Dating is a minefield of opportunities that can go wrong any number of ways. I feel like meeting your partner’s family is definitely a big one, with multiple ways to screw it up.

This guy is crazy about his girlfriend, and thought he knew what to expect from meeting her family after she warned them the guys were into macho displays that they claim came from their Italian ancestry.

Recently I started dating a girl. She’s great and I love her so much. I met her family a few nights ago for dinner. She warned me that the male side of her family is very big into being macho, into “testing” the boys the women date and are VERY big on taking pride in their Italian ancestry.

OP spent 3 years in Italy as a child and still speaks semi-fluently, but the girlfriend’s family are all from the States, excepting one grandfather.

Backstory: due to my dad’s job we lived in Italy for 3 years when I was younger, so I speak Italian almost fluently (it’s been awhile, so I’ve lost some of it).

I think besides the grandfather, however, they were almost all born in Bergen County, NJ but whatever, its nice to take pride in ones heritage.

Well, the meal went about as he’d expected only worse, with one brother in particular going on and on without stopping, “because he’s Italian.”

Long story short at dinner they kept making jokes at my expense (I honestly would not call it bullying, just things about my height, beard, shaved head). They tried making fun of my IT job too but stopped once I told them my income. It was overall not a bad experience, but a not so pleasant one.

Anyways, her older brother kept pushing things, giving me exceptional amounts of shit for playing Lacrosse in HS (apparently its a sport for prissy rich kids and not manly like football or baseball).

He ended his rant by saying “hey, we’re just a big Italian family, we’re loud and tell it how we see it! Hahaha!” and all the family except my girlfriend laughed.

So, OP started replying to all of their commentary and questions in Italian. When they told him they didn’t understand, he replied that they shouldn’t use their heritage as an excuse when they can’t even speak the language.

So I, for the next minute, responded to everything they said in Italian. My girlfriend buried her head in shame, the grandfather laughed and everyone else kept looking at each other confused before telling me they didn’t speak Italian.

I replied “then don’t use your Italian heritage as an excuse to behave poorly when you can’t even speak the language.”

They got mad, but the grandfather told them all I was right and to be quiet.

His girlfriend was ashamed of her family’s behavior and the grandfather eventually told them to knock it off, but the brothers think he disrespected them big time.

My girlfriend isn’t mad, just ashamed, I think the grandfather likes me, but word from my gf’s sister is that all the men are furious, think I’m a smart a$$ and that I disrespected them and their masculinity in an unforgiveable way.

So AITA?

Should he have just grinned and borne it? Let’s hear what Reddit thinks!

The top comment thinks his way of handling it was epic and that his girlfriend should be proud.

This person says OP is a true double threat.

They say Grandpa is the only one who matters anyway.

This commenter says this is nothing but just desserts.

It’s not his fault they’re so fragile, right?

I think this is a hilarious story.

Unlike most relationships on Reddit, I have a feeling this one might last.