WWPD (What Would The Pilgrims Do?)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009 | Karen Howes It's that time of year again... the time to spend $200 on food, then spend 8 hours preparing it, 20 minutes eating it, and 2 more hours cleaning up.
Why? Because it's Thanksgiving, and stop asking questions.
Seriously, though... even though it's a pain in the butt, it's a time to gather with family and friends and to be thankful to God for all that we have.
But first, let's look at some of the history behind Thanksgiving...
Free the slaves, eat the turkey
1863 was apparently "Proclamation Year" for the 16th president of the U.S., Abraham Lincoln. Most of us learned in history class about the Emancipation Proclamation, which decreed that slaves in Confederate states were now free.
I suspect a lot fewer of us ever heard of the Thanksgiving Proclamation, which made the formerly unofficial holiday of Thanksgiving an official one, to be celebrated on the last Thursday of each November.
What did the Pilgrims really eat?
On Thanksgiving, it's customary here in the U.S. to eat turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie-- and then to plotz in front of the TV and watch football.
I've never stopped to really think about it, but what was on the table during that first feast (which was really more of a fall harvest festival than a "thanksgiving") for the newly-arrived pilgrims who had come here on the Mayflower? I decided to find out.
The traditional Thanksgiving menu we know today was more of a Victorian thing than a colonial thing; if you want the authentic, original meal, here's what to put on your shopping list:
1. Venison
2. Duck
3. Lobster
4. Eel
5. Turnips
6. Leeks
7. Onions
8. Radishes
9. Indian corn
10. Berries
11. Nuts
12. Potatoes (Pilgrims didn't have them)
13. Green bean casserole (forget that too)
14. Cranberry sauce (uh-uh)
15. Pumpkin pie (nope)
Some of these items might be hard to find at your local supermarket.
The feast would have been very meat-heavy and fatty compared to today's meals because people back then physically worked so much harder that their bodies needed more protein and fat; most 17th century people literally couldn't survive on an all-vegetable or even mostly vegetable diet.
Everything was either boiled or roasted-- no fancy stoves, oil, or pans to saute veggies. Surprisingly, though, the English at this time used spices liberally on their food. The pilgrims brought some spices over with them, but also found herbs in the New World.
But what did the Pilgrims drink?
Although the beverage of preference for these English pilgrims was beer (see, they weren't as stiff and stodgy as we imagined they were), they had not been able to bring any. They were forced to make due with water-- fortunately for them, the ice-cold water in Massachusetts was generally free of dangerous bacteria and therefore safe.
Generally, people in past centuries didn't drink plain water. Although they didn't know about bacteria or germs, they did know that people who drank water often got sick, and that those who stuck with alcohol didn't.
Only later, when the colonists began receiving shipments of barley from England, would they be able to make beer again.
Pilgrim table manners
These 17th century Engish people, unlike their native guests who simply ate when they were hungry, had set mealtimes; "dinner", the main meal of the day, was eaten at around noon.
They were also pretty class-conscious; the diners were seated according to rank of importance, and the best food was placed next to the most important people. The diners didn't sample everything on the table they way we do, but ate only what was closest to them.
There was no concept of different courses, either, so food was served all at once, and people didn't eat things in any particular order. The children were expected to serve the adults.
There were no forks; they had only knives and spoons (which were held like shovels rather than like pens).
It was considered bad manners to spit or pick your teeth during the meal, or to break wind at the table or to look like you were doing so. These are still things that are bad manners, by the way.
Oh, and the Pilgrims didn't dress all in black all the time or wear buckles. Buckles on the pilgrims, like horns on viking helmets, were a quaint fabrication.
My family is actually planning to have a rib roast this year instead of turkey, which should be awesome-- my brother's in charge of the roast, and he's a great cook.
Then on Friday my sister is coming to visit, so I probably won't be around much from now through the weekend.
Have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving, all!
Reader Comments (13)
hey Karen, thanks so much for your comment at my blog, good to know I"m not the only one who feels that way :-)
Happy Thanksgiving, Karen!
Yeah, happy thanks giving Karen, sounds like you all will be having quite a feast over there.
Eel? Not sure about that.
Happy Thanksgiving Karen
Thanks for the info, and happy Thanksgiving!!
I'm pretty sure the grocery is fresh out of eels. Yet another thing to be thankful for, heh.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Karen.
Thank you for your kind comments on my photos :)
Happy Thanksgiving, Karen.
Amy, hi, and welcome! No, you aren't the only one. :-)
Dr. D, thanks, you too!
MK, thanks. Yes, it should be really nice. Rib roast is probably my favorite meal.
Chuck, eel doesn't sound too appetizing to me either. But maybe it was good, who knows? Now the LOBSTER...
Matt, you're welcome, and happy Thanksgiving to you too.
Amboy, I'm thinking I agree. And now that I think of it, the lobster probably wasn't eaten with melted butter, so I wonder how good THAT really was.
Gecko, thanks. And I wasn't being kind, I was being honest. :-)
Snarky, you too. Don't let the mini-ADHDs hog all of the turkey today. :-)
Oh gosh I'm stuffed!..lol..HAPPIEST THANKSGIVING DEAR FRIEND!!:)
You might want to take a look at this:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09326/1014871-37.stm
Awesome, Francis-- thanks!