Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

This article was originally published in the October 5, 2013 edition.

I know this may seem really stupid to some of you but with all the bad news out there, I figured I’d do something completely mindless. I’m very good at that sort of stuff. When I asked the question on Facebook I never dreamed it would get the response it did.

Here goes: GRAVY OR SAUCE? What do you call that red stuff you make with spaghetti and meatballs? Well, in less than 24 hours almost 200 people passionately posted their opinions. The funny thing is that everyone is totally convinced that theirs is the correct answer!

Someone who said they were FBI (Full Blooded Italian) said gravy. Then others that were also pure pisanos swore that it was called sauce. And so the great sauce/gravy controversy goes on.

They were even rationalizing. “My grandmother came right over from Italy and called it sauce.” “It differs by (Italian) region but technically it’s sauce if it’s a marinara (no meat) and gravy if it has meat in it (sausage, pork, beef).” I don’t know about that.

They were getting so hot under the collar about the subject that it reminded me of a Sopranos episode. Then I asked this question: What do you call that brown liquid you pour over turkey and roast beef? In my house we always called it gravy. I never heard of turkey sauce!

What do the labels on those little brown jars in the grocery store say on them? Gravy! The red jars and cans say…sauce. Yet the people kept slamming in with their opinion and they all feel that theirs is correct.

This lady said, “If there’s meat in it, it’s gravy because you get the fat from the meat that makes the gravy. No meat, then its sauce.” One goomba says, “My grandfather was straight from Italy and he called it sauce.” But then another pure bred Italiano says, “I’m making wine right now with the two most Italian people I know and they say it’s gravy. Gravy!! What is sauce?” I’m not arguing with him, but I never heard of a sauce boat. Gravy boat, yes.

Okay, here are some random quotes and testimonials about the delicious debate: “Gravy goes on potatoes.” “Sauce is what my family calls it, and they’re from Italy.” “My Mother was born in Italy and always calls it gravy.” “It’s SAUCE. If you’re calling it gravy, then you don’t really know what you’re talking about, even if you’re a true Italian. SAUCE, SAUCE, SAUCE!” “My mom and dad called it gravy, and taught me to call it gravy.” “It’s always been sauce because my gravy is on my ROAST BEEF!!!” “My sauce is on simmer as we speak, with some delicious tender pork! Next weekend I’ll be roasting pork with gravy.” “Gravy to us goes on chicken or beef dishes!” “True Italians call it gravy.” “Gravy you put on meat, and sauce you put on pasta.” “Sauce…it’s called sauce.” “Gravy goes on potatoes.”

And so it goes … on and on. Who would think that a subject so simple as what something is called could “stir up” such heated passion?

Finally, this quote is right from Anthony himself: “My family is from Sicily, and as I got older I found that the Sicilians called it sauce and the mainland Italians called it gravy. Then one night in Dapper Dan’s (a restaurant formerly in Assembly Square), we met these girls from Medford and they were all from Sicilian backgrounds, and they called it gravy. So that theory went out the door. My wife was born in Calabria and came here when she was 7. Her family calls it sauce, so there is no rhyme or reason, but the great Internal Italian debate goes on.”

Personally, I will always call it sauce, but I don’t care what you call it as long as I can dip my bread in it.