Macaroni Sunday

Do you know how many types of the picture above I have? Growing up I had Italian style dinner every Sunday whether it be at my mother's house of grandmother's house, pasta for dinner. Salad, meat, pasta, dessert, coffee, every Sunday. To this day if I don't have pasta on Sunday I feel like something is just not right. 

By the time I was 13 years old, I began competing in Taekwondo. I was always a Black Belt competing. I competed with one of my closest friends and Friars, Kenny Perez. His mother, one of my best friends, would have us come over wherever they were living at the time, and we would "carb up" the night before a competition. So we would have Macaroni Sunday on Saturday night before competing. 

In 2008 I moved into my first apartment and for two years, just about EVERY single Sunday, I would host my famous Macaroni Sundays. Looking back, I don't know how the hell I did it for almost every Sunday for two years. It was a LOT of work, LOT of time, and LOT of money to do. But they also remain to be some of the greatest and most treasured memories I have in my life. It was the same 7 people, including Jessie, and some cameo appearances and guests by people along the way. I would change the pasta and sauce every week, and I had my Mickey Mouse plates, Iced Tea pitchers, table all set, and a speech and grace said at the beginning of dinner. We watched movies, swam, played games, and had an Italian style dessert as well. 

Two years. Two years of that. I bet you any of those people from those days, if you ask them today what some of their best memories in life are, they'll say Macaroni Sunday. I moved back to Saddle Brook and I did one or two. I moved back to Garfield later and did a few here and there, but not like I used to. I've been in my current apartment almost three years now and I did one holiday dinner once, but nothing since. It's been years since I've done an official Macaroni Sunday. 

I am blessed to have such wonderful people around me today. They've heard about Macaroni Sundays and have said to me "You need to do them again!" I heyed and hawed, etc. Well recently we celebrated Thomas Cubby's birthday (29th birthday with 24 years of experience). I've been to his apartment but the girls, Nicole and Heather, have not. Thomas has lived in his apartment for almost two years and just NEVER settled in. Things weren't in place, he never decorated, things were in boxes still etc. He never had people over and really wanted to be able to entertain in his home. 

After we went for his birthday me and the girls went over. They have never been there before and right away they were giving ideas and tips and offering him help to settle in his apartment. So of course, I found an opportunity to challenge him. I said to Thomas that to hold him accountable to support his cause, at a random any given moment, I would tell him I am going to host one of my traditional Macaroni Sundays AT HIS HOUSE and he'd need to be ready for it. 

So days later Thomas sent a picture of his floor and the girls teased him saying "Oh my gosh! You have a rug!" to which I followed up "Dinner is at 4:30 on Sunday, be ready." The challenge was on! So that Sunday Thomas picked me up and I brought my two original Mac Sunday pots, my original Mickey Mouse plates, my original Mickey Mouse head coaster for the pot, and when Thomas moved in I gave him one of my old dining room tables which I used to have macaroni Sunday on as well. 

I got to his house, had my glass of wine poured, and I began to cook the sauce and the meatballs, with ABBA music played in the background, dancing in the kitchen, just as I used to years ago. The house smelled of my sauce, and Thomas's apartment was so clean and spacious and tidy, it looked like an entirely new apartment! I made my meatballs, traditional tomato sauce that takes a few hours to cook, and Thomas chose angel hair spaghetti. 

Nicole arrived first, then Guillermo. Heather and her boyfriend Justen arrived, followed by Ann Marie. Jessie was so upset she couldn't make it, but next time she will be there! The table was all set. We sat around the table and I made a small speech of the history of Macaroni Sunday and how this one came about. Then I offered our meal's blessings by saying grace, just as I used to.

It was a beautiful evening. We ate and talked around the table, drank wine, laughed, shared stories, it was beautiful. We cleared the table, and usually I clean dishes but Justen jumped in and helped cleaned dishes, God Bless him! Then we sat in the dining room, and we played random songs on the radio through Youtube and we DANCED! WE DANCED, DANCED, DANCED, we were sweating we danced so much! We danced to Van Halen, Queen, Lady Gaga, Aaron Carter, Spice Girls, the most random selection of songs! And we had a blast! To think seven of us dancing in the living room, and only a week before one person could barely walk through it!

Then we gathered around the table for delicious desserts made by Heather and continued our laughs and conversation. It was at this time I do what I sometimes do and I kinda sat back and sat "outside" of myself for a second, taking in the moment. I was incredibly happy to be doing this again. It was so nice to do and I was so grateful for the company I was in. I have a lot of wonderful people surrounding me. I really would like to do these dinners again more often. It really has been so long. 

On a spontaneous note, we walked over to our favorite place Oak'N Ale and we had participated in Karaoke Night! This was something else I loved about this crew. Always up for an adventure, no one cares about being embarrassed or whether they're good or not, just want to share an experience, enjoy life, go on an adventure, and JUST BE! Nicole and I sang A Whole New World in opposite parts, Thomas sang Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong, Justen sang Walking in Memphis, Nicole and I sang 98 degrees, I also sang Piano Man with Thomas. But my favorite part was the group singing together Let it Be. That of course was very special to me. 

My favorite quote from the movie It's a Wonderful Life is "No man is a failure who has friends" and I truly believe that. We walk this earth with sometimes the most incredible people. Never take for granted those people. Sometimes you go through hard knocks to finding those good people. These guys are the most loyal and devoted students of mine, so we share that strong bond, but they are also fierce friends and tremendous support. I have always said it, but no man is a failure who has friends, but I am doubly blessed to call them my family.

Macaroni Sunday was a success, we were sorry Jessie couldn't be there, but maybe we'll help clean her apartment and have one over there next! Maybe it is time to revive the Macaroni Sundays again. They are the greatest gifts I can share, and my treasure are not tangible items but experiences. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed reminiscing in the love of doing it. 

Yours in service,

MASTER A TRENTO