Mullikin 1 ,,Thanksgiving, After All, Is a Word of Action - W.J. Cameron As I sat around the table over Thanksgiving break, I was swept up in thought about what Thanksgiving really meant. Was it really about preparing an overabundance of caloric dishes that would leave a superfluity amount of leftovers which we would all be subject to eat for days to come? Or was Thanksgiving really about thankfulness? After all, it is called Thanksgiving, but whats in a name? Unfortunately, even after my deep philosophical questioning of the meaning of Thanksgiving, I could not provide any answers to my questions. John F. Kennedy once said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them," when referencing Thanksgiving. Ideally speaking, I would like to say that Thanksgiving is about being grateful and a time for family togetherness, but ideally speaking does not always equal truth. America has commercialization of Thanksgiving has turned it into something more reminiscent of the cartoon pictured on the previous1. For most Americans thanksgiving is more about stress than giving thanks. Although Thanksgiving Day may not live up to John F. Kennedys ideological thoughts towards the holiday, Thanksgiving is a part of every Americans past, present, and future and has made a notable impact of the lives of all who celebrate it. 1 Lester, Mike. "Turkey Day." Cartoon. Rome News Tribune. 1 Dec. 2007 <http://www.mikelester.com>. Mullikin 2 While every American has their own memories concerning Thanksgiving, many are completely clueless as to the origin of the holiday. To truly understand the cultural importance of Thanksgiving, one must first understand the history behind it. The first Thanksgiving is believed to have occurred in 1621, when the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians took part in a communal dinner 2. The feast spoke of is not the true origination of the holiday, being that it was not repeated and henceforth not a tradition. The Pilgrims did not refer to the feast as Thanksgiving, which was actually a Pilgrim Women and Children Preparing Thanksgiving Dinner religious holiday for them. The First Thanksgiving did not occur on a Thursday; rather, it was a three day celebration that likely occurred in September. Abraham Lincoln is actually responsible for the set tradition of Thanksgiving, in 1863 Lincoln officially declared the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving. It is noted that, "Although this feast is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America."3 2 Women and Children. Plymouth, Massachusetts. History Channel. Plimouth Plantation, Inc. 1 Dec. 2007 <http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=872&display_order=1&mi ni_id=1083>. 3 Curtin, Kathleen. "First Thanksgiving." History Channel. 1 Dec. 2007 <http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=872&display_order=1&mi ni_id=1083>. Mullikin 3 Thanksgiving is an example of the synchronic nature of American culture. Americans incorporated Native American cultural traditions into their history and eventually began calling it their own. Thanksgiving symbolizes the true ,,melting pot of cultures that America is. Thanksgiving has transformed in many ways from its original traditions, especially the menu. Pilgrims did not feast on corn, sweet potatoes, or cranberries (three staples of Thanksgiving for many Americans). The Pilgrims had slightly more eccentric tastes, with the menu speculated to consist of cod, eel, clams, lobster, wild turkey, goose, duck, crane, swan, partridge, eagles, venison, seal, and acorns4. While the actual First Thanksgiving may have not fit our ideals, Thanksgiving has morphed into a highly relevant cultural practice, regardless of its roots. While the history of Thanksgiving is of undoubted importance, studying the current cultural implications of the holiday is the real key to understanding the modern practice. Given that I have experienced eighteen thanksgiving dinners prior to this years, I figured that I had the correct general assumptions as to what Thanksgiving would be like, come November 23, 2007. I figured that my mom and I would spend Wednesday clawing through the grocery store to acquire the Thanksgiving necessities that my family chose to procrastinate purchasing. This assumption turned out to be 100% correct. Sure enough, my Mom and I spent Wednesday afternoon literally battling other procrastinators over the last of the fresh cranberries and chicken stock. I speculated that my Dad would insist on cooking entirely too much food that would end up going to waste. I turned out to be correct in this assumption as well. Our dining room table, which is roughly the size of one and half large ping-pong tables, was so completely covered by countless dishes that my family did not have enough room to put their plates down. I assumed that we would spend Thursday morning cooking dinner while watching the Macys Day Parade on television. This 4 Curtin, Kathleen. "First Thanksgiving." History Channel. 1 Dec. 2007 <http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=872&display_order=1&mi ni_id=1083>. Mullikin 4 assumption also turned out to be correct. I made the mashed potatoes, which did not turn out well (my sister jokingly called them slop), while watching the Macys Day Parade. My family spent the earlier years of my life attending the parade and I was very grateful to be in the warmth of my home while watching instead. I assumed that my parents would share the chores of cooking and cleaning, which also proved to be correct. My family is a creature of habit, which allowed me to easily make the correct assumptions. What I was not as expectant of was the eccentric answers many of my interviewees provided me with. Interviews Name: Jackson DePriest Age: 3 Relationship: Cousin What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Cooking with Mommy and Daddy