Thanksgiving Family Tradition Essay

Thanksgiving: A “Family” Tradition
As the family gathers around the table with plates full of various foods, everyone bows their head to say ‘grace.’ My cousin Bethany explains grace as “a thankful prayer, we thank god for everything we are about to eat and for bringing us all together.” After grace is said, and everyone mutters amen, the food is eaten. My fraternal grandmother explains the food we are eating. “We are eating dressing that is prepared with cornbread, instead of white bread, because our family is from the south. Southerns always have banana pudding as a dessert.” Everyone I asked mentions turkey, ham, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, along with other types of food. Many people struggled to identify food that is not eaten at Thanksgiving. The only answer I received was ethnic food, such as Italian, Japanese, Chinese, or Mexican food. My brother’s girlfriend Carson told me “every family has their own preferences” when it comes to cooking things in a certain way. My grandma explained that “you learn from your parent and grandparents, so how ever they taught you to cook something, is how it is cooked for Thanksgiving.”
As people start to go for their second helping, I ask the most important question of the day. What is Thanksgiving? Most of my family told me that it was a holiday that we spend with our family to give thanks and eat lots …show more content…
When I asked this question, everyone said the whole family participates, but when I asked who does not participate, the answers were much broader. My grandmother said the people who cannot afford it do not participate. Other people said the rest of the world does not participate; meaning only the United States of America participates in Thanksgiving. They told me that Thanksgiving is an American tradition because of our national