“A Language Without a Country” Comes to America Yiddish—a fusion of German, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Slavic languages—was born in medieval Central Europe. For centuries, it thrived in the shtetls (market towns) of Eastern Europe as the everyday tongue of Jews, carrying their… Read More »Hey Putz, This is How Yiddish Became the Secret Language of American Culture
The Colonial Food System Enslavers, primarily the Dutch West India Company (WIC) and private colonists, provided minimal sustenance to enslaved laborers. Archival records from the 1660s outline weekly rations as “half a bushel of maize, four pounds of pork, and… Read More »What Was An Enslaved African’s Diet Like in New Amsterdam?
I have been doing lectures, giving tours, and teaching classes at universities for over two decades, and to my disappointment, 90% of people I teach—including Italian Americans—never learned the true, dark history of how many our ancestors arrived to the… Read More »The Dark and Forgotten History of Italian Immigration I bet You Didn’t Know
Historical Context: Urbanization and the Demand for Housing The Lower East Side’s transformation into a dense immigrant enclave began in the early 19th century, driven by New York’s emergence as a global port. Completed in 1825, the Eerie Canal provided… Read More »Who planned, funded, and built the tenements of NYC?
Bodegas are instantly recognizable: hand-painted signage—often yellow with red lettering—and handwritten signs advertising Lotto or bottled water. The windows adorned with beer ads or images of sandwiches that look nothing like the real thing. The plump and friendly cat patrolling… Read More »The History of NYC Bodegas