From pie baking competitions to intense political debates, this cherished American holiday looks different for all of its celebrators. Thanksgiving is a beautiful time to get together with your family, express gratitude for your blessings and of course, eat delicious meals. Making Thanksgiving more personable, several students incorporate their unique traditions into this typically conventional celebration.
“If my family gathers together on holidays, we make Salteñas, a food from Bolivia,” senior Iglesias said.
Salteñas, a Bolivian delicacy, are savory pastries typically filled with beef, pork, or chicken. They’re similar to empanadas except they’re larger and contain stew. For Iglesias, this family tradition is a wholesome way to connect with her origins.
“No one in my family really speaks Spanish as a first language except for my grandad, so there’s essentially no other cultural traits passed on,” Iglesias said. “This one food that we make is the only thing, so it’s really nice to have something that I can point back to. I don’t know anyone in Bolivia, but I have something in common with them, as well as in common with my family, which I think is really sweet. I’d love to continue it.”
Like Iglesias, many students with other origins tend to include untypical foods on their Thanksgiving spread. For senior Maximilian Lipton, his dinner table includes an array of sugary delights.
“Since we’ve moved to America, we’ve done things a bit differently,” Lipton said. “We kind of forgo all the turkey stuff, and instead, we have our nuclear family come together and just bake a bunch of pies.”
With his sister and parents, this year they successfully baked a chocolate pie, a cherry pie and two apple pies. More than just a tradition, Lipton and his family use this feast as a time to look at themselves as something grander than individuals – they’re a unit, as he says.
“It matters to me because it’s something unique that my family does,” Lipton said. “Especially recently, since we’re all traveling a lot and going to college, it’s something that binds us together. No matter where we are, we come together and just have fun.”
Since Lipton’s extended family is located in Europe, he spends the day with just his direct family. On the other hand, senior Sebastian Patel has several relatives in Austin, so they gather at his home for a vast home cooked meal.
“On Thanksgiving, I’ll invite my grandparents on my mom’s side, and we’ll eat dinner together as a big family,” Patel said. “We make cornbread, stuffing, turkey, ham, green beans and these really good sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top.”
Many students observe that the delicious foods and comforting family time prompt appreciation, the very purpose of the holiday.
“Make gratitude your attitude. It’s easy to forget throughout the year, but around Thanksgiving, I started reflecting more,” Iglesias said. “It’s not just that specifically great things are happening, it’s that I can walk; I have food that tastes good; I have shelter; I get to see my family. It’s kind of an obvious answer, but I think the little things are really important.”
Recently, Iglesias attended a church where the pastor gave a sermon about how Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays because it’s straightforward. The objective is in the name.
“Easter has all of this stuff about bunnies or eggs, the Fourth of July becomes more about fireworks and the same with Christmas and Santa, but with Thanksgiving you can’t miss the point,” Iglesias said. “It’s pure as a holiday. You know what’s going to happen: you’re going to go to your family’s house, eat a lot of food and be thankful.”
