“But what about the turkey?” are always the first words out of my students’ mouths when they hear I’m going camping for Thanksgiving.
I laugh and explain to them that as a vegetarian, a turkey dinner isn’t exactly a critical concern of mine and that my husband can easily forgo meat for a few days.
Their brains stutter, trying to come to terms with this new and foreign reality. “So what do you eat?”
“I prepare a veggie chili and cornbread ahead of time so all we have to do at the campsite is heat it over the fire.”
“Oh. That actually sounds really good. I’ve always wanted to go camping but my parents don’t want to.”
It’s so interesting to me how strongly our preconceived notions are about how something is supposed to be are anchored in our minds. I’m working through some of my own biases this week as I read The New “I Do”, which offers several alternatives to the traditional marriage. Much like my students, I am having to rethink my assumptions and be willing to consider alternate viewpoints.
Whether your Thanksgiving consists of turkey or microwave popcorn, tons of family or the company of a good book, being snuggled inside as the snow drifts build or braving the air to escape the house, I wish you a day of peace and gratitude.
Because it’s not really about the turkey. It’s about taking a moment to be present and thankful.
No matter where you are.
The 3 Thanksgivings when I lived in the US (well, we were visiting Europe for one)…I was stumped. We had no family there, we had no Thanksgiving tradition and I hate Turkey. By far the trickiest bit was the Turkey. We were invited to people’s homes and to “stray cats” gatherings for ex pats. But everything revolved around Turkey. And pumpkin. I hate pumpkin too so i couldn’t even say I was vegetarian.
So the 2 years we were in a ahooping free zone for 4 days we went to a little B&B one year and ate cheese and crackers all night, and the other year we just bought a cooked chicken and be damned to tradition.
It is weird though to be a stranger amongst rigid traditions.
I assume most people like turkey but it would be funny if they didn’t, wouldn’t it? If this was really the great deception where everyone goes along to please everyone else? Seems a bad strategy for marriage too, come to that.
That would be so funny! I went on a trip to Europe when I was in high school and in Florence they served us turkey and mashed potatoes because they assumed that’s what American kids wanted!
Well, that’s correct…isn’t it?? 😛