When thinking of a Thanksgiving feast, the first thing that comes to mind is the usual American fare of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries, and stuffing. The thought of the biggest bird served brings smiles to us all, much like Norman Rockwell's classic Thanksgiving Picture.
In my family we tend to mix things up a bit with some lumpia, roast duck, rice, frijoles, lasagna bolognese, and more. The dishes I mentioned are of Filipino, Chinese, Mexican, and Italian cuisine. We're exactly what most American families are today — blended.
And our Thanksgiving Day feast is an infusion of different ethnicities and cultures, celebrating the grateful spirit of togetherness.
So many families have developed and evolved with the diverse amalgamation of cultures and lifestyles around us. To this end, I asked a couple of my American friends who (or whose family) were originally from various parts of the world to share what their holiday table looks like this time of year.
Patrice Yursik, Founder of Afrobella
"I was born and raised in Trinidad, so I did not grow up celebrating Thanksgiving. My first Thanksgiving celebration came in 1998, and I celebrated with a girl from my college dorm — she very kindly took me home to her family. I spent my college years either celebrating with random friends or on campus until I married my husband. As a born and raised Midwesterner, he had very strong ideas about Thanksgiving and traditional expectations on the menu.
I like to bring in some elements of my upbringing to the celebration in ways everyone can enjoy. Typically our turkey is well spiced — we have done a Jerk Turkey in years past, but Jerk is a Jamaican specialty. A great Trinidadian addition to the Thanksgiving menu would be a side dish of Pelau (rice and pigeon peas), a traditional trini macaroni pie, or stewed pigeon peas. Usually, at the end of Thanksgiving weekend, I'm making Ponche a Creme — the Trinidadian answer to Eggnog and Coquito.”
Jiwon McCartney, CEO & Founder of Culinary Fight Club & Fight2Feed
"Our family of 5 is half Korean and half British, and for us, it's all at about family and who will be around the table. I always have some Songpyeon, a traditional small round rice cake filled with sesame seeds, chestnuts, and red beans, at our table. In Korea, we have Chuseok, which is celebrating the harvest season with festivities where we give thanks for a plentiful harvest. Songpyeon is traditionally made in masses by the women the day before Chuseok and deliciously displayed as a colorful centerpiece at the tables to celebrate a plentiful harvest. In the end, it's about family and gratitude first. On Thanksgiving Day, my family of 5 will start by cooking and serving our hungry friends in need with Fight2Feed at the Cornerstone Community Outreach in Chicago for the fourth year in a row."
Anupy Singla, Co-Founder of Indian As ApplePie & Cookbook Author
"Growing up outside of Philadelphia in the 1970s, Thanksgiving was the first organized holiday I remember celebrating, even ahead of Diwali. As new immigrants to this country, we didn't have any relatives nearby. It could have been a very lonely existence, but in typical Punjabi-Indian style — we turned it into a party. All of our friends became our family, and in that small way, a tradition was born to celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey surrounded by Indian sides.
I brought this tradition to my Chicago home when I moved here nearly two decades ago. To this day, we have two parts to our Thanksgiving Day dinner. While it does represent our Indian-American background, it also helps keep our mixed dietary household satisfied. My husband must have turkey at all costs, while my vegetarian self prefers all of the sides — no matter the carbs. Our kids do a little bit of both.
One end of the table is a beautifully cooked turkey made by my husband with sides like sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy. On the other side? Just about every North Indian dish known: palak paneer, baingan bharta, kali dal, bhindi masala, and stacks and stack of beautifully rolled out and round homemade rotis.
The night before Thanksgiving, I'll soak the legumes for buttered lentils and then pop everything into the crockpot that morning to cook all day.
We will also celebrate with some fusion sides, including Indian spiced cranberry chutney, Chai Pie (swapping out Chai Masala in our pumpkin pie), and Tandoori-spiced potatoes.
It makes for a delicious meal for us on what has become a uniquely Indian-American day of thanks."
Thien Kim Lam, Founder of ImNotTheNanny.com
"When I was a kid, my family served eggrolls next to the store-bought, ready-to-heat Thanksgiving turkey. I disliked how the eggrolls made Thanksgiving feel inauthentic yet snuck piping hot, crispy wrappers stuffed with pork, mushrooms, and glass bean noodles. As a Vietnamese kid growing up in Louisiana, I desperately wanted to fit in with all the 'Americans.'
Now that I'm older and have a family of my own, I'm glad my mom and aunts cooked so much Vietnamese food for our holiday celebrations. We live too far away to visit, so I've embraced the cultural mix of dishes on our Thanksgiving table. Turkey is still the centerpiece, but now we also serve eggrolls (my mom's recipe), cornbread dressing, southern style mac and cheese, and collard greens. I'm very thankful that my kids embrace both their Vietnamese American and Southern Black heritages and the food that accompanies it."
Maricris Guadagna, Founder of ZensibleMama
"I migrated to the US 16 years ago by myself and was already an adult, so most of my influences, holidays, and traditions are ingrained with Asian culture. Coming from the Philippines, Thanksgiving is a holiday that was new and foreign to me. I remember my first Thanksgiving being in complete awe. I've never seen such a huge bird cooked that way in my life!
Each year that my husband and I host Thanksgiving Day, our table features an exciting array of sumptuous and eclectic dishes from different cuisines brought by our friends. One year it included enchiladas, make-your-own tacos, and tamales from our Mexican friends. Pierogis, vegetarian spaghetti, and meatless lasagna from my husband's Polish and Italian upbringing. Roasted Cornish hens and dinner rolls for our Australian mates. Chicken katsu and vegetarian teriyaki eggplants, a nod to my Japanese heritage. Vegetarian pancit, vegetarian lumpia, ground beef relleno, chicken menudo, and tons of rice for my Filipino side!"
So as we gather with our family and friends this Thanksgiving Day, remember to take a moment and feel grateful to our unique histories. Be thankful for the abundance of our cultural and traditional differences and that we can aim to keep our own diverse Thanksgiving observances alive.
Because after all, this is what America is all about!
MJ Tam is a writer, editor of Chicagonista.com, and self-proclaimed travel addict. Follow her on Twitter @MJTam.
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