S12.E06: The First Thanksgiving

[carrps]

A lot of Jewish families in Canada do not celebrate Thanksgiving. It is very possible that Gail never celebrated Thanksgiving growing up.

Do you mind me asking why? It's not an overtly religious holiday (and besides I know lots of Jewish families who celebrate a secular version of Christmas), and nearly all my friends in high school were Jewish, and they ALL celebrated Thanksgiving. It wasn't something I'd heard even a whisper of being a holiday Jews don't do.

[gigi1701]

Her hair color was also distractingly unfortunate.

I liked Stacy and was hoping she would go far. But I am confused about her hair style choice. The color is extreme, but also is it shaved or does she have an issue with hair loss? It is hard to tell, and she is a pretty girl so it is very distracting.

 

I thought her dish sounded lovely, sometimes Manhatten clam chowder has a musty or off taste to me, others like it, I don't, it could be from a choice of herbs, I don't know. Maybe it also was a bit sandy, that wouldn't bother me, but the judges have to look for the flaws to justify who stays and who goes. 

[BC Mama]

Do you mind me asking why? It's not an overtly religious holiday (and besides I know lots of Jewish families who celebrate a secular version of Christmas), and nearly all my friends in high school were Jewish, and they ALL celebrated Thanksgiving. It wasn't something I'd heard even a whisper of being a holiday Jews don't do.

 

I honestly don't know. My family never did, nor did any of the other Jewish families we know. If might be because of the timing of Canadian Thanksgiving; it falls right around (or right after) the Jewish high holidays, so everyone just might be holidayed-out by then. Sukkot, which is just after Yom Kippur, often falls near Canadian Thanksgiving and is a harvest holiday, and somewhat reminiscent of Thanksgiving, so celebrating Thanksgiving might just be too repetitive for some!

[carrps]

I honestly don't know. My family never did, nor did any of the other Jewish families we know. If might be because of the timing of Canadian Thanksgiving; it falls right around (or right after) the Jewish high holidays, so everyone just might be holidayed-out by then. Sukkot, which is just after Yom Kippur, often falls near Canadian Thanksgiving and is a harvest holiday, and somewhat reminiscent of Thanksgiving, so celebrating Thanksgiving might just be too repetitive for some!

That makes a lot of sense, thanks! I'd forgotten about Yom Kippur and Rosh Hoshanah. My high school had such a high percentage of Jewish kids, the whole school got the holidays off.

 

I liked Stacy and was hoping she would go far. But I am confused about her hair style choice. The color is extreme, but also is it shaved or does she have an issue with hair loss? It is hard to tell, and she is a pretty girl so it is very distracting.

 

I was wondering if she had a mild form of alopecia. It didn't look shaved. It looked like she was bald for about four inches above her ears.

Edited November 23, 2014 by carrps

[RealityGal]

I was wondering if she had a mild form of alopecia. It didn't look shaved. It looked like she was bald for about four inches above her ears.

I agree.  It looked like hair loss, her hair had a bit of dye on it, so she may just be a bad kitchen beautician.  

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I wouldn't call the pressure Stacy put herself under as "self aggrandizing".  I didn't see anything remotely self aggrandizing about Stacy.  I think the pressure to represent on her part was in part the expectation that she somehow shine at and do better than others who are not from the area at local cuisine.  Bostonians have a fierce pride about themselves as a group, which can be seen reflected in the "Bosox Nation" phenomenon, so to me Stacy's desire to represent that group and "do them proud" is more understandable knowing how others from that group would be rooting for her on those grounds.  In this case I think the group really does care.  I'm originally from New York and even I was rooting for her on those grounds.  So I get the self-induced pressure.

 

Yes, I agree with this. It seemed much less about self-aggrandizing and much more about her just wanting to represent the region well.  In my view, while she may not have made the strongest dishes, I think she did represent Boston well in terms of her general personality. So I am glad that she seems to have had a positive experience overall.

 

A lot of Jewish families in Canada do not celebrate Thanksgiving. It is very possible that Gail never celebrated Thanksgiving growing up.

 

If that's the case, she probably should not have framed it as not being a big deal in Canada, because that's the impression that she left.  I mean, it is totally fine if she said, "you know, Canadian Jewish families don't celebrate Canada that much," but that's not what she said.  She said it wasn't a big deal in Canada overall.

 

ETA: I also wanted to say that my family always have lasagna or baked ziti at Thanksgiving, just like Tom, because my mother is Italian American. 

Edited November 24, 2014 by eleanorofaquitaine

[Snarklepuss]

 

That makes a lot of sense, thanks! I'd forgotten about Yom Kippur and Rosh Hoshanah. My high school had such a high percentage of Jewish kids, the whole school got the holidays off.

 

Did you go to my high school?  LOL.  In my case it was also because most of the teachers were Jewish.  I didn't know that about some Canadian Jews not celebrating Thanksgiving.  All the Jews I knew in NY celebrated it, so it must be a Canadian Jewish thing not to.

 

Speaking of Stacy, I agree that she must have some form of alopecia.  It didn't look like a bad salon experience to me.  It could also be medication related.

