Growing up, Thanksgiving centered around my grandparents’ house in Santa Rosa, CA. My dad came from a family of five, so all the aunts, uncles, in-laws and cousins would gather at my grandma and grandpa’s small home. Olive green linoleum with mustard appliances, brown velour couches, shag carpet and a heavy oak console TV are etched in my memory. We would pull up every random seat we could find, including a 1950s red metal stepstool, and crowd around the table. The food was presented in a hodgepodge of Tupperware containers and daisy-decaled Pyrex bowls. We ate off mismatched plates and greedily reached across the table to help ourselves to food. It was perfect.
As a child, I didn’t realize that the house was small or the décor was off. This was just my family, and I loved being there. That is what gathering with friends and family is really about – being together. It doesn’t matter if the turkey is dry or the plates don’t match.
Melanie and I find that, in other countries, gathering around food might be even more central to building friendships. When we travel to visit our manufacturer friends across the globe, they always invite us into their homes, with their families, and share their favorite foods. Whether it is a traditional couscous tagine in Morocco, locro de papa in Ecuador, kidney organs in Thailand, or chicken feet in China, we have tried more than you can imagine, all in the name of friendship and appreciation.
If we could, we would invite ALL of you into our homes and cook our favorite foods for you. I might make you my great-grandma’s paprikash chicken with “nookles,” as she would call it. Mel might serve you a classic Texas fruitcake for dessert, in honor of her “mama’s” favorite dessert. We would gather, drink wine and toast to another good year.
Thank you for being part of our MERSEA family and have a wonderful holiday season!
Xoxo,
Lina