image courtesy of marthastewart.com

not until recently had i ever really enjoyed the annual thanksgiving feast; however, the past few of them have been good enough to remember. i think part of the reason for this change is that i started to become more creative with the menu and began tailoring it to change things up a bit (no more sweet potatoes and marshmallows please). for example, i tried cornbread stuffing with oysters instead of bread stuffing, or butternut squash pie instead of apple (or apple pie but with a cheddar cheese crust). one year, i even replaced the turkey with salmon!

while none of these alterations are very extreme (with maybe the exception of the salmon), they have made me think about how all thanksgiving dinners are conceived as being the ‘same,’ while in fact they can range from being minutely to significantly different depending on one’s family’s traditions, dietary restrictions, cooking capabilities, etc.

so what is it about your thanksgiving feast that you think makes it different: perhaps it’s your vegan sister, your aunt’s face-numbingly tart cranberry sauce or a deep-fried turkey?

~caitlin