Geese were ready for butchering in early November, and from this arose the custom of the Martinsgans on St. Martinsday, Nov. 11 . When the weather wasn't cold enough for hog butchering, the goose was a convenient stand-in. Not only did it provide meat, but also eggs and fat for baking. The down feathers provided fluffy pillows and warm featherbeds, the quill was needed for writing, and the wing made a good duster. German immigrants had even use for the stubbly part of the feathers by making feather trees for Christmas when a real Tannenbaum was not available.
Eating is part of a dining occasion, which is a symbolic and cultural event.
Beyond the mere enjoyment of a meal, eating is a ritual and follows a specified order. While tradition was much more rigidly observed in the past, even today there are specific foods, each of them carrying a deeper meaning. Americans will eat turkey on Thanksgiving , because it is traditionally American, and they will eat it in a predetermined order, and an appropriate context. Foods hold symbolic meanings. Adventszopf, the braided loaf of Advent comes with extra fruit and nuts.