Einstein: The exact menu of the very first Thanksgiving celebration, or more accurately harvest festival, is still a matter of debate among food historians. A letter written twenty-two years after the event suggests the main courses included lobsters, eels, fish and venison, all foods familiar to the native Americans and readily available in that region of North America. One food item conspicuously missing from that first menu is turkey, however. There is written evidence to suggest the governor of the Pilgrims did send men into the field to capture wild fowl, but it is highly likely the hunters brought back smaller birds such as quail, pheasant and duck, not the much larger and more elusive wild turkey. In addition to being a native bird, large birds like the turkey can be symbols of abundance, and the time and effort traditionally required to prepare them means they are often saved for special occasions.
The substantial size of a typical domestic turkey may also explain its popularity during Thanksgiving. The underlying theme of the holiday is to acknowledge a wealth of material and spiritual abundance, so the serving of a large and flavorful bird would fit that theme quite well. Much like the Christmas goose or the Easter lamb, a Thanksgiving Day turkey, at least during the time of the Pilgrims, still had an exotic rarity about it. The labor-intensive preparation and long cooking time, also meant that most settlers would have waited until a very special occasion to take on the challenge of serving turkeys. Although modern poultry farming methods have made turkeys much less exotic, preparing a whole turkey on Thanksgiving can be seen as a connection to the bountiful tables of the past.
The wild turkey almost became the national symbol of the United States, if American statesman Benjamin Franklin had prevailed in the debate. Franklin favored the wild turkey over the bald eagle, primarily because it was clearly a native species and possessed a number of strong personality traits Franklin believed defined the American spirit. The bald eagle was viewed as too predatory and ill-tempered by comparison. Wild turkeys are still viewed as formidable foes by small game hunters, unlike their domesticated turkey cousins destined for a spot on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table every fourth Thursday in November.
Juan: What is a typical Thanksgiving Dinner?
Einstein: The centerpiece of the contemporary American Thanksgiving is a large dinner (a.k.a. supper), starring a large roasted turkey. Because turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, thanksgiving is sometimes called 'Turkey Day'. Many other foods are served alongside the turkey, so many that, because of the amount of food, the Thanksgiving meal is generally served midday or early afternoon to make time for all the eating, and preparation may begin at the crack of dawn or days before.
Commonly served dishes include cranberry sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans and stuffing. For dessert, various pies are served, particularly pumpkin pie, strawberry-rhubarb pie and pecan pie. Other dishes reflect the region or cultural background of those who have come together for the meal. For example, Italian-Americans often have lasagna on the table and Ashkenazi Jews may serve noodle kugel, a sweet pudding. Another good Thanksgiving dish is candied yams.
There are also regional differences as to the "stuffing" (or "dressing") traditionally served with the turkey. Southerners generally make theirs from cornbread, while in other parts of the country white bread is the base, to which oysters, apples, chestnuts, or the turkey's giblets may be added. These eating patterns are very similar in Canada.
Juan: So how about our Pinoy-style dinner?
Pedro: The turkey is picture perfect: it is golden brown on the outside, its juices and aroma sure to whet anyone’s appetite.
And so do the kare-kare and the bagoong, the dinuguan and the puto, and a host of other Pinoy dishes that adorn the dining table.
This, after all, is not just your ordinary Thanksgiving dinner. It is the traditional Thanksgiving feast, Filipino-American style.
From San Francisco to New York, Fil-Am families across America gather around a sumptuous banquet with family and friends, giving thanks for the many blessings each has received during the year and beyond before indulging in a culinary fete of epic proportions.
The crisp November air provides a perfect backdrop against this annual gathering.
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