Thanksgiving is just around the corner, folks! This holiday is known for being about togetherness and being thankful for everything life has to offer. Thanksgiving is usually associated with a golden brown turkey garnished and filled with stuffing, while other dishes such as mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce accompany the big bird. But, have you ever stopped to consider how other families celebrate Thanksgiving? There are many cultures and ideas that can be incorporated into this traditionally American holiday. I was able to get the viewpoints of four people and see how their families celebrate Thanksgiving.
Adriana Morales mentions her family doesn’t focus on turkey as their main meat. They prefer to eat Pernil (pork shoulder) as their main meat. Some of the dishes served for her family include yellow rice, pigeon peas, chorizo, cornbread, and dinner rolls. “We usually eat late around 7-8 pm, and we focus on the main course instead of desserts,” she explained. When asked if she celebrates with friends instead of family Adrianna answered, “I would always go to my parent’s house, but as I get older I’m realizing that I enjoy celebrating it with friends and doing different things; I enjoy partaking in other traditions.”
Patricia Dempaire speaks out about her unique Thanksgiving experience “I’ve spent the past three Thanksgivings in a hospital carrying a full-cooked turkey and all. All three times my grandma was in the hospital recovering.Thanksgiving has always been her holiday. We usually celebrate it every year at her house, but now wherever she is the family goes to celebrate. We pretend her patient room is her living room and liven it up with trays of food, drinks, and music. We invite the nurses to join us, ensuring them that there is always enough food.” Her favorite dish to eat on Thanksgiving is fried pork and beans. The only traditional American food her family eats are the turkeys (they always have more than one) and macaroni and cheese. Everything else is traditional Haitian food: black rice, fried plantains, spicy pickled salad, fried pork, conch, yellow rice, and chicken in sauce. “And, of course, my mom is always in charge of the pies. She always gets apple for everyone and a pumpkin pie for me. We always celebrate thanksgiving after 8pm. I come from a family of nurses. Someone always had to work. We always wait for my aunts or mother to come from work before we start eating. It’s been such a habit even when they all happen to be off we still start late,” Patricia explained. Another tradition for Patricia’s family is in the people who come by. “My grandma is very popular in her apartment building. Family friends and people who live in the neighborhood come by to say hi and grab a plate. We never run out of food. All the food is always cooked, and everyone has had the same responsibilities since I could remember. The adults share stories of my cousins and I. Since my family came to the country, my grandma has been in the same apartment. We relive our childhood, our family memories. The good and bad.”
Niama Allen added that her Thanksgivings are always memorable. “My family is Jamaican, so we have a lot of different dishes presented at the dinner table. Some are American like macaroni and cheese, turkey, and honey glazed ham, but most are Jamaican foods such as jerk chicken, jerk pork, rice and peas, roti, curry goat, curry chicken, and chana beans. Being that some of my family members are vegetarian we include tofurky, spinach, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and candied yams. Another tradition we have is that after we are finished eating, we go around the table and each person tells the family what they are thankful for. We also have a lot of dancing that goes on . At every Thanksgiving there is a dance party that breaks out in the middle of the living room floor. After all that has taken place, the kids and the adults split up. Somehow, Tyler Perry movies always end up being watched. From the dinner table, to the dancing, to Madea, Jamaicans know how to make every Thanksgiving dinner memorable.”
Claretta Bellamy states that her Thanksgiving is similar to the traditional American thanksgiving but the location always changes. “During Thanksgiving my family has the typical meals found on a table during this season: turkey, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, sweet potatoes, pie, cake, ham. It depends on who serves food. Most of the time I go with my mom to my grandma’s house. But since a lot of people don’t show up like they used to, she doesn’t cook too much anymore. Plus, she’s getting older so that may be a factor as well. Last Thanksgiving was the first Thanksgiving I spent away from home. My friend Shanel invited me to eat at her house with her family, which I enjoyed. My favorite dish is turkey, with a big whopping of macaroni and cheese, collard-greens, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn bread. My mouth is drooling now just thinking about it! Dishes served at my Thanksgiving dinner include: turkey, ham, chicken, stuffing, cornbread, collard greens mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, apple and sweet potato pie, black-eyed peas, and cranberry sauce. The funny thing is that I never remember having a Thanksgiving dinner at my house with family members. If we don’t go anywhere, my Mom decides to cook something small (like a chicken), or she doesn’t cook at all. My most memorable Thanksgiving is when I went to my cousin’s house on my dad’s side of the family, and I met Bill Bellamy for the first time.”
So Thanksgiving can be celebrated differently depending on what food is being served to with whom we celebrate. The important thing is that we celebrate it with those whom we love the most. Be thankful this year for what you have, and have a wonderful Turkey Day! Happy holidays to you all!