Food has always been a source of comfort for me.  I grew up in a culture that celebrated occasions with tables laden with food.  Lechon (roasted pig) and pansit (stir-fried noodles) are examples of some of our cultural food.  It can be found in most occasion and they serve as main dishes.  Regional food specialties mostly serve as side dishes.  Food adds to the festivity of the occasion.

Roasted turkey is always at the center of the dinner table for the celebration of Thanksgiving.  I have thought about this and I have always known that turkey is the main meat dish for Thanksgiving and this goes back to the first recorded celebration of thanksgiving here.  The pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag tribe in 1621 celebrated Thanksgiving for a bountiful autumn harvest.  The preparation came from harvest produce and hunted wild turkey.

Two different influence of choices confused our identity whenever it came to Thanksgiving.  Most of the time, our cultural choice prevailed and we settled back to our comfort zone.  The turkey, though isolated, still managed to end up at the center of the table surrounded by cultural food.

Over the years, the choice of food prepared for thanksgiving became refined.  The not-so-popular recipes started to give way to the mainstays and sought-after dishes.  We celebrate as a group of families.  Each family contributes to the table.  The variety makes dinner more pleasurable.  In the midst, the turkey remains.  Still, the main dish.

I have to give credit to the mothers.  They are indispensable and proven over time to be the source of delectable sustenance for the family.  The mothers not only make the gathering enjoyable but pleasurable as well.

It’s been another year.  Yet, here we are, once again, celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends. Happy thanksgiving to all!

A prayer is always required before partaking.  It is, by the way, a celebration of thanksgiving.  This year, during the prayer, each one was given the chance to say the particular reason to be thankful.  The prayer became as personal as it can be and it was beautiful!