Celebrating Thanksgiving

[Gravity Defier]

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm often told to "remember the reason for the season," not just for Christmas but also for Thanksgiving.

I just so happen to greatly dislike what I know of the history behind it which is, in a nutshell, people came from Europe, people survived because of Native Americans, people pay back said Natives by killing (disease, weapons) them and/or taking their land. We celebrate this by stuffing ourselves and supposedly (or actually) being grateful for the things in our lives. History majors, I'd love to be corrected on any or all of that very brief, probably unfair, history and I'm quite serious about that - not being facetious.

If I look at it as a day of food...I hate turkey, I hate stuffing, I dislike corn, I dislike most pies. Basically, I have better food days on any regular day than that and I surely can't be completely alone on that.

And a family day? I have every day to be grateful for them but if (general) you insist that I take one day to be grateful, I'd rather go with Christmas --> food I like and a better message if I'm really thinking about the reason for the season.

So, enlighten an admittedly uninformed, cynical person. What is so darn special about turkey day?

[Rei]

Didn't we have this one, already?

[Eaquae Legit]

A celebration of the fall harvest. Harvest celebrations predate Thanksgiving, and are fairly common. I think that's a good reason to celebrate, because even in the age of the supermarket we have disasters like this year's drought in the southwest states. Things can go wrong. Our lifestyle prevents us from really noticing much, but a good harvest is something I'm grateful for.

Most of us aren't farmers anymore, so we're kind of divorced from this reasoning, and we apply it back to pilgrim days. I think we should get back to emphasising how important it still is to us, how relevant. Forget the pilgrims, I'm grateful now.

[KennEnder]

Nicely put. We should all be a little more grateful for a bountiful harvest and/or enough to eat. It's so 'easy' to get food now (at least in the US and Europe) that we forget how important food production really is to us... not to mention farmers. I am not a farmer, but I respect them greatly, especially the 'small' farmer who really knows the value of 'green living.' Thank you, farmers... you are under-appreciated, much the same as teachers! Your gifts and sacrifices (for they are often some of the poorest people in the US) are not without notice.

[zeroguy]

If I look at it as a day of food...I hate turkey, I hate stuffing, I dislike corn, I dislike most pies. Basically, I have better food days on any regular day than that and I surely can't be completely alone on that.

I can't think about the rest of this thread at the moment... but I can certainly agree with this, at least. Eating at Thanksgiving has always seemed like such a chore to me, especially since Thanksgiving-y food is always around for a little while afterwards, as well.

[Claire]

This doesn't apply to you, but I look forward to Thanksgiving because I don't see my extended family that often and I love my family, and we don't get together at Christmas. When we go to my Dad's side of the family in Chicago its usually the only time I see them during the whole year. This year we're doing my Mom's side in New York, and now that I'm in college I don't see them as much anymore either, though I still looked forward to it even when I did. I don't see it so much as being grateful for my family, but as having the opportunity to be around people I love that I don't often get to see.

[Amka]

For those of us who say Grace, I like to try to think about what I'm actually saying every time, and be truly grateful. Certain I don't always succeed. In fact, I rarely succeed. But Thanksgiving always brings this back to my thoughts. Farmers have worked hard. Animals gave their live, plants have grown and given up their fruits, leaves, etc. Everything at our table is something to be grateful for, and we are all part of the circle of life, and God has given us wonderful things.

[Jebus]

Clearly some people have never had good turkey and stuffing.

[Jayelle]

It's an animal sacrifice, with pie.

[Mich]

Clearly some people have never had good turkey and stuffing.

I've had good turkey, but never, ever, good stuffing. It's... it's dry. And icky.

But pies? Pies are delicious. Especially strawberry rhubarb, or just plain ol' pumpkin. My mom always makes this peanut-butter-chocolate pie.

[Nehali Sophia]

If I look at it as a day of food...I hate turkey, I hate stuffing, I dislike corn, I dislike most pies. Basically, I have better food days on any regular day than that and I surely can't be completely alone on that.

Maybe you'll could try something new this year... make sure food is grown locally as much as possible (if the environment and your local farming community is important to you) or you could make food that you'd actually be thankful for. What are your favourite foods?

Just because there's a tradition of turkey doesn't mean you can't jazz it up a little. One year my mom rubbed chicken tikka masala all over the turkey to give it more flavour.

I'm Canadian, so we've already celebrated Thanksgiving. This year we had a seafood and vegetarian feast ( a shrimp curry, pan-fried fish, barbecued fish, red fish curry, yellow fish curry, an okra dish, a cabbage dish, a peas and cheese dish and 2 different kinds of rice). Yeah, definitely no turkey in sight, but we were all grateful for the food!

[neo-dragon]

So, enlighten an admittedly uninformed, cynical person. What is so darn special about turkey day?

It's a frickin' day off work/school. Isn't that enough?

[Eaquae Legit]

I'm Canadian, so we've already celebrated Thanksgiving. This year we had a seafood and vegetarian feast ( a shrimp curry, pan-fried fish, barbecued fish, red fish curry, yellow fish curry, an okra dish, a cabbage dish, a peas and cheese dish and 2 different kinds of rice). Yeah, definitely no turkey in sight, but we were all grateful for the food!

Your mom really went in for the fish this year, didn't she? Was the peas and cheese mutter paneer, and did she make it herself? Mmmm.

I'll have to give the tikka masala rub a try sometime.

[Gravity Defier]

So, enlighten an admittedly uninformed, cynical person. What is so darn special about turkey day?

It's a frickin' day off work/school. Isn't that enough?

You win.



And Rei, who cares if we've had it before? I haven't seen it yet and I was seriously curious. Having enough food and a good harvest, like Ali said, is also a really good reason that I wouldn't have considered despite being in an agricultural community (over 50% of the community's money comes from ag).

[Rei]

I was just meaning that thanksgiving has come and gone this year already. It amuses me that after it has completely faded from my mind, suddenly people start bringing it up again.

[Dr. Mobius]

Check your calendar, Canuck. The rest of us have a week left yet until Thanksgiving.

[zeroguy]

It's an animal sacrifice, with pie.

Pies get no respect...