Thanksgiving for the Turkeys

One of my goals in the work I do is to “take veganism out of the box” and encourage people to see that “vegan food” is food that everyone is familiar with – it’s vegetables and fruits and nuts and seeds and beans and mushrooms and herbs and spices. People have a notion that vegan food is somehow alien food or food that’s in its own food group – but it really is everything you already cook with and already love.

And this is the case – even on such holidays as Thanksgiving. There’s a notion out there that you can’t eat in a way that reflects your values AND honor traditions at the same time - as if these two things are mutually exclusive. When non-vegetarians think of the idea of being vegetarian on Thanksgiving, they’re usually aghast. They can’t imagine what vegetarians eat if they don’t eat birds! I’ve also heard the accusation that vegetarians are flying in the face of tradition, that it’s culturally blasphemous to not eat turkeys on this day. Well, I beg to differ.

Now, I know some people have spent much time trying to determine what exactly was served on that first Thanksgiving in order to justify eating certain things on this holiday. But, for me, I don’t care what they ate in 1621, because it doesn’t matter.

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING
Everything historians today know about the First Thanksgiving is based on two passages written by colonists. One is a letter dated December 1621, by Edward Winslow in which he wrote: "Our harvest being gotten in, our Governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a more special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruit of our labors.” That is the basis of what we know about that first Thanksgiving, and you’ll note what he says: “Our harvest being gotten in,” after gathering the “fruit of our labors” they sent “four men on fowling,” not because they were starving or needed it or didn’t have food but so that they “might after a more special manner rejoice together.” What they were rejoicing was the harvest – the abundance of fruits and vegetables – the bounty of the harvest – the cornucopia – the “horn of plenty.” And just to cap it off, they went out to hunt birds.

In a second account of the First Thanksgiving, a man named William Bradford wrote a book twenty year AFTER the actual event and just mentioned that the colonists killed wild turkeys during the autumn; he doesn’t say specifically that wild turkeys were killed for the First Thanksgiving or any similar event thereafter. Though his book does give clues to what WAS on this first menu, his book disappeared for many years (it was stolen by looters during the Revolutionary War) and didn’t reappear until 1854, so it didn’t have any influence on how Thanksgiving was celebrated for many years – until a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale came into the picture.

A WOMEN'S MAGAZINE HOLIDAY
Sarah Josepha Hale, who lived from 1788-1879 a writer, an editor, a champion of women’s rights, a promoter of child welfare, and a fund-raiser for civic causes. She is perhaps most well known as the author of the popular nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb." As early as 1827, Hale, who became the editor of a popular magazine, began calling for a national celebration of Thanksgiving and so began a 40-year quest to make this happen.

Now remember, Bradford’s book about the First Thanksgiving was recovered in 1854, and around that time, Hale, in her magazine, began writing romantic accounts of the First Thanksgiving, taking liberties to appeal to her readership and including recipes for roasted turkeys, bread stuffing, and pumpkin pies - all the things that today's holiday meals are still likely to contain – and none of the things that would have actually been on the table of the first Thanksgiving. They wouldn’t have had flour-based bread or pie or cranberries or sweet or white potatoes, and they didn’t eat with forks.

So does that mean we shouldn’t have sweet potatoes and rutabagas and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce or flour-based biscuits or any of the things that WEREN’T on the table of the First Thanksgiving? NO. Does that mean we shouldn’t eat with forks!? NO! I point this out merely to emphasize that we selectively choose what to celebrate and what to include on our dinner tables and how we want to celebrate – we selectively choose this all the time, especially when it comes to this holiday. Much of what informs our consciousness about this holiday is myth – a romanticized notion rather than informed facts, which, by the way, is fine. It’s fine to use myth to create our rituals and traditions. The point I want to make is that when we eat turkeys and pumpkin pie and cranberries on Thanksgiving, if we think we’re being true to some sacred tradition based on a real event, we’re not. We serve what we serve because that’s what we were taught, that’s what we’ve enjoyed, and that’s what we’ve always known. Our desire to feel connected to something bigger than ourselves, something older than ourselves is greater than any desire to perfectly replicate the original source of our tradition. Does that make sense? We can have whatever we want at Thanksgiving, but let’s not justify the use of something like dead turkeys at Thanksgiving with any kind of rational explanation or historical reference. It’s just not there.

This is why it’s just as traditional NOT to have turkeys on the table as it is to have turkeys on the table at Thanksgiving. We shape our traditions out of our ideals. Sarah Josepha Hale shaped this tradition out of her ideals, and she selectively chose what to include on her menu, and we can do the same. We can create a beautiful feast that reflects our values. They are not mutually exclusive.

CONSTRUCTING OUR PLATES
I think one of the reasons people think vegans and vegetarians eat only side dishes or salads is because we’ve all been taught from Day 1 that meat is the centerpiece of a meal. This is a cultural, social, familial construct. It’s all taught. There isn’t a Meal God in the sky determining how we should eat and how we should plate our food – it’s all taught.

Many, many cultures all around the world do not plate their food this way. Meat is not the center of their plate. But it is here, so when people in our western culture think of a plate without meat, they think of a plate with a big empty space where the meat should be and then just some token side dishes – because that’s what their experience has been. This is why I say that changing our diet, changing from an animal-based to a plant-based diet is as much about changing the way we THINK about food as it is changing the way we actually eat.

