Columbus Day is meant to be a celebration of Columbus, Italian explorers and every contributor to America with Italian lineage. What follows is somewhat of a controversial subject which raises questions that have been debated for years and still have not been resolved—and probably never will be.

I was hesitant to go down this road but like every year, I heard some negative comments Monday from individuals who just don’t agree that Columbus should be recognized for doing anything.

These days, there is perhaps no topic like Columbus’s voyage that is more controversial and told in so many different versions—depending on one’s political, religious and cultural beliefs and affiliations. The discovery of America is not a black and white subject anymore, and it is a topic that indeed sparks many differences of opinion and often hostile discussions. This was certainly a lot clearer when I was growing up, but over the past fifteen years or so it has become fuzzier in our more “politically correct” society. Of course the great thing about the country of America is that we all are entitled to our own views and beliefs, and no matter what new propaganda circulates the internet or what other material gets published on Columbus, my beliefs will remain unhindered.

Back in my old neighborhood—from ’85-’95—I attended a conservative, highly Italian-American, Roman-Catholic grammar school, and Cristoforo Colombo was always proclaimed as the rightful discoverer of America. I was taught that “discovering” is finding an area that exists without cultivation or civilization and that Columbus should therefore be hailed as the person responsible for paving the way in the actual transformations of America into the cultured country that it is today—as his explorers were recognized to be the model of acceptance by society.

I am not here to offend anyone, but a lot of the protesters of Columbus’s discoveries and accomplishments are usually those who classify themselves as “Native Americans.” Now my teachers always told me that the modern, Native American Indians are actually closer related to the seventeenth century “American Indian” culture that was established over 120 years after Columbus’s voyage—when the pilgrims from England arrived and the first Thanksgiving occurred. I distinctly remember reading in textbooks how that latter Native group was an actual culture unlike the earlier 1400s inhabitants who were brutal hunters that engaged in cannibalism and wandered across the underdeveloped land with no written language, no agricultural skills and were constantly at war with one another. So if a Native American today is equating themselves to the early tribes that roamed the land Columbus founded, they are doing a disservice to themselves by asking for the credit. Our current American way of life is directly related to the early journeys and accomplishments of the Italian explorers.

It isn’t far-fetched to say that Columbus should also be credited for paving the way for today’s successful foreign trade practices between European countries and other ports—ironically a second tier issue on his voyage of discovery in 1492, yet so relevant today. Although some people may distort reality and try and change historical facts, the extensive travels of Columbus are the most well-documented to date and I think Americans overall do still indeed look to Columbus as the first official discoverer of the land. Thus, we continue to celebrate Columbus Day in America.

I believe America was discovered by one Italian and named after another, and we owe so much to the contributions of all those with roots from the boot. That is why I love to take extra pride in my heritage on Columbus Day, and why I feel that all Americans with any trace of Italian lineage in them should wave the green, white and red flag proudly every October.

And don’t forget Vespucci and the two Giovannis…
Years after Columbus died—sometime in Germany in the late 1500s—a clergyman-scholar named Martin Waldseemuller began work on a contemporary world map. He located logs of another Italian-born explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, who died around the same time as Columbus. In the logs, Vespucci referenced Italians discovering The New World and for this, Waldseemuller named these New World continents the “Americas” on his map. It is unclear if Amerigo was referring to himself and his crew (as he also sailed to The New World in 1499) or if he was referring to Columbus’s crew from their initial voyage in 1492. Either way, the name “America” was chosen, and it immediately stuck throughout Europe. In 1499, another Italian explorer, Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) also reached The New World. And prior to the world map creations, in the year 1524, Giovanni da Varrazano—yet another brave Italian explorer—first sailed the Hudson River. On October 12, 1866, out of pride for these Italian explorers, the Italian population of New York City organized the first celebration of the discovery of America.

(The above was a condensation of a collection of Columbus threads I wrote years ago which appeared on other sites, including various history chat boards. That original collection was compiled from old grammar and high school reports and involved other contributors who added ongoing dialogue—both supporting and agreeing viewpoints. That commentary does not appear in today’s blog.)

PS- Hope you come root for TEAM JOHNNY MEATBALLS on Oct. 17...
As I announced last week, the “Ultimate Chef Bergen County” qualification round will take place this Monday and I am competing this year (with my wife Megin as my assistant) against Ninamarie Bojekian of Ooh La La Catering. Get there early as the fun starts at 6pm at Chef Central, 240 Route 17 North in Paramus. A special “meatball throwdown” will be held as well! The competition will be videotaped by Cablevision’s Neighborhood Journal and played on November 10 at the annual Charity di Vino event (www.grunico.org/Home_Page.html) at the Crossroads Sheraton in Mahwah, where the winner will be announced. That winner will then qualify to compete in the 2012 UCBC competition held in January and February at Chef Central!