#5 Cranberry Sauce:
The deep, stain of red left behind by cranberry sauce is coincidentally symbolic of the extremes, and in my case an extreme distaste for the dish. I can’t help but feel icky when seeing the jiggle of the cranberry sauce on its plate, right in the center of the dining table. But the beautiful red hue always catches my eye and reminds me of the wonderful meal that awaits.
#4 Greens:
While my history with eating turnips greens have been up and down, this year like most of 2020 fell below my expectations, mostly because I couldn’t get any before they were gone. I didn’t have much of an appetite on Thanksgiving Day, so I missed out on the staple food, and was going to wait for the leftovers the next day. But I was surprised to find out they were almost all gone. You could say I was green with envy at those who got a bite of the food. Green is heavily associated with nature, rebirth, and environmental conservation. Not only is green a color but it is now a verb, a call to action, to become more sustainable and protect the planet.
#3 Pumpkin Pie:
The vibrant and warm abundance of orange evokes all the wonderful feelings of autumn, including the bitter end. While I don’t find the overall flavor of pumpkin pie to satisfy my taste buds, (sweet potato pie really takes the cake when it comes to orange themed pies), many people find that the distinct pumpkin shade symbolizes energy and good health.
#2 Mac and Cheese:
Yellow captures our eyes more than any other color, and so does the creamy mac and cheese, especially for those who are lactose intolerant but still love the taste (i.e. me). Yellow has almost a universal meaning of happiness and warmth, and the notorious side dish mac and cheese does just that whenever it’s spotted on the dinner table. There is something so special about holiday mac and cheese that during any other time of the year the dish fails to have that same spark that it does during the fall to winter transition.
#1 Turkey:
The color brown is heavily associated with the earth and nature in general. Thus, the crispy, seasoned brown that overlays the thanksgiving meat of choice reminds me a lot of turkeys’ origins. Turkeys are native to North America and were a staple of the Native diet for many indigenous groups at the time, who took care of the earth and lived off their land efficiently. The rustic color of turkey has always drawn me back to the horrible history of Thanksgiving and reminds me to amplify Native/Indigenous peoples’ voices and the continuous struggles that they endure due to colonialism.
