Thanksgiving is about food. Full stop.
….yes,
it's actually that simple. When you peel back all those cutesie
pilgrim myths, ignore decades of aggressive add campaigns from
the turkey farmers, and put the 'Invading Colonizer Vs. Protestant
Refugees' argument on hold, Thanksgiving is about food.
Food
is a simple, trivial word. It's not a trivial matter.
Growing
up, I never had to skip a meal. Unfortunately, I've still had
experience with hunger. Did you know that if don't eat the right
things, you can starve on a full stomach? No, I'm kidding. It's not a
'fat rich people problem.' There's more than one way to go hungry.
On
my mother's side of the family, there's the maddening battle with
blood-sugar. My late father dealt with chronic malabsorption issues
after his colon was removed. I personally have lovely gene mutation
that stunts my Vitamin B conversion (my food allergies are just the
f-you cherry on this mess). Having something to eat isn't the same
as having food.
Creating
a meal that feeds your needs takes mindfulness. Feeding other
people... that's a tall order.
My
first big holiday after a peanut-triggered-ambulance ride was
eye-opening. In middle-class America, feeding people is a dying art.
Thanksgiving is a time to show off that family recipe or order a
luxury cut of meat. My newly restricted diet made waves.
Out
of a six dish spread, plus desserts, there wasn't much to eat. I
think I had something from the relish tray and meat, no gravy. It was
awkward for me and the cooks. Thanksgiving is a feast. What does it
say when one person is sighing wistfully at everybody else's plates?
I
realized 'sharing a meal' isn't just eating in the same building.
Food is social bonding. Hunger is divisive. Getting left out of the
group while you're hungry.... well, fights have started for less.
Luckily,
my family cares about each other more than having a postcard perfect
meal. We shuffled the menu a bit. I still can't eat every dish, but
I have options. I have food – I'm not left behind.
Does
my aunt still get frustrated with me triple checking her recipes
cards? Yes. Do my crazy cousins still talk about football and that
trophy buck they hope to bag this year? Yes. Do I still get nosy
questions about my life choices? Yes. Thanksgiving is not stress
free.
However,
I just take a deep breath and remember the true core of any harvest celebration.
It's taking a moment to stop and say, “Thank
God! Nobody has to starve to death this year!”
Thanksgiving
is about the food.
Edited 2020 - Cause I later read Smithsonian: Myths of Thanksgiving and I don't want my Cherokee 'Cousin' giving me that look for not double checking my prose.
