A Gelato Story

Once Upon a Time, a gelato order in Italy started a thing in our family.

Timothy was five years old and we were in a gelateria in Sorrento. Timothy looked at all the pretty flavors and pointed to the one he wanted: melone (cantaloupe).

Now, we ALL knew he was not going to like it. He did not even like cantaloupe, the fruit! We tried to tell him so. But he was adamant that he wanted melone.

With his first bite, we could tell that he did NOT, in fact, like it. But he pretended otherwise.

“I like it. Melone.” He said, as he bravely continued eating.

Ha! He may have been pretending otherwise, but we knew. And that phrase took off and became our family thing.

Today, when any one of us uses that phrase—I like it, melone—it means we DON’T like something, but we are pretending that we do.

It is also used as a point of reference for clarity, as in: Do you really like it, or do you like it as in I-like-it-melone?

Even our daughters-in-law are in on this.

During our family trip to Italy last month, at our first gelato order in Rome everyone said Timothy had to get melone. It was a tradition! You have to! We double dare you! So, being a good sport, he ordered melone and took a bite.

Here is what he said: “I like it. Melone.”

We all laughed.

But during the rest of our trip, Timothy always ordered limone e fragola (lemon and strawberry).

Now those flavors … he really, really likes.