From: jfrawley@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Judy Frawley)
Subject: Re: A real Turkey of a question: Stop me before I baste again!!
Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 92 11:48:21 EST

In article <BxxLBw.8oK@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> stcmille@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Stephen C. Miller) writes:
>
>
>But come on folks, let's talk Turkey!
>
>
>Dammit!! Let's get some turkey talk going here!!

>Steve Miller	 		    stcmille@silver.ucs.indiana.edu

Okay, Steve.  I have been a vegetarian for a few years, so I am
not going to discuss turkey making (which I have done a few times
with good success).  

Last year, I hosted an international Thanksgiving at my house.
The intent was to have a bunch of people from varying ethnic 
and cultural origins learn more about Thanksgiving as well as
to make sure that they didn't end up sitting alone in their 
apartments on such a nice day for fellowship.

So, I started with one caveat - I don't eat meat, so if you guys want
a turkey, one of you is going to have to cook it - so they did.

I asked everyone to bring a dish from their country of origin
(mainly India; one Bangladesh, a few Italians, a Syrian,and
a Pole I think :-)). 
We had some wonderful stuff.  I made a few cold salads and provided the
house, seating, and t.v. for the obligatory watching of football
games on Thanksgiving :-)

We had such dishes as alu chole (chick peas, potatoes, and tomatoes),
Uupma, ravioli, lasagna, various salads, mashed potatoes, squash, and
other dishes I can't pronounce or spell.  Some of the Indians (not native
Americans) were leary of some of the American dishes (stuffing was
one they weren't too sure of).  Some were willing to experiment, some
weren't.

We had traditional pumpkin pie for desert along with an Italian 
desert and an Indian desert, which for the life of me I can't
remember the name of (payasam?).

All in all, it was a lot of fun.  I felt good that I had helped
a group of my friends enjoy a truly American holiday and they 
asked a lot of questions about Thanksgiving and I got to eat a 
lot of really wonderful "foreign" foods.  

I grew up in a household where we always had people from other
countries either visiting or living with us, so I learned a lot
growing up, and I wanted to share that same spirit with my
daughter.

I hope to do it again next year. (This year, I've promised to
go to my mother's house.)  At my mom's, we will have a similar
crowd - entire family and people who would otherwise be alone.
My SO's father died last year and his mother died a few year's
back, so he and his sibling are invited to my parents' house.
Since my mother has several vegetarian offspring, she's asked
us to bring dishes to pass.  I'm making a lentil loaf, mushroom
gravy, and a few pies (including chocolote/peanut butter pie that
is to die for).  (If you want the recipe, email me).

That's what I love personally about Thanksgiving (and many other
holidays) is the chance to share a warm meal with others and be
thankful for what I have.  My two sisters served Thanksgiving
dinner at a homeless shelter a few year's back.  I would like
to do that myself.  I always put together canned goods to donate
to the local food pantry. (I do it throughout the year, but I do
it with a theme at T-Day; cranberries, veggies, soup base, etc.)

Judy Frawley
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking