Southern Proud

The best part about being Southern proud is the tradition that comes with the holidays. Our thanksgiving has always been the same with the same food and mostly the same people. Each year we eat a turkey, I don’t see how you wouldn’t eat a turkey, it’s National Turkey Day. On holidays, including this one, my mother sees fit to set out the Haviland past down for several generations- the plates are beautiful with gold hand painted around the curved edges. My family doesn’t like the idea of a children’s table so the table is always expanded as far as possible and if needed another table is brought in to accommodate all. We set out all the sterling instead of the regular knife and fork and place down the crystal water glasses along with the wineglasses (everyone drinks their main glass out of a wineglass because it looks crisper).

The meal is generally three courses with a dessert or two. We begin with a spinach salad and then the second meal is the time for all to dive in to the turkey, carved by my father or uncle depending on who is hosting, the mashed potatoes, corn pudding, sweet potatoes (ewww), rice, dinner rolls, home made gravy, and the best thing of all, the cranberry sauce homemade every year. The third course is the jello. This tradition started with my mom mom and I don’t really understand it since it is like dessert. Basically it is apricot (that is hard to find so sometimes orange or peach) jello with pineapple chunks and banana slices and then covered in a pineapple custard covered mixed with homemade whipped cream. That sounds pretty gross, way too sugary, yes? I agree. The dessert usually is a selection from 2 or 3 pies: pecan, pumpkin, or pumpkin cheesecake (which tastes nothing like pumpkin).

I like the holiday because I get to see family and eat really good food. I also like the football which we always play as well. There is just something funny about seeing your short father and short maternal uncle run around trying to tackle your very large brother-in-law and cousin. This is probably the strangest memory of the holiday I have.