Sometimes Pie Is Not Just Pie
In the States, it’s Thanksgiving on Thursday, and there will be plentiful food. What’s your plan? Do you “take” the holiday and feast, try to stay on track, or fall somewhere in between?
There are no wrong answers to that – even if you change it in the midst of the day. Whatever you choose, ENJOY what you eat just as you enjoy the friends, family, and setting. It is a celebration.
Family Ties
My grandmother had 9 siblings, and 7 survived to adulthood, so when they gathered with their families, we often laid the table for 60 + as they’d bring along friends who couldn’t make it home for the holiday.
The eating began with snacks as soon as we arrived, and it continued through the day as we giggled, told stories, and stuffed ourselves. After all, it was a feast!
Now, with my mother, grandmother, and many of the family gone, the food is not just food. Perhaps you have similar connections of food and that “family” feeling. All I need do is LOOK at turkey, and I’m back giggling with my cousins. I catch a whiff of dressing/stuffing, and I’m helping my mother and grandmother stir and transfer the approved mixture into large catering bake pans, laughing as we go, especially if there’s some mishap like the whole baked egg yolks that appeared as we transferred to serving dishes. Wonderful memories are made better through time, and I cherish them.
Tradition Made Habits
The truth is the food was never the point. The point was gathering to celebrate, to be together. Food is always a focus when people gather, but it’s not the purpose. Yet we’ve let it be. As with everything, habits drive our behavior because we’re looking for that feeling that created them. Then, it’s not just a piece of pie on your plate – it’s a feeling associated with that pie, bread, sauce or special gravy, or drink that “make” the holiday for you.
Shifting our focus back to the purpose enriches the experience – and that lasts long after the final bite. As you gather with family and friends, yes, eat. Enjoy the flavors, but it’s the relationships and experiences make the day. Another year, and my cousin and I will again tell the funny stories we were told as children. We will giggle until our sides ache – and be so very grateful for sharing life together with its bountiful blessings.
