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Free-form Thanksgiving

You know what would be good for Thanksgiving? Just ditching tradition altogether and having food that you happen to like, from all around the world. I’d have crab rangoon, enchiladas verdes, something Ethiopian (not very good with the actual names as of yet)…. It would be a fitting tribute to the diversity and, above all, the gluttony that makes America great!

November 26, 2008 - Posted by Adam Kotsko | boredom | | 10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. Terrorist!

    Comment by Richard mcelroy | November 26, 2008

  2. I’d start off with a nice lobster bisque, followed up with palak paneer & naan, and a big helping of barbecued pulled pork — washed down with the choice of a 14-year-old Oban, a 20-year-old Pappy van Winkle, and a collection of bottled beers ranging from Erdinger Dunkel to Westvleren 12.

    Comment by Brad | November 26, 2008

  3. One year we had potato and pea samosas with cranberry chutney in place of mashed potatoes and cranberry relish. It was a very positive change.

    Comment by Rob B | November 26, 2008

  4. My parents immigrated to the U.S. shortly before I was born, and immediately adopted all important American holiday traditions with enthusiasm and total devotion. So our Thanksgiving day dinners were carefully referenced and by-the-book standard, to the point my parents once had a minor crisis over whether apple pie in place of pumpkin could be acceptable.

    We kids totally loved it, because it was our chance to have American food for dinner instead of our usual meal of rice and fish and soup. At the same time, it was almost like some kind of drag performance, because it was so forced and costumey — it was a meal from a sit-com, not like a regular meal at all.

    Anyway, so I still love Thanksgiving dinner, and even though as an adult I don’t actually like the taste of roast turkey and would never choose to eat mashed potatoes and gravy and turkey and stuffing and etc. all on one plate on a regular day, I appreciate that everything has to be just so in order for Thanksgiving to be correctly performed. This is to say that your proposal for a free-form Thanksgiving is disturbing to me. Also, foods from different cultures sometimes don’t taste right when eaten together at a single meal. Like, the thought of eating Stilton and apples with a meal of Thai food is ghastly. Actually, foods with cheese generally don’t go well with foods from milkless cuisines. When I was a kid my dad would sometimes experiment in the kitchen with like pizza or spaghetti with kimchi on top. God, that was so horrifying.

    Comment by jms | November 26, 2008

  5. I have grown to like turkey.

    My dad is making turkey and a ham for tomorrow. It will be crazy.

    Comment by ben wolfson | November 26, 2008

  6. In the South, I think making a turkey AND a ham is a prerequisite. It certainly is for my family.

    Comment by Brad | November 26, 2008

  7. I like that cranberry stuff that comes out of the can shaped like the can. A satisfying ick.

    Comment by Matthew | November 26, 2008

  8. I appreciate that everything has to be just so in order for Thanksgiving to be correctly performed

    Right, it’s a performance.

    It’s soothing in many ways, and indeed my thanksgiving tomorrow will be exactly like this, but alas, the food will not be very good, and I chafe, I chafe.

    Comment by parsimon | November 26, 2008

  9. Has anyone ever boned a turkey? (ahem)

    Comment by Amish Lovelock | November 26, 2008

  10. crab rangoon is an American creation. After extensive traveling, I’ve come to realize that the melting pot of America has produced a mix of cultures and ideas that has created a food-fusion–the best of all worlds. The stereotypes are based in good reason…how could gluttony be resisted with such access to great food?

    Comment by phil | November 26, 2008


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