My first memory of Thanksgiving was three years after coming to America.
I was born in Guanajuato, Mexico in 1984, and immigrated to America in 1991. This new land seemed so different and lonely. I was not accustomed to all these new laws and so many new holidays.
Our first Thanksgiving in the United States, we got invited by a relative. They had all the traditional Thanksgiving recipes. My mom took notice of how they made the turkey and what was served on this special day. She fell in love with the idea of having one special day to give thanks for all the things we have. She also wanted to make it a tradition. The following year she paid attention to the news of when thanksgiving would be. That year she made the turkey in the oven, but it came out dry. We didn’t complain because I remember I felt super rich just having such a big turkey in our home. That first year she made just turkey, rice, and corn.
We loved it!
Next year after I learned about the great feast that the Native Americans made alongside the pilgrims, I told my mom the story behind Thanksgiving. She then understood what thanksgiving meant to people here in the United States.
Year after year, my dear mom, watched TV shows that spoke about how to cook all the traditional foods and after a while, she became good at cooking the turkey. It was no longer dry, and the thanksgiving sides got better and more. I remember looking forward to Mexican rice, potato salad, mashed potatoes (instant box mashed potatoes), corn, dinner rolls, and of course, the turkey. Oh, and the pumpkin pie. We love our whipped cream with a side of pumpkin pie! We would always have our store-bought pie, with a humongous dollop of whipped cream.
I loved watching my mom bake the turkey. I remember the smell of the oven baking the turkey, I remember the weather outside and the smell of the crisp leaves outside our ranch home and I remember the wonderful feeling of being full.
I loved the amount of food that was at our table. I thought to myself that this might be how a rich person eats, with so much food.
Although we were a low-income family, my parents made sure to provide us with a feast on Thanksgiving Day! Now that I have a family, I also make sure we have all the Thanksgiving food and give thanks for all we have!