As we sit with our family and friends this Thanksgiving, let us recall how much of a special American holiday this is. It is a time of thanks, thanks to those that came before us and made the perilous journey to a strange land and culture. A place where they would struggle and might die unfulfilled. But a place where they would have freedoms they did not have in the old world; freedom from want and, freedom from fear. They came here to give their children. and their childrens children. the chance to have better lives, and if for nothing else we should give them thanks. And as we give thanks remember those that have not what we enjoy and pray for them as well. Below is an article i wrote many years ago for the Herald News. For my family it does sum it up pretty well. Even more so with the addition of Olga Shvaykos Russian food which will be joining the mix for the first time this year! He was raised in a triple-decker, below the hill. Hes typical of Fall River; his mother was Portuguese and his father Irish. His family moved once, just to be a little further up the hill. She was raised in the Bronx, one of ten children living in five rooms. She is Spanish on both sides of her family. Her memories are of many apartments in three different states. His Thanksgiving memories are filled with Turkey and stuffing on an overloaded table surrounded by his relatives. All of them pressed into his grandmothers small dining room. Her memories are also of an overfilled kitchen. But raised by a single mother, the table was seldom overfilled. One memory is of a Thanksgiving repast consisting of white rice boiled in milk. They met in Fall River, her sixth city. They met over coffee. She was a single mother of three, living above the diner in a one-bedroom apartment. She was pouring. He was a divorced father of two, who was entranced by her Spanish eyes. He was buying. That was eleven years ago. They live in a house now. The kind she would see as a child and imagined people with Donna Reed like existences lived within. Hes further up the hill two blocks higher than his grandparents house. More than the house is different from their upbringing. His was the first divorce in his family and he is the only step- parent. She has broken the cycle of poverty and is about to become the first in her family to graduate college. Since her mother returned to Puerto Rico several years ago, her house has become the center of family activities. Thanksgiving is no exception. Each and every Thanksgiving their friends will gather with her sisters and the house will be filled with the mixture of Spanish and English chatter. The table will be the same mixture, centered will be the traditional turkey with a pernil, a roast pork cooked with the traditional Spanish spices like; sofrito, adobo and sazon. Next to the mashed potatoes will be a huge plate of arroz con gandules, yellow rice with pigeon peas. Nearby, a bowl of French stuffing, made with gorton sits, a recipe he acquired from his former mother-in-law. Not far from that will be the Portuguese” stuffing, with its chourico, a legacy of his mothers side. Together they all gather for the toast, twenty-five nieces and nephews, her sisters, and a handful of close friends. The room will be overcrowded, and the table will be overloaded. The home will be noisy, as it should, everyone will overeat, enjoying a bounty of family, food, and friends. After the meal will come coffee, rich and strong. Although some will warm the coffee and milk together in a pan, and some will prefer the milk straight from the fridge, it all comes from the same pot. With coffee comes dessert and music. From the speakers will come the sounds of John Michael Montgomery and Tito Nieve, the country music mixed with salsa and merengue. Some may dance and, others will watch football. Some will tell the children stories about other Thanksgivings, about Pilgrims and other travelers and grandparents that made the perilous trip to come to America. Another connection made between generations, everyone enjoying one of those rare moments that ends all too soon. Later, come the goodbyes, and although his skin is fair and his eyes light blue, more often than not he is Tio to her Titi. After the clean up they will sit at the table for a quiet moment and a last cup of coffee. Theyll hold hands and reminisce of the day’s events. They will muse on other things, like diversity, or perhaps to be more like the Thanksgiving feast, on convergence. A place where everything different comes together; to be better than before, together, with a common theme, like love.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 16:09:05 +0000
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