Thanksgiving

On each fourth Thursday of November, we used to celebrate Thanksgiving.

It was highly unusual for Filipinos living in the Philippines to do this, as it is a distinctly American tradition calling forth memories of Pilgrims (which we didn’t have) landing on Plymouth rock, (geographically half the world away) and Indians teaching them how to farm and hunt food keeping them from starving.

(Indios we had…Indians not so much)

But Papa always said giving thanks to God is giving Thanks and that no one had a monopoly to that. So Thanksgiving we celebrated each year.

Mostly of course, it revolved upon the Reyes’ food fixation

Particularly Mama’s Turkey and embotido stuffing.

Mama’s turkey was moist and juicy and so very yummy. Cooked in this dented and banged up stainless steel pan with it’s accompanying cover, and baked into yummy goodness in her ancient electric oven which is probably a collector’s item by now.

I liked the dark meat best but my most favorite was also Mama’s favorite.

The Puwit (Tail).

If Mama didn’t want it, Carlos and I would vie for it. Often just halving the fatty giant heart shaped tail into two. Each one had a large bit…considering how large a turkey can get.

The gravy was salty and flavor filled. Made with the liver of the turkey. Light brown, gooey and creamy all at once.

Slathered onto turkey slices, loaded onto a fork with just a bit of cranberry jelly, a bit of stuffing, and mashed potato to top it off…

The perfect bite.

The stuffing was good all on its own. Sweet, smoky, and chewy, with raisins in them. Ground beef, ground pork, hotdogs and an assortment of chopped veggies stuffed into the turkey or rolled into meat logs made extra for those who wanted more…. (You can never get enough stuffing)

Good at Thanksgiving yes but also good made into stuffing burgers the next day. Or just plain slathered in ketchup, eaten with rice...

Heavenly.

Of course there was also the Chicken asparagus soup. Clear chicken broth swimming with shredded chicken and blanched white asparagus spears. Or Mama’s wonton soup, with teeny ground meatballs covered in pale white wonton wrappers all floaty and fogging up the broth. Served hot and steaming.

The sidings were there of course, corn kernels made slick with the addition of melted butter. Potato salad with mayonnaise and chicken and sliced hard boiled eggs mixed in, as well as the Macaroni salad made sweet by pineapple cubes, with orange red shrimp making it more delectable. Mashed potatoes too of course… all fluffy and buttery.

MMMMmmmm

I think I’ll leave off this article on that note. I have Thanksgiving leftovers in my fridge.

I’m going to get me some.

Meany that I am…

You can’t have any…

Ha, ha, ha.