Jessica Chastain had a few difficulties explaining her vegan diet choices to her Italian in-laws.
The Molly’s Game actress married fashion executive Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo in his homeland last June (17), and vacationed with both of their families in Cortina d’Ampezzo over the Christmas break.
While Jessica enjoys immersing herself in Italian culture, she has admitted that it took her some time to teach her new family about veganism, whereby she avoids eating any meat, eggs, or dairy products.
“I don’t eat 10 meals and I’m vegan,” she said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night (03Jan18). “It’s the worst thing (for an Italian mother). At the very beginning, I’d say, ‘I’m sorry I can’t eat that.’ (And Gian Luca’s mother would say), ‘No problem, we have fish.'”
Jessica shared that her favorite Italian food is Pasta e fagioli, or pasta and beans, but she always has to check if the sauce is made with chicken stock. And though she now enjoys dining with Gian Luca’s family, she sometimes fails to grasp how they can consume so much food in a single sitting.
“Americans, we eat in about an hour. You know, the meal starts and then we’re done. And when I went to Italy I didn’t realize that meals last three or four hours. Dinner is at 10pm – and I don’t understand this (still) – Sunday brunch will go from maybe 1pm till 5pm,” the 40-year-old explained. “You eat one course and think, ‘That’s delicious thank you so much.’ And then the second your plate is done, his mom is putting more food on.”
As well as discussing her trips to Italy, Jessica shared how she was surprised to learn that Gian Luca had never been on a gondola ride in Venice, in spite of growing up in the area. Even though her beau felt the experience would be “cheesy” they ended up having a great time exploring the Venetian lagoon.
“The funny thing is he’d never been on a gondola until I took him on one. And we went on it and he loved it!” she smiled.
