Thanksgiving With a Vegetarian

             Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It is a day dedicated to being thankful for what you have. However, that is not why I look forward to it. I love Thanksgiving because a huge part of the holiday is eating, my favorite activity. Many people are confused when I tell them that I am exited for Thanksgiving, because I am a vegetarian. "What do you do for Thanksgiving, Sai?" everyone asks, "What do you even eat?" Well, my Thanksgiving is similar and different to yours in its own ways.

            The one activity everyone thinks about when they hear Thanksgiving is eating. In my house, we don't have turkey or chicken for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving for us is any good food your mind can conjure up. We have some classics of Thanksgiving, like apple cider, pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes. However, we also have items like french fries, onion rings, noodles, soda, pizza, lasagna, tacos, cake and rice. This year, our family added two more dishes to our traditional, colorful table-burritos and quesadillas. All of these foods combined create a wonderful confluence of food delight. Half the fun of Thanksgiving in our family is the preparation. We have so much fun shopping for ingredients, and making these items. Thanksgiving is a holiday that our family not only enjoys, but also bonds through.

           The question most readers probably have now is-"How on earth do they finish so much food?" Well, similar to the common Thanksgiving tradition, our family invites friends and neighbors. However, what is different is that we don't eat our meal on the table. We set up chairs and carpets in our living room and eat our meal there, while watching a nice movie (this Thanksgiving it was 22 Jump Street). Most people find this anti-social, but really, we bond more through laughing and talking while watching a movie than we would have simply eating at a table. After the movie and our meal, we all usually play board games until it gets really late. Although this doesn't follow the Thanksgiving tradition, the holiday is still an extremely fun event which our family, and friends, look forward to greatly.

          A Thanksgiving celebration doesn't have to be based on tradition, or pop culture to be enjoyable. It just has to be a fun and entertaining event, where you can bond with, and feel thankful for,  friends and family. That is the true meaning of Thanksgiving.