For some, the Thanksgiving meal is all about having atraditional feastmade up of roast turkey, sides, corn bread, and pie, for others it's a time to mix things up a bit and incorporate flavors and cuisines from around the world that don't traditionally grace this day.
I asked two friends who I know celebrate an alternative-style Thanksgiving. One friend said, "Well my family always eats pancakes. Since we don't eat meat of any kind, we don't eat a turkey. Growing up we were also never allowed to have sugary breakfasts, so we use this holiday to eat a huge big feast made up of a stack of warm, syrupy pancakes."
Another said: "Being an only child and not having family around for Thanksgiving meant there were always leftovers that lasted for a month when we did a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Plus, my family just wasn't a huge fan of Thanksgiving day food—we tend to eat a lot of international cuisine. So one year we decided to make a meal from a different country—and that has turned into a tradition we follow every year!
"My favorite theme is Mexican (Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchenis a must!). We usually start the meal with freshTopolo margaritasandceviche. For the main course we've madechile-bathed sweet potatoes;charcoal-grilled cornwith cream, cheese, and chile;pork- and fruit-stuffed chilesin white walnut sauce; andbraised short ribswith chiles de árbol, white beans, mushrooms, and beer. For dessert we make a version of akey-lime pieandchocolate flan."
Tired of the same old turkey and dressing? We've got alternative Thanksgiving meals in the form ofvegetarian,Italian,gluten-free,Cajun,French, andIndian菜单外激励你认为土耳其box. Maybe it's time to start a new tradition?
