By: Mary Reynolds
Introduction
Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate with family and spend time with relatives you might not see too often. For my family, Thanksgiving is a race. We visit my Aunt Sally and Uncle Steve’s for my dad’s side of the family. We host for my mom’s side of the family. Lastly, we visit our family friends, the O’Sullivans! What’s beautiful about experiencing multiple Thanksgivings is that we can experience multiple sets of traditions. Although it seems like Thanksgiving is only about eating, the act of eating actually bonds families and friends closer together. Lundy writes that “people still unite around food, because food taps into much deeper values”, and that is very true. Our Thanksgiving schedule often follows a set schedule that does not change much. Lundy writes that “time, it seems, is part of tradition – and feeling” (Lundy 296: 2016). Below you can find the different traditions my family celebrates on Thanksgiving!
Aunt Sally and Uncle Steve’s Thanksgiving
My Aunt Sally and Uncle Steve are on my dad’s side of the family. My dad has 11 brothers so their holiday celebrations are always very big with lots of people. I have over 30 cousins on my dad’s side alone so it’s always nice to catch up with all of the St.Louis cousins.
Schedule
- Wake up at 10 am
- Help mom prepare the food for Sally’s – Salad and charcuterie board
Walnut salad: “I make it with just any lettuce I buy from the store. Then, I add goat cheese, strawberries, and walnuts, and I make this balsamic glaze dressing. It’s always a big hit” – Amy Reynolds
Charcuterie board: “I always buy some brie cheese, ritz crackers, and honey jam. Mary loves the rosemary parmesan, too. It looks different every time I make it” – Amy Reynolds
My father grew up wealthy in a prestigious part of St. Louis so his family’s meals and choice of dishes always proved to be more luxurious in terms of food than compared to my mother’s side who we explore in the next section. Comparatively, my mom’s family growing up would find french onion dip and chips to be sufficient, but my father’s side would prefer shrimp as a more prestigious appetizer. My association with charcuterie boards explore a more luxurious tone than french onion dip for example. Preparing a charcuterie board for my father’s side of the family is only fitting as it reflects not only their financial situation but also the region my father grew up in as he was surrounded by homes considered to be “old money”, or homes in which money exists in generations of a family. In Herman’s interview with Gricelda Torres Segura (2019:302), Gricelda says that “when we make tamales…a lot of memories come on my mind”. The memories I associate with charcuterie boards make me think of prestigious holidays with my father’s side of the family in which I have to dress nice and be on my best behavior. There is definitely a stark difference between my father’s and mother’s side of the family.
- Arrive at Aunt Sally’s and Uncle Steve’s around 11 am
- Spend time with the family and play with cousins
- Eat at 12:30 pm
- “My favorite Thanksgiving dish is turkey with gravy. That’s a good one that I know. Aunt Sally makes really good Turkey and gravy” – Mike Reynolds
- Pool tournament
- “Yeah, my brothers and I always play pool together. I’ve won a few times too. It’s always fun to play with the nieces and nephews too” – Mike Reynolds
- Leave around 4 pm
Reynolds’ Thanksgiving
This is our main Thanksgiving celebration. We host it at our home, and my mother’s side of the family comes over. This includes my Uncle Ted, Aunt Carrie, and their kids Brenden (13), Lauren (6), and Jackson (10). My Uncle Gene and cousin Sarah also visit from Kentucky, and they stay with my grandma, who lives 45 minutes away in Illinois. Lastly, my grandma and her boyfriend of 10 years also visit. My Aunt Nancy, or Sarah’s mother, also used to visit for Thanksgiving and other holidays, but she recently passed.
“Thanksgiving has gotten sadder. I think I used to when I was little, it was pure. Like, I was so excited about Thanksgiving because of going to see my family and seeing people I don’t normally see in going to a new city that I don’t see that often. It kind of has changed because it takes on a more sad note. As we like, lose people. Lost my uncle was little and that was the first time it changed a little bit to go back to visit family for St. Louis. And then, since then, after I lost my mom, like it’s just a little bit sadder” – Sarah
- Arrive home around 4:15 pm
- Help mom prepare all the Thanksgiving food for her side of the family
- “Um, usually your mom does the stuffing and potatoes. Green beans if we have them, I think and then I know, Bessie can do the turkey gravy, I think. And then Ted does a turkey” – Sarah
The stuffing: “You start with a bunch of loaves of dry bread. You break it into a bunch of pieces and let em dry longer. You add hot turkey broth and onions and any herb that sounds good and bake it with some butter on top. My recipe tastes different every year. We just kinda cook with what’s in the house” – Kate
Join the virtual cooking class on Friday at 8 pm to see a real-time demonstration on how to perfect my mom’s famous stuffing. Email @mkre235@uky.com for the zoom link. Spots fill up fast!!
