Wednesday, November 23, 2011

CULTURAL INTERPRETATION


We had fried plantains, sprinkled with lots of salt, rice and gandules ( green pigeon peas. That's what they're called on the can, though my grandmother always cooked them fresh herself.), roast pork and pasteles (a meat pie made with batter from green bananas - this is a kind of love it or hate it type of food). Of course we also had the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes...and lots of other things.

My grandparents and so many of our other relatives who didn't speak English pronounced it Sangivin. I'm not sure if they understood the full meaning of the holiday, but they sure got the food part right.

By the time I was a teenager, a new dish was added to our typical Puerto Rican Thanksgiving. I could never understand why we also always had lasagna.(?)

***

Whatever your meal, whatever nourishes you, may you have it always,
and may gratitude season your days.


14 comments:

  1. nice..used to eat plantains when we lived in FL...miss some of the cultural mix from down there...happy thanksgiving myrna!!!

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  2. Grateful for your friendship that enriches my life!


    Aloha from Honolulu

    Comfort Spiral

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  3. Plantains here are part of the staple diet. We eat them before/after/during meals.

    Mouth-watering dishes, you shared.

    I wish you a lovely day of rememberance, dear Myrna.

    Joy always
    Susan

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  4. I recognize this, from all the places I have lived throughout my childhood and my adulthood, the traditions for Christmas are now so mixed, they are like my very own and resemble nothing else. Now, upon starting a new life once more, I guess there will be some changes introduced again.;)
    Happy Thanksgiving dear Myrna to you and yours,
    xoxo

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  5. I love plantains, although I haven't had them much. Our Italian friends when we live in NJ had Lasagna every Thanksgiving too! Found your blog through Everyday Gyaan and looking forward to visiting more. Happy Thanksgiving.

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  6. hmm. sounds great... and i would never push a nice lasagna from my plate as well...smiles... happy thanksgiving myrna

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  7. yummy lovely goodness! thank you Myrna :)

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  8. Myrna,
    This is great! A yummy preparation quite different than most. Should get my loving wife to prepare(though we have to substitute some items with our local fare) Thanks for visiting. Been sometime you came by, much appreciated.

    Hank

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  9. Hi Myrna! Yours is the second blog this evening that I swear I left a comment on, but now it's not there! I don't think I said anything profound..probably just Happy Thanksgiving!

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  10. Your food sounds delicious. A teacher I work with makes and shares the same dishes with us. Another who is Puerto Rican says she makes lasagna. That surprised me. I guess good food is good food and amen to that!

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  11. My friend who is from El Salvador makes Plantains for me! Oh I love them! Wonderful!

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  12. Hello.
    I hope you are feeling refreshed after your recent trip.

    Being from the Caribbean, I LOVE fried plantains. My mother-in-law shells green pidgen peas herself & makes the best stewed peas I've ever tasted. They're usually eaten as a side dish, but they're so good, I can eat them on their own. My wife makes the best lasagna with chicken/turkey mince (she doesn't eat beef). Can you tell I like food? (lol)
    Nice post. Thanks for sharing.

    Myrna, thanks also for attending & participating at my Party. We had lots of fun & although it was no easy task to incorporate 27 different styles of poetry, I am extremely pleased with the final result. I've even added a fun video of the shenanigans. Everyone taking part should be commended. I've already had a few requests to hold another event. If you get a chance, you can view everything here...

    Thanks again Myrna. I always look forward to your visits.

    Daydreaming

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