Haven't done Thanksgiving for quite a while. I'm know an outlier,and probably a bad person for cancelling Thanksgiving
.
BUT Thanksgiving was always my least favorite holiday. Why? Let me count the ways!
I didn't care about the Pilgrim "fathers", as we were taught to call them in elementary school in the 1950's. Even pre-McDougall I thought turkey - especially seeing the whole dead carcass on the table - was way gross and off-putting. I hate holiday travel...and then there's the relative who always had to pick a fight on Thanksgiving. There's football, which I don't watch, and the Black Friday frenzy which I happily ignore. Mainly, I was only thankful when it was all over!
When I was younger, I had to go along with it all to make other people happy. But those people are gone now, and I don't feel obligated to observe a holiday that has no meaning for me. It's time off from work, that I can devote to cooking and eating the foods that I actually like!
So my personal tradition, since becoming a McDougaller has been to stay home and enjoy a quiet meal of my own traditional holiday food: sweet potato, brown rice, tofu and broccoli with ginger and garlic sauce. Then a nice walk in the woods to hopefully see wild turkeys roaming free.
Thankfully no birds had to suffer for my dinner, and my arteries aren't clogged with holiday goo.
But for those who do like thanksgiving, happy holidays to those who enjoy them (or can't escape) , and good (starchivore) eating to all!