While chowing down on some delicious turkey, the question often comes to mind: How did Thanksgiving get its start? Or, what are the best dishes each Thanksgiving? With Thanksgiving just occurring, these questions have been popping up everywhere. At Forest Hills Eastern, Hawk Teams recently hosted a Friendsgiving on November 13. All types of food were presented to capture the many diverse cultures present at Eastern.
What is Thanksgiving? It is a holiday that celebrates the blessings of the past year and finds its roots in the harvest feast amongst pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in 1621. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, the European pilgrims demonstrated a shocking lack of knowledge related to farming and surviving in the cold winters. This prompted the Wampanoag people to stop by the settlement in an attempt to make peace and teach the pilgrims how to grow corn and beans to survive. This became a sealed treaty between both groups of people that lasted until King Philip’s War in 1675-1676. During the war, hundreds of colonists and thousands more Native Americans lost their lives.
The typical Thanksgiving meal consists of turkey, bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, bread rolls, and pumpkin pie. According to my dog, Finn, pumpkin pie and turkey are tied for the number one Thanksgiving dish in our home. To achieve a perfect Thanksgiving turkey similar to the hot air balloon seen in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, you have to make sure not to cook the turkey too long or on an overly high setting, as it dries out quickly and makes for a mealy main course. For fans of sweet treats, all of the pies served on Thanksgiving prompt mass excitement. Topped with a dollop of CoolWhip, the pies perfectly conclude a delightful family dinner.
During Hawksgiving, a recreation of Thanksgiving with more junk food, students expect a fun day with food, movies, and collaboration. With that in mind, each classroom watches the movie “Free Birds”, while eating any desserts that the Hawk Team members provide. The more food there is, the more there will be to share! After all, that is the spirit of Thanksgiving!
