The holiday celebrations are peeking around corners and I bet most of us are counting down the days to be able to take some time off of work and school to spend time with family and friends. As Thanksgiving nears and a big banquet of food is going to be laid out on tables, I want to focus on traditional dishes you might enjoy with those you hold dear. Thanksgiving being an American holiday comes with all the well-known food, such as turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce, corn on the cob, yams, etc. Simply writing this list is making me so excited for next Thursday! However, even though I was born in the United States, my family’s background is Hispanic, so my Thanksgivings don’t usually consist of all the traditional foods I just listed.
My family and I, along with other family friends we see during this holiday, sort of break the tradition when it comes to food. Sometimes we eat turkey but other times we decide to make steak instead or even chicken. We tend to make Hispanic dishes, such as empanadas, arroz con pollo (chicken with rice), ceviche, and more. And our desserts don’t normally consist of the typical pumpkin pie and ice cream, either. But that’s okay. I think it’s nice to mix it up, implement new traditions, and encourage change. And at the end of the day, Thanksgiving is about appreciating family and friends, including yourself. I hope you decide to try something new during the holidays, whether it be adding a dish to your Thanksgiving meal, going ice skating, or watching movies. Traditions bring us closer to those we love and we shouldn’t ignore that. I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving and if you don’t celebrate it, do something fun with family or friends!