Health & Illness & Feasting

As the first day of November hit, I was anxious for Thanksgiving Day to come. This festivity is a gathering that I always enjoyed, because the bringing together of my family was something that barely happens and this year it was severely needed. The typical social practices were my family all come together, nicely dressed with formal attire.  Getting situated at a long dinner table and feasting our hearts out on prepared food. Talking and reminiscing and giving out thanks. Anti-body social practice was stuffing our face until we weren’t able to consume anymore food, not caring about the result that food will or eventually have.

At 5am I heard the smell of food being cooked for the harvest. My mother made sure that everything on her part or the food she wanted to make was prepared.  I guess As long as theirs a large amount of good food than the day will end up being what’s expected. The enjoyment and existence of food is always incorporated in every holiday but on thanksgiving, food is much more the focus on the event. Everyone in my family came to say hello and reminisce, but they found themselves completely drawn to all that food that was placed on the dinner table. Home cooked meals mostly from my mother who usually does most of the cooking but my sister and others provided there share. “how’s the turkey", my brother asked. Gobble gobble, the turkey is the dish that symbolizes this festivity. So you know food is important because the turkey is a “must make”. Eating repeatedly occurred throughout the whole night until everyone gathered in the living room, tired and bloated from the huge supplements of their food. We never really engage in other common practices as football watching on the big screen. But we use food and recollecting memories as way to spend the day.

This holiday the remembrance of our ancestors or those who passed wasn’t didn’t occur. It was unusual to me because it’s something that always happens. Especially when it comes to my grandmother because she’s always been the heart of our family. Always bringing us closer. Not having an empty chair and not remembering that same seat that my sister in-law was situated in was the same one my grandmother always sat at. This kind of makes me feel like an asshole now that I think about it. But she would be happy that this holiday brought nothing but smiles and no fights. The consuming of food had everyone embracing each other and seated for most of the night. The lack of movement and consumption of a bunch of food all for the purpose to fill and delight someone’s taste buds. Brings about the unhealthiness of a day like thanksgiving. My family never really takes notice on the damage that we are provoking on ourselves because we still eat unhealthy everyday. But for thanksgiving no one truly cares. But one day this may bring out illness that isn’t uncommon in our family, so it wouldn’t come as a surprise.