Typical American Thanksgiving

I saw this about twenty times on Face Book this week, and each time I laughed although I strenuously disagree, there is no such thing as the typical American Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving looks different throughout the USA. Though we’re almost all having turkey, that could be where the similarities end. I have spent years searching for a piece I heard on NPR once featuring someone who claimed he could identify your family’s ethnic origins by your Thanksgiving menu. If you know the show I’m talking about it , please tell me!

There are the people who stuff their turkey, and those who make dressing and cook it separately. We always have so much we do both. If you look up stuffing/dressing  recipes you will find about 63,000,000 results. There are the bread based recipes sourdough, cornbread, white bread, or the cubes you can buy. Some people prefer rice stuffing. Then the add-ins, sausage, oyster, mushroom, or some combination. Some like fruit, apples, or dried cranberries, herbs of all kinds, and some people like things like spinach and cheese.

Some families have macaroni and cheese, others stuffed shells and eggplant parmesan. I’ve been at Thanksgiving dinners with both roasted and smoked turkeys, and some people only make turkey breast. My family starts with soup, a tradition we began about ten years ago. There won’t be any bread on our table, but most people have some kind of roll or cornbread, Boston brown bread is a New England tradition, and Southerners favor biscuits. 

Just about everyone will have potatoes but will they be sweet potatoes or white mashed potatoes, or both? Does your family eat candied sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows? Do you have the famous green bean casserole with fried onions? We never did, though we do have green beans. Other greens on America’s menu may be collard greens, spinach or Brussels sprouts.

Once you get through all the menu variations, come the other traditions such as what time do you eat? Where do you go, is it always the same place, do you go out? Do you spend the holiday with friends or family, or a combination? Will everyone be wearing sweats or nice clothes? Will there be sports on the TV? Will you begin the day watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade? My family generally dresses up, after a day spent cooking we all go out on our nice clothes, and reassemble to sit a long table and eat.

I’d love to hear what Thanksgiving is like in your family, and where you’re from. One day I’ll get to work in August and put together a map of Thanksgiving across the USA. What I know for sure, is that there is no such thing as a typical American Thanksgiving, and Kevin Hart is mistaken, we’re not all eating the same shit.