Famous party potatoes:
Green bean casserole:
Green bean casserole and potatoes are both dishes that appear on the frugal side. These specific dishes have been a prominent part of my family’s thanksgiving feasts for generations. Growing up, my mother’s family did not have a lot of money for extravagant meals like steak or seafood. Even though the financial stability of my mother has changed since her childhood, these dishes represent a time in my mother’s life in which they could not afford such luxuries. Lundy (2016: 296) writes, “no one wants to talk about extractive industries, water, the uncertain economic future, people love to talk about food: a homegrown tomato, fresh corn, the seeds you saved from your mamaw’s garden”. Although it is not something that was expressed outright, it was clear to the family that money was hard to come by, but it never ruined their parade. All that mattered is that they were together and eating a delicious meal.
Turkey with gravy:
Cranberry sauce: “We eat cranberries. I only eat that at Thanksgiving” – Mike Reynolds
- Eat around 5 pm
- Spend time with cousins and other relatives visiting from Kentucky
- Eat dessert around 6 pm
- “[My mom] brings Texas sheetcake, blossom cookies with the Hersheys kiss. She’ll do pies, always pumpkin pie, but it depends which ones she feels like making” – Kate Reynolds
Blossom cookies:
Pumpkin pie: “I’ve never really thought about [why pumpkin pie is my favorite]. Like, obviously it tastes good, and all that, but I also don’t really eat it that much so I think that makes it special” – Mike Reynolds
I can recall my Aunt Nancy always enjoying a slice of pumpkin pie after a Thanksgiving meal. In the quote above from Sarah, she mentions the loss of her mother and my aunt. In a way, carrying these traditions to future thanksgivings gives homage and respect to our lost family member. Food is amazing because it has the ability to do more than just fill our stomachs Twitty (2017:366) states that “our food was never just food…it is a mystical lubricant between the living and the dead”. This quote proves that ability of food to connect the past with the present, and I find that very beautiful.
Texas Sheetcake:
Here is another dish that has been prominent on my mother’s sides for as long as I can remember. My mother grew up in Owensboro, and my great grandfather John-John lived there for the first 6 years of my life before he passed away. For those first few years, we would visit Owensboro for Thanksgiving. Eating texas sheetcake in Owensboro was a prominent memory for me for those years that I remember. When I eat texas sheetcake, it almost takes me back to those holidays with John John and the rest of my family. When speaking on sister Edmond’s menu (Herman 2019: 357), Spike states that it’s just so rare that we get to taste that…to get to taste something that’s truly kind of connected-to a place-through its history-to experience what a place really tastes like”. This quote stood out to me as that is how I feel when I eat texas sheetcake.
- Watch “National Lampoon Christmas Vacation”
“When I was little they used to play Christmas music during thanksgiving too” – Sarah Becker
O’Sullivan’s Thanksgiving
O’Sullivan’s ThanksgivingThe O’Sullivan’s are family friends. They are relatives of my Aunt Sally and step relatives of Uncle Steve. Jodi O’Sullivan is the host and Sally’s brother. Amanda Shiffrin is another family friend, and her mom is engaged to Jodi O’Sullivan. Our family’s have gotten closer over the years so we often stop by for various holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Arrive at the O’Sullivan’s around 8 pm
- Eat food for those still hungry
- I mostly snack on desserts rather than actual food
Pies:
Cookies:
- Catch up with Aunt Sally’s family
- Play various games with Jodi’s kids (college aged) and Amanda
Corn hole:
Billiards:
Sources:
Ronni Lundy. 2016. “Appalachian Spring”. Selections from Victuals: An Appalachian Journey with Recipes, 296. New York: Clarkson Potter.
Michael Twitty. 2017. “Crossroads”. Selections from The Cooking Gene, 366. New York: Harper Collins.
Bernard L. Herman. 2019. “On Menus”. Selections from A South You Never Ate, 357. Chapel Hill, NC: U. of North Carolina Press.
