By Rachel McDaniel
As I sat down to eat a Thanksgiving feast with my wonderful family, I couldn’t help but notice that the savory items covering the table sort of represent different family members. Everyone is crowded into the kitchen and dining areas, much like the dishes that are packed on any available table or counter space.
Which traditional holiday dish are you?
Whether you like it or not, what Thanksgiving or Christmas meal would be complete without the cranberry sauce? Jellied or made with real fruit, the dish is often sweet and tart at the same time, much like that relative who gives you a hug and then asks when you’re going to get married, or have children or any number of other awkward questions.
The focus of most holiday meals is the turkey or ham - representing the patriarch or matriarch of the family. It is the dish that provides the most food and takes care of the whole family. In my family, my mom (Becky Sumner) is the matriarch - the one everyone turns to when they are in need or are looking for advice on any of life’s pressing issues.
In addition to the big bird, there are side dishes galore, complicated souffles and casseroles that take time and dedication to prepare.
Like family members, they are all different, even if they sometimes contain the same ingredients. In fact, sometimes two side dishes that share the same name can taste wildly different because they were prepared in different ways. Looking around the table, each family member is completely unique even though they may share the same dark-haired gene or have the same blue eyes as their brother.
Some platters are essential for each Thanksgiving - like dressing. It is a must for most holiday dinners and represents the family member who creates traditions and makes sure they are passed on to the next generation. Everyone looks forward to having dressing at Thanksgiving and Christmas - sometimes with giblet gravy - and the meal just wouldn’t be the same without the dish or the tradition-keeping family member who probably made it.
Some side items are wild and non-traditional, such as the brussel sprouts, lentil and pomegranate salad. Not conforming to the rules of tradition, this dish - and family member - does not care to be the same as everyone else and sometimes it is overlooked or avoided as a result.
Then there are the comfort foods, mashed potatoes, cream corn, green beans and rolls.
These are the family members who are easy-going and accepting of everyone. They make you feel happy and content, even in the middle of a kitchen full of kids and parents arguing over what to put on their plate and people hollering across the room to each other. Those members of the family are to always be treasured, even if they don’t stand out as much as some.
Some dishes, like the sweet potato souffle, are a little more fancy than others, just like those members of the family who like to stand out as the best dressed or most successful.
Lastly come the sweets - pecan pie, blueberry cobbler, pumpkin pie and so much more.
Somehow, I always load up a plate with the main items and side dishes and then go back for seconds before I remember the dessert table, filled with sweetness.
How could anyone forget these sweet dishes - these sweet souls in each family? Yet, they are often taken for granted and not shown the appreciation they deserve.
I am so very thankful for every member of my family - whether they are sweet and easy-going or independent and unique or sometimes a little tart!
The focus of most holiday meals is the turkey or ham - representing the patriarch or matriarch of the family. It is the dish that provides the most food and takes care of the whole family. In my family, my mom (Becky Sumner) is the matriarch - the one everyone turns to when they are in need or are looking for advice on any of life’s pressing issues.
In addition to the big bird, there are side dishes galore, complicated souffles and casseroles that take time and dedication to prepare.
Like family members, they are all different, even if they sometimes contain the same ingredients. In fact, sometimes two side dishes that share the same name can taste wildly different because they were prepared in different ways. Looking around the table, each family member is completely unique even though they may share the same dark-haired gene or have the same blue eyes as their brother.
Some platters are essential for each Thanksgiving - like dressing. It is a must for most holiday dinners and represents the family member who creates traditions and makes sure they are passed on to the next generation. Everyone looks forward to having dressing at Thanksgiving and Christmas - sometimes with giblet gravy - and the meal just wouldn’t be the same without the dish or the tradition-keeping family member who probably made it.
Some side items are wild and non-traditional, such as the brussel sprouts, lentil and pomegranate salad. Not conforming to the rules of tradition, this dish - and family member - does not care to be the same as everyone else and sometimes it is overlooked or avoided as a result.
Then there are the comfort foods, mashed potatoes, cream corn, green beans and rolls.
These are the family members who are easy-going and accepting of everyone. They make you feel happy and content, even in the middle of a kitchen full of kids and parents arguing over what to put on their plate and people hollering across the room to each other. Those members of the family are to always be treasured, even if they don’t stand out as much as some.
Some dishes, like the sweet potato souffle, are a little more fancy than others, just like those members of the family who like to stand out as the best dressed or most successful.
Lastly come the sweets - pecan pie, blueberry cobbler, pumpkin pie and so much more.
Somehow, I always load up a plate with the main items and side dishes and then go back for seconds before I remember the dessert table, filled with sweetness.
How could anyone forget these sweet dishes - these sweet souls in each family? Yet, they are often taken for granted and not shown the appreciation they deserve.
I am so very thankful for every member of my family - whether they are sweet and easy-going or independent and unique or sometimes a little tart!
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