them.
[…]
I can’t understand why we can’t go to Franklin’s and buy Leggo’s or Paul Newman’s special sauce. Nonna had heart failure at this suggestion and looked at Mama.
“Where is the culture?” she asked in dismay. “She’s going to grow up, marry an Australian and her children will eat fish-and-chips.”
Robert and I call this annual event “Wog Day” or “National Wog Day.” We sat around wondering how many other poor unfortunates our age were doing the same, but we were sure we’d never find out because nobody would admit to it.
Like all tomato days we had spaghetti that night. Made by our own hands. A tradition that we’ll never let go. A tradition that I probably will never let go of either, simply because like religion, culture is nailed into you so deep you can’t escape it. No matter how far you run.
Spaghetti Sauce Symbol Timeline in Looking for Alibrandi
