Thanksgiving Expectations

Thinking of where and how Thanksgiving began, it is almost impossible to connect it with our own traditions. To me, Turkey Day is a day of being thankful, mostly because I am really full with delicious food and spend the day with my family. However, this holiday weekend, I came to a realization (maybe it's because I'm 21 and oh so old now).

For those who may not know, my mom is white and my dad is Persian, causing a dichotomy between my Persian culture and American tradition. They never really mix. Whatever my dad did with his family is completely different than what my mom's family does. What I had never thought of before was that on Thanksgiving, my family has a tradition that neither of my parents grew up doing.

Now I don't know how many families actually do this, or if their tables are big enough, but my family always has the plump juicy turkey smack dab in the middle of the table; it sort of serves the role as "centerpiece". My dad will carve it there, holding true to the American "man of the house" figure.

It never hit me till this year that most families don't do this anymore. They carve it before hand and put it on a platter. However, my dad insists that the whole turkey be on the table and be carved there. Being that my dad never had Thanksgiving until he married my mom, he began his own tradition of the whole turkey brought to the table...why? Because that's what he saw in the media when he came to America. He wanted to be the strong dad figure, the head of the table, the one with the honor of carving the massive turkey. I just think it is interesting how in the smallest ways, we are all impacted by what we see on TV or in movies. Even the littlest thing can create a new expectation, or in this case, tradition.