It's Thanksgiving morning and I just read a commentary in the Boston Globe by Marianne Leone about her Italian family's take on Thanksgiving.  In years past her parents and grandparents, new arrivals in America, had celebrated Thanksgiving with familiar foods from their native country.  Her childhood memories of the feast included antipasto, capon, and of course pasta dishes.  Only later did they switch to Butterball turkeys and mashed potatoes although continuing to include pasta as a necessary addition to their American cuisine.

This got me thinking about my own traditional meals at holidays and how much I enjoy them.   When it comes to Thanksgiving I insist on turkey, stuffing, potatoes (preferably sweet), cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie.  You get the idea - all the fixings that make Thanksgiving such a tried and true delicious meal.

I do know that different regions of this country have their own Thanksgiving specialties.  My friends who are born and bred New Englanders insist on mashed turnips (ugh!) and my first husband liked cornbread stuffing instead of Pepperidge Farm which showed his southern roots. But, by and large, we Americans all eat the same thing on this holiday.

Once my mother cooked a duck instead of a turkey for Thanksgiving.  Now I love duck but not on Thanksgiving.  My sister and I insisted that she never vary from the traditional turkey again.

The funniest Thanksgiving meal I ever heard of was told by my ex-husband's neice.  She was a new bride of a young man who had grown up in Russia.  His parents, who now lived on Long Island, invited the newlyweds to their house for Thanksgiving.  Knowing the menu, but not the recipes, his mother laid out a Swanson turkey TV dinner still in their aluminum dishes in front of each person at the table.  What a hoot!

So today I am off to my friends' house for the Thanksgiving meal.  I have been invited to their house for prior Thanksgivings and I am happy to be among their guests because I know they are as traditional as I am.  I can be assured that there will be turkey and potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.  No nouveau cuisine, no vegan, no ducks or capons.  Just good ol' American Thanksgiving dinner.  I'll eat pasta tomorrow...




Real estate tip:  I don't care if you are a buyer or seller nor if you are worried about your offer, your mortgage or your closing date.  Please please please don't contact your realtor on a major holiday!  Everything can wait until after the holiday!!!