The Best Thanksgiving
Get your stretchy pants ready (I’ve decided not to use the “f” word—fat—this time of year, because that is a state of mind and holiday calories don’t even count, so there)…Thanksgiving is upon us. What foods are you craving? What makes your feast complete?
Each year, my mom will ask every family member to name their one requested dish. My dad will always say cornbread dressing (it’s my favorite, too), while my husband prefers…brace yourselves: Stovetop Stuffing. We have scoffed, belittled, ridiculed, and still, each year he eschews the delicious magnificence that is dressing in favor of stuffing from the red box which I microwave in the last five minutes before the holiday meal is served. I digress.
My annual request varies from casserole to casserole, so long as it’s a vegetable that has been accessorized so prettily she’s no longer recognizable. I love sweet potatoes with brown sugar and pecans on top; green bean casserole is a long standing staple, and my mother’s squash casserole has been known to make me happy dance in my seat at the table. Years ago, there was asparagus casserole, but Clint doesn’t care for it and so it has become a distant memory of Thanksgivings long past.
Of course there will be cranberry sauce in the shape of the can. We still remember the year Mom made fresh cranberry chutney. How dare she! We want our Ocean Spray and we will accept nothing else, freshness be damned. Jelly that fruit and give it an infinite shelf life, the way the good Lord intended.
I had forgotten my elementary school Thanksgiving history lesson, so I looked up what was actually served at that first gathering. In addition to the turkey, there were other birds, venison, cod and bass (lots of protein, but okay), shellfish, nuts, and corn. They definitely, according to historians, did not have any potatoes or stuffing, which for a carbohydrate lover such as myself, is a real downer. Dessert was more than likely a cornmeal pudding with raisins, which thankfully has since fallen out of fashion. I will happily take a piece of pumpkin pie, thank you kindly, pilgrim.
Still, while my Thanksgiving mainstays sound heavenly to me, they are off-putting to others. My friend Jennifer absolutely abhors turkey and refuses to cook a traditional Thanksgiving menu; she has served lasagna on the holiday for years much to her family’s delight (as many Italian American families do, I’m told). Even if you aren’t as wild and free as serving pasta on Turkey Day, you probably have some particular sides that make the holiday unique to you: Google Trends was able to track which sides each state prefers and I have to say, this year’s results were fascinating to me ((‘m from Georgia and I swear I don’t know a single soul who serves collard greens alongside their turkey). Take a look at America’s favorite side dishes by state:
Side salad is your favorite Thanksgiving dish, New Mexico? That’s a waste of plate real estate.
It seems that we really are a melting pot, and our Thanksgiving table is no exception. There are lots of potatoes, but then here comes a charcuterie tray, hashbrown casserole, and even stuffed mushrooms (Alaska, you are wild!). I think these are all versions of comfort food, except those states that prefer side salad and I don’t understand what’s happening there. Something about good health, I suppose, while the rest of us are bathing in gravy and gluttony.
The great thing about it is that, no matter what dishes line your buffet, we all tend to think our Thanksgiving spread is the best. It’s the tradition of it all that makes it truly delicious. I know that Clint will carve the turkey, Mom will fret that the sage has made her gravy turn green, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will keep us company will we cook, and whatever is on our plates, it will be the best. Because it’s our Thanksgiving and we are together, and if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that there is much to be thankful for in that. The world can be crazy and hectic and terrible and scary, and on Thanksgiving, it all pauses while we sit down around the table and enjoy a meal. Give me squash or potatoes, corn or green beans—heck, I’ll even pretend to like a side salad. Wherever you are, and whatever is on your plate, I hope you realize it’s the best Thanksgiving, too.