All the Best Things Happen in the Kitchen
I firmly believe that the best movie of all time came out in 1987, 10 years before I was born. Moonstruck stars Cher as Italian-American widow, Loretta Castorini. The story follows Loretta as she falls in love with the exact person she shouldn't, the brother of her fiancé, Ronny Cammareri. Played by Nicholas Cage, Ronny is the younger, angrier brother of Loretta's fiancé Johnny, oh, and he has a wooden hand. If you have not seen this absolute Masterpiece, this is your call to action.
I have been misquoting Moonstruck since before I'd even seen the movie. It was ingrained in me in the same way early childhood memories are, like seeing an old photograph enough times to convince yourself you remember it being taken. I did not know the scenes in which these lines were said but instead related them to scenes in my own house. My father in the kitchen yelling, "You've got a love bite on your neck…your life is going down the toilet," at all of us, and no one in particular. My mother, shushing him and pointing to the open windows, worried the neighbors might think he's serious.
My parents loved Moonstruck first, but we welcomed it with open arms; the movie earned a spot on the top shelf of our DVDs. It's funny how a story about an Italian-American family in South Brooklyn resonated with my Irish-American family in Putnam County. But then again, the screenplay was written by John Patrick Shanley, an Irish man from the Bronx, raised 20 minutes from my father's childhood home.
I have now seen Moonstruck enough times to say there are more similarities between us than differences. We express our feelings at the highest of volumes and use our bodies for emphasis. We love hard and big, and family, even when they get under your skin, is still family. And all meaningful conversations happen in the kitchen.
When Loretta tells her father of her engagement, it happens at the kitchen table, over glasses of sparkling wine. When Loretta's mother, Rose, asks where Loretta and her fiance plan to live, it is while she makes breakfast, toast with an over-easy egg nestled in the center. And it is over oatmeal that Ronny, Loretta, and her entire family wait for the arrival of Johnny Cammareri.
In my family, the kitchen has always been where life happens. When my extended family visits during the holidays, it is where we gather, balancing plates and cups in our hands and talking too loudly. When my sister and her husband come from Virginia, their trip is spent sitting at the kitchen table, in sweatpants picking at leftovers from the night before. It is the best room in our house.
In two different scenes in Moonstruck, they celebrate with glasses of sparkling wine. But before they drink it, a sugar cube is dropped into the flute, fizzing as it sinks to the bottom. This tradition is a way to ward off bad luck, but I always thought it looked delicious—a way to make a special drink even more special. Since high school, I've wanted to recreate this cocktail, but sugar cubes can be hard to come by. I remember them being such a distinct part of my childhood, the joy I felt dropping them into a teacup. So, I learned how to make them using what I already had.
Sugar "Cubes"
½ cup Sugar
½ tsp water
silicone ice cube tray
Mix sugar and water in a shallow bowl until the consistency is crumbly, almost like damp sand. You want it to hold together when it is compact, the same way brown sugar does. If it is too wet, add more sugar. Too dry, add more water.
Measure out the damp sugar by rounded tablespoons into whatever mold you are using. I used a silicone ice cube tray, but you can use candy molds for more fun shapes. Press the sugar into the mold using the back of the tablespoon or whatever works best for you. I ended up using the back of my ½ tsp measure because it fit best inside my mold. Once you have filled the tray, let it sit out, uncovered to harden. You can let it sit out overnight, but I'm impatient, so I removed mine from their mold after 3 hours. You can store them in a sealable bag or airtight Tupperware container.
Moonstruck Cocktail
Your favorite sparkling wine
1 sugar cube per glass
Pour a glass of your favorite sparkling wine. In the movie, they use G. H. Mumm Brut Champagne, but that's around 30 dollars a bottle, which you will not catch me paying. So I'm using the 14 dollar one my liquor store guy recommended. But my favorite, perhaps for sentimental reasons, is Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante. Whatever you choose, drop in one of your homemade sugar cubes, and watch it disappear along with your bad luck. Enjoy!