What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish? Cookies and Macaroni What is your role during preparation? Well sometimes I help getting stuff for Mommy, like noodles. What are you thankful for? For Mommy and Daddy, monkeys, and the Wiggles What does Thanksgiving mean to you? Eating lots and lots of turkey What memory do you most associate with Thanksgiving? ... Blank stare Mullikin 5 Name: Lou Mullikin Age: 51 Relationship: Dad What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? I love trying to cook new dishes and my big girls being home from college. I like being together. What's your favorite Thanksgiving Dish? Grammys Jell-O Salad What is your role during preparation? I am in charge of deciding the menu and then splitting up who is going to make what. What are you thankful for? My four kids and beautiful wife What does Thanksgiving mean to you? It means the best football games and leftovers for the next week. What memory do you most associate with Thanksgiving? My Mom never making enough of her jell-o salad for all four of us boys, watching football, and hunting with my Dad and brothers Name: Matthew Cortina Age: 20 Relationship: Boyfriend What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? No school! What's your favorite Thanksgiving Dish? Mullikin 6 Definitely the booze What is your role during preparation? Cooking is the womens job... Just kidding, I help my Mom with whatever she tells me to do. What are you thankful for? The Green Bay Packers What does Thanksgiving mean to you? Making entirely too much food, eating till Im my stomach is ready to burst, and football What memory do you most associate with Thanksgiving? Playing a game of touch football with my brothers and cousins, while our Moms made dinner Name: Caroline Mullikin Age: 9 Relationship: Sister What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? My big sisters being home and watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving What's your favorite Thanksgiving Dish? Yum-Yum Salad (Ambrosia) What is your role during preparation? Nothing, Im only nine. What are you thankful for? Mom, Dad, and all my brothers and sisters and my dog What does Thanksgiving mean to you? It was when the Pilgrims and the Indians had a huge feast like 200 years ago. Mullikin 7 What memory do you most associate with Thanksgiving? Being freezing cold at the Macys Day Parade Name: Richard (Papa) Buckner Age: Old as dirt Relationship: Grandpa What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Its the day before Alabama and Auburn play (Roll Tide) What's your favorite Thanksgiving Dish? Turkey and gravy What is your role during preparation? I let Grandmama do most of the cooking, What are you thankful for? The Alabama Crimson Tide, Nick Saben, my wife of 50 plus years, my six kids, my 17 grandkids, retirement, fishing, being from the South, lot of things What does Thanksgiving mean to you? It means my wife is going to make way too much food and be offended if we do not eat it all. What memory do you most associate with Thanksgiving? When I was much younger, we used to go hunting a few days before and shoot the Turkey ourselves. It was one of the few times I had quality time with my Dad. I am grateful for is this project so I had to do the interviews The interviews were absolutely hilarious and they provided me an opportunity for alone time with some of my family members of which I otherwise would not have. From my interviews, I have gathered that people Mullikin 8 think of Thanksgiving in food terms rather than social terms. Every interviewee spoke of the food which they ate on Thanksgiving, while only a few spoke of being around family. However, the food brings people together, and while it may not be at the forefront of their thoughts, thanksgiving is about family. Our Thanksgiving menu is a hot topic in my household. My dad sends around an email to all my family members to see what they would like included and he ultimately decides what the menu will make the cut. Our thanksgiving menu is listed below: Turkey Mashed Potatoes Stuffing Gravy Corn Macaroni Casserole Rolls Green Beans Grammys Jell-O Salad Yum-Yum Salad Three types of Cranberry Sauce Pecan Pie Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Soup Asparagus Tips Sweet Potatoes and marshmallows Chocolate Moose Cake Pinot Grigio Merlot Champagne Sangria Mimosas My dad likes to believe his alter ego is a gourmet chef, so he continually experiments with different dishes to add to the menu. He is rarely successful. A few years ago, my dad chose to deep fry our turkey instead of baking it. After catching a portion of our deck on fire, the turkey came out black and charred on the outside and frozen on the inside. We did not have a turkey that year. Even though we did not have turkey, we still had thanksgiving. Despite commercialization, discrepancies in historical ties, and food mishaps Thanksgiving continues to be of importance in my life. Thanksgiving is a time to have a break from school and spend with my family. The food, the football, the cooking, the stress is all of trivial importance. Despite my skeptical and pessimistic philosophical thinking, whether or not we admit that it is a Mullikin 9 day of giving thanks, when reflecting upon memories, the true nature of Thanksgiving shines through. Although it may sound corny, the real importance of Thanksgiving is togetherness. Mullikin 10 Works Cited Curtin, Kathleen. "First Thanksgiving." History Channel. 1 Dec. 2007 <http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id= 872&display_order=1&mini_id=1083>. Lester, Mike. "Turkey Day." Cartoon. Rome News Tribune. 1 Dec. 2007 <http://www.mikelester.com>. Women and Children. Plymouth, Massachusetts. History Channel. Plimouth Plantation, Inc. 1 Dec. 2007 <http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_ Generic&content_type_id=872&display_order=1&mini_id=1083>.