So, for the main dish, I think what makes people feel that the meal is complete is if we have a focal point, a centerpiece, something that fills that blank space. Right? And for this main dish, we have many beautiful options. We can have stuffed acorn squash, filled with rice and nuts and celery, onions, squash, apples, etc; we can have butternut squash risotto– any number of seasonal dishes that also create a beautiful presentation. Hollow out a pumpkin and serve the pilaf in the pumpkin on the table – it’s gorgeous! I have a number of Thanksgiving recipe packets on my website. As far as side dishes go, this is generally what’s on our table every year: Mashed Potatoes, Mushroom Gravy (chunky and smooth versions), Bread Stuffing, Cranberry Relish, Corn, mashed rutabagas, Sautéed green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, Corn Bread or biscuits, and Green Salad. All of these things are familiar to everyone – wherever you are on your path. As far as desserts, check out The Joy of Vegan Baking for delicious, traditional goodies!

On behalf of the turkeys, I hope that you enjoy creating new traditions and celebrating old ones while still honoring your values.

Celebrating The Joy of Vegan Baking

This past Sunday, over 110 people gathered to celebrate the publication of my book, The Joy of Vegan Baking: Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets. Because of the generosity and baking prowess of many of my friends, we featured about 25 different desserts from the book - though I, in my distraction, forgot to unmask my own Chocolate Cheesecake and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie! Nonetheless, everything was beautiful and delicious and absolutely devoured by everyone. At the end of the night, we had a small bowl of strawberries left (and my two pies that remained in the fridge!).

I gave a short presentation, after being introduced by my wonderful husband, and the whole night was just a love fest. I felt (and still feel) very loved and supported, and the feedback I've been receiving about the book has been wonderful. It's so much fun to hear from people who are baking from the book and loving the results. Please don't hesitate to put your own thoughts and suggestions here!

Feel free to peruse the photos from the party.

The Joy of Vegan Baking is Born! 10 Ways to Help it Succeed

Well, I suppose I "gave birth" to it several months ago, but now it's out for all the world to see. Today seems to be the first day that bookstores have it in stock, so whoever has "preordered" it will now actually receive it! And those who want to buy it don't have to wait!

So, on this very special day, I wanted to just send a greeting to everyone who has landed on this page and expressed interest in what I think is a fantastic book. I say that humbly but also with the knowledge that Fair Winds Press, my fabulous publisher, did a beautiful job on the design, photography, and artwork. Creating a book is a collaborative effort, indeed.

But I am also very proud of the content and know that you will find much to love about this very comprehensive book - not just about vegan baking but about baking in general. Not just about food but food history. You will find not just recipes but stories about recipes. You will find a bevy of resources, such as Cake Pan Substitutes, a chart of different apples and what the various kinds are good for, tips, suggestions, and so much more.

Call me a geek (I'm guilty), but I'm also very excited about the three different indices ("indexes" in non-geek language). In the back of the book, you will not only find the MOST comprehensive alphabetical index of any book you've ever owned (the cross-references will make you sing!) but you can also find recipes according to their seasonality and according to special occasions and holidays.

Please don't hesitate to contact me here - ask me questions you have. I'm very grateful to all of you who have shown appreciation and enthusiasm for The Joy of Vegan Baking, and I'm humbled to know that some of these recipes will become part of your own repertoire.

There are many ways you can help support the book:

1. Add it to your collection! :) Purchase it from an online store or at your local bookstore.
2. Call several bookstores in your area (and beyond) and ask if they carry the book. If they get enough inquiries about a book, they will be more likely to carry it and display it prominently.
3. Order the book from your local bookstore - and ask them to please carry it and stock several copies of it - besides the one they're buying for you.
4. Call your local library - and several others - to ask them to carry the book.
5. Whether or not your purchase the book from a local bookstore or an online store, please make a point to visit each of the stores listed on my website to leave a review - hopefully favorable! :)
6. Give the books to friends and family - vegan and non-vegan. In many ways this is a "vegan cookbook through and through" and in many ways it's a baking cookbook that "happens to be vegan." It will appeal to a very wide audience.
7. If you are interested, please ask me about getting postcards that you can and will distribute in front of cafes, bookstores, health food stores, at vegan events. I don't mean simply stacking these in cafes; I mean if you are interested in actually handing out the cookbook postcard to like-minded audiences, this is the kind of grassroots marketing we need!
8. If you have a blog or podcast, please tell your visitors/readers/fans/listeners about our book. Just send them to www.joyofveganbaking.com or www.compassionatecooks.com.
9. If you regularly visit a blog you think would want to know about our book, please tell them!
10. If you purchase books to sell to the public in any capacity, please contact me about buying copies wholesale from my publisher.

Featuring 150 familiar favorites–from cakes, cookies, and crepes to pies, puddings, and pastries, and more!

More than just a collection of recipes, this informative cookbook is a valuable resource that will:
• enlighten and inspire you to bake with confidence and joy
• demystify what it means to bake without eggs and dairy
• entertain and educate you with fascinating stories about the origins of your favorite homemade treats
• empower and inform you about the benefits of vegan baking

Learn more at The Joy of Vegan Baking website.