{"id":1378,"date":"2018-12-09T01:34:34","date_gmt":"2018-12-09T08:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marvista.com\/Yukiko\/?p=1378"},"modified":"2018-12-09T21:35:16","modified_gmt":"2018-12-10T04:35:16","slug":"1378","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marvista.com\/Yukiko\/en\/archives\/1378","title":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving is a holiday that families spent together"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
<\/a>3+<\/span>\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n\t

Thanksgiving is like a Japanese New Year “Oshogatsu”<\/span>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, the Thanksgiving day was on Thursday, November 21st this year of 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This\u00a0“Thanksgiving”<\/span><\/strong> is just like a Japanese New Year called “Oshogatsu”<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Everyone is talking about “Where are you going to celebrate the Thanksgiving this year?”<\/span><\/p>\n

or “What are you going to cook this year?” before Thanksgiving.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In stores, all the Halloween decorations are switched to Thanksgiving after Halloween.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Each store decorates with Thanksgiving items.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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We were invited by a couple who are close friends and living near our house this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We had a great time with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When did the American Thanksgiving become a holiday?<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There are some stories about this subject.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
This is the Thanksgiving dinner party table which was held last year at husband’s cousin’s house.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The best theory is Puritans who emigrated from England in the 1620s carried their tradition<\/span><\/p>\n

of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanks for Harvest.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Way back then, Thanksgiving was one of the religious days when they prayed and thanked God.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And was lead by the church.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hundreds of years after that in 1863, President Lincoln decided to make Thanksgiving a celebration <\/span><\/p>\n

of the military success of the\u00a0<\/span>Union Army and for the bounty of war that\u00a0they had won.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Many years later in 1941, President Roosevelt and the Congress decided to make Thanksgiving <\/span><\/p>\n

a celebration for the Days of the Harvest on the fourth Thursday of November of every year.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So nowadays,\u00a0it is always celebrated as a secular (non-religious) holiday.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why do Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Everybody knows that we eat turkey on Thanksgiving day.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I was curious about why Americans, who love to eat beef or chicken, will always eat <\/span><\/p>\n

Turkey on this day.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So I searched on the Internet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sliced the turkey in pieces to easy to eat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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As I wrote in the beginning, Thanksgiving was started by the emigrant Puritans as Days of Fasting.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Back then, they celebrated to thank God for the food which was cultivated and hunted.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the beginning, they communicated with a Native Indian called Wampanoag. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Native Indians introduced deer meat to Puritans so they began to eat venison.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

However, they could also catch wild turkeys because those animals were roaming about their<\/span> villages <\/span><\/p>\n

at that time. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So they could catch them easily.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Also, turkey is a very large bird so it can feed a table full of hungry family members after the three <\/span><\/p>\n

days fasting.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Also, the turkeys didn’t serve a utilitarian purpose like a chicken laying eggs or cow making milk. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unlike pork, the turkey wasn’t so common,\u00a0so it seemed like a more suitable choice for a special<\/span><\/p>\n

occasion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That’s why people cooked Turkey on Thanksgiving.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For Americans, cranberry sauce is an indispensable condiment with roasted turkey.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sugar was a rare luxury at the time of the first Thanksgiving.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Puritans could easily\u00a0take cranberries and it was familiar food for them.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So they made a sweet sauce<\/span> instead of sugar.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mashed potatoes and pies did not make an appearance at the first Thanksgiving b<\/span>ecause<\/span><\/p>\n

they lacked the butter and flour need to make pie crust and mashed potatoes as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mushed potatoes and pies became a popular dish in the 1700s.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From my point of view, this Thanksgiving day has a background story.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is very interesting for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Menu for Thanksgiving day<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I didn’t know so much about the traditional food for Thanksgiving day.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just Turkey and mashed potatoes. Haha<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I learned about many kinds of food which we eat on Thanksgiving while I have been <\/span><\/p>\n

celebrating this holiday.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The traditional menu is<\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbRoasted Turkey ( Most people fond of white meat.)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbMashed potatoes<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbCranberry sauce<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbGravy sauce<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbGreen bean casserole<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbMashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbGreen salad<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbCorn bread<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The green bean casserole was first created in 1955 by the Campbell Soup Company.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just mix boiled green beans, Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup (concentrated),<\/span><\/p>\n

and french fried onions.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is easy to cook so this dish became popular food on Thanksgiving.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A dinner plate on last Thanksgiving.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

And <\/span>dessert\u00a0menu is<\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbApple pie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbCherry pie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbSweet potato pie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbPumpkin pie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbChocolate pie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u30fbPeacan pie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Homemade pumpkin pie and pecan pie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Everyone is busy preparing for Thanksgiving\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I was requested by friends to help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, I cooked mashed potatoes for twelve people a day before Thanksgiving.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So I went to Wholefoods to buy some groceries.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The supermarket was very crowded.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I noticed that many people were going to pick up their turkeys which they reserved in advance.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
People were waiting on the line to pick up Turkey. I found somone’s cart with a shopping list. Lol.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Many Turkeys for sale!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

There was a cute Turkey decorated\u00a0cake!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
It was cute, but it seems very sweet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

After shopping, I boiled 14 potatoes.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then I made mashed potatoes from my own recipe.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mixed with butter, salt, and milk.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Boiled 14 potatoes with a big pot\uff01<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On\u00a0the day of Thanksgiving<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We went to one of our friend’s house this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They also invited\u00a0their sons, their\u00a0girlfriends, and some other friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After we toasted with wine, one of their sons sliced the turkey and served on a big plate.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
This Turkey so tasty. The texture was moist and soft!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some other side dishes were placed on the counter, so we took food just like buffet style.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Buffet style.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
I tend to take food so much mindlessly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
I ate too much!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My mashed potatoes were very popular. I was relieved!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Of course, after the meal, we ate pies!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Everyone was saying,” Wow, this makes me gain weight! But today is a special day so the diet <\/span><\/p>\n

will start tomorrow!” <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They served Pecan pie, Apple pie, and Pumpkin pie.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
From the left side, Pumpkin pie, Pecan pie, and Apple pie. The Pecan was so tasty.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

After the great dinner, we played a game called\u00a0“Pictionary”.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We divided into two groups, men and women.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Each team moves a piece on a game board formed by a sequence of squares, and with shaking a dice.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then we moved the game piece to each square.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then we\u00a0picked a colored card<\/span>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For example, yellow is a\u00a0person or animal, a light blue is an object and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then, we took turns drawing a picture and then guessing the word within a minute.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With the two teams racing to guess first. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first team to reach the end of the board wins.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
This is the “Pictionary”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was not easy.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sometimes couldn’t understand what was he or she were\u00a0drawing\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A minute was passing so quickly!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Men’s team won this time<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We had an enjoyable and great time to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday at these friend’s house.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Well, I can’t wait next Thanksgiving!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thank you for reading my blog today as well!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I would be glad if you pressed the button<\/span> \u00a0and sent me a message<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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