Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. A day that revolves around food? What more could one hope for?! It's Christmas, without the presents. The GIFTS are on your dinner plate. Every year, I put great time and effort into orchestrating a meal that balances my childhood memories of tastes and smells with my refined cooking skills and creativity. It is a process that literally takes WEEKS. My first step is scouring my Thanksgiving recipe collection, then I narrow it down to what courses I need. Once that's figured out, I compile a shopping list that is organized into 6 categories: fresh produce, dairy, meat, baking goods, miscellaneous dry goods, & liquor. Then I make a timeline. The bulk of the work starts on Monday or Tuesday, then Wednesday the real fun begins. At 6AM, Operation Turkey Dinner will ensue in earnest. My timeline for Thursday has everything nailed down to the minute, with 3PM - SERVICE at the end of the schedule. My nickname in culinary school was "Timeline Girl". And that is my secret to ANY successful dinner party. You can never be too organized, be it down the the second or down to the ounce. And always clean as you go!
However, there is more to this day than the food. Americans see it as an opportunity to sit back and reflect on all you have to be thankful for. What I am most thankful for is living in a society that is so diverse and rich in history & culture. This would be such a boring world if we were all the same. At my table this year alone, my meal will be shared with those of German, Swiss, Italian, Thai, Muong, and Ukrainian backgrounds. What do we have in common? Besides the fact that we all love food, we are all American.
Which leads me to the month of September in the year 1620. A little boat called The Mayflower left England carrying 102 passengers who were mostly religious seperatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith. Crossing the Atlantic was a journey that lasted a little longer than 2 months. That first winter, most passengers stayed aboard. Many suffered from exposure, scurvy and other contagious diseases. Only half survived to welcome spring.
In March of 1621, the "pilgrims" moved ashore to what is now Plymouth, MA, where they recieved a greeting in English from an Abenaki Indian. He returned a few days later with Squanto, who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery. Squanto had escaped to London and returned to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. The pilgrims had brought their own seeds with them from Europe, but they were unsuccessful in cultivating them. Squanto taught the pilgrims how to grow corn, extract the syrup from maple trees, catch fish in rivers, and to avoid poisonous plants.
After a successful corn harvest in November 1621, William Bradford, the governor, organized a feast and invited their new Native friends. The celebration lasted the better part of 3 days. Sadly, this is one of the ONLY examples of harmony between the Native Americans and the Europeans.
Most of the items on your traditional Thanksgiving menu are foods native to North America and were staples in the Native American diet. Everything from the turkey to the sweet potatoes; from the cranberries to all the varieties of squash. As you load up your plate this year, take a second to appreciate the diversity not only at your dinner table, but in the world around you, and then be thankful for the freedom you have to do so.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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