cross cultural thanksgiving

Another cross cultural thanksgiving.

I went to work the day after thanksgiving, and found myself to be the token American on the floor. Luckily the work day was relatively slow, because I spent the day answering questions about the Holiday. But I kept getting stumped by trying to communicate across the cultural divide.

How did this holiday begin?
It began in the beginning of our country, when the pilgrims gave thanks for having lived through the year with the help of the native Americans, and having enough food to make it through the next winter.

What is a pilgrim?
Yikes. There I was, proud of myself for remembering to say 'Native American' instead of 'Indian', and yet I used 'pilgrim' which was a totally foreign word to them.

Why do you eat turkey?
We traditionally eat the foods that were in season and locally available, that the early settlers would have eaten. Wild Turkey was a type of a large bird.

What does turkey taste like?
Oh boy, did I blow this answer. I walked right into the classic trap, and said it tasted like chicken. But as soon as I said it, I realized that that is not a good answer for a life-long vegetarian Hindu!

Is turkey very delicious?
I told him that since we associate Turkey with a feast that we share with family and friends, it has such good memories that we all think it is delicious. 'P' was very taken with this answer, and eagerly agreed that his mother always noted that he ate more when company came.

Is this a religious holiday?
People of any religion can celebrate Thanksgiving.

So it is not about God at all?
Well, it is not officially a religious holiday, but I have one question to ask you.

What is that, Ann?
When you give thanks, who are you thanking?

Oh, I never thought of that!

Anyway, I decided to start a new Thanksgiving tradition to include my Indian co-workers. I baked a cake and brought it in for them on Friday. They questioned me about this:

What is the significance of this cake?
I thought that anyone who comes in to work today deserves a piece of cake. How do you like that idea?

I like this idea very much. It is a good tradition!