[carrps]

Did you go to my high school?  LOL.  

Ha! Sounds like you are East Coast, and I'm West Coast, so probably not!

[fivestone]

At final judging in front of them they did say that the strange musty flavor might have come from her actually plating it in the dirt!  Said the clams were done well. When she was sent packing, Tom said to leave with her head held high, it was a good dish just happened to be the least favorite of them all.  He didn't say it was the best dish she had made.  

 

If I'm not mistaken, he told her something to that effect when she presented the dish to him.

 

 

Ugh. It's a pet peeve when reality game show contestants say, "I'm trying to represent [city/group] and do them proud." On its surface it purports to be cute and charming, but in actuality it's self-aggrandizing to assume that city/group cares that much in your personal success on a game show.

 

 

I wouldn't call the pressure Stacy put herself under as "self aggrandizing".  I didn't see anything remotely self aggrandizing about Stacy.  I think the pressure to represent on her part was in part the expectation that she somehow shine at and do better than others who are not from the area at local cuisine.  Bostonians have a fierce pride about themselves as a group, which can be seen reflected in the "Bosox Nation" phenomenon, so to me Stacy's desire to represent that group and "do them proud" is more understandable knowing how others from that group would be rooting for her on those grounds.  In this case I think the group really does care.  I'm originally from New York and even I was rooting for her on those grounds.  So I get the self-induced pressure.

 

I agree with Snarklepuss. Generally when folks compete on shows like this, the local newspaper - both print and online - tends to have an article about it - and sometimes even an interview.

 

A season or two ago... sadly I have forgotten her name, but one of the contestants who made it to the finals is from one of the islands in the Caribbean (I am sorry that I don't remember her name or her country's name), and she did so well in the show that her country held a festival for her. So I can understand people feeling that pressure to want to represent their region well. Whenever someone from my region medals in the Olympics I jump around like a fool, even though I don't know that person. We have a common bond, a kinship of sorts, and I am proud of them.

Edited November 25, 2014 by fivestone

[Lamb18]

Fivestone, I think you mean Nina who is from St. Lucia.  She was on last season.  One thing about the episode I found a little ironic: vegetable dishes were the winning and losing dishes.  I was surprised that a vegetable dish won because usually protein dishes are the winners (although not always), but it must have been very tasty. 

[biakbiak]

One thing about the episode I found a little ironic: vegetable dishes were the winning and losing dishes. I was surprised that a vegetable dish won because usually protein dishes are the winners (although not always),

 

Neither was a vegetable dish, Katsuji's had lobster as a component. I note that mainly because they talk about Katsuji being a Kosher/Mexican chef and like only two dishes he has made in the competition are actually Kosher. And Sue's losing dish was also not a vegetable dish it was clams with a stuffing. I think the only two actual vegetable dishes were Aaron's succotash which was well received but in the middle and Melissa's who was on the bottom but didn't lose.

 

 

 

and she did so well in the show that her country held a festival for her.

Not saying that Nina didn't do well but I imagine the fact that her father was a beloved Prime Minister of St. Lucia had just as much to do with the honor than her placement.

Edited November 25, 2014 by biakbiak

[Special K]

 

I had a hard time reading the captions under two of the Indian men's names, but I was under the impression that both of them held positions with the Plimouth Society, or whatever it was called.  I could be wrong.  But if that was the case, I'd think that they would be somewhat prominent members of their tribe because the Indians would want good representation, good people who could make certain that the contributions of the Indians in the village were accurate.  Wasn't that one man something like the 15th generation of the original Indians there?

 

I think the young man who spoke at length was identified as the Director of Education at Plimouth Plantation, and the woman who said that lobster was used for bait had a title related to food education at Plimouth Plantation.

 

The white guy identified as the Director of Plimouth Plantation said something like, "We've had many 17th century meals here, but nothing anywhere near this good."  So it seems as if they re-enact Thanksgiving for educational purposes all the time.

[eprime]

When a reporter asked Ringo Starr why he always looked so sad, doesn't the story go, he said, "It's just me face."  I think Mei just naturally looks a bit severe, though she does exhibit a bit of arrogance sometimes. She's intense, but now that I've seen her for a while, I don't think she's overly arrogant. She seems like she just knows what she can do and has a lot of confidence, and she doesn't deal in any of the false modesty or self-deprecation or insecurities a lot of people throw out. And when she messes up, she knows and admits and definitely doesn't like it. But it's all cut and dried and plain with her.

[BC Mama]

Seth Rogen addresses Canadian Jews not celebrating Thanksgiving: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/7acc6d38ef/seth-rogen-s-jewish-canadian-american-thanksgiving

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I think the young man who spoke at length was identified as the Director of Education at Plimouth Plantation, and the woman who said that lobster was used for bait had a title related to food education at Plimouth Plantation.

 

The white guy identified as the Director of Plimouth Plantation said something like, "We've had many 17th century meals here, but nothing anywhere near this good."  So it seems as if they re-enact Thanksgiving for educational purposes all the time.

 

Plimoth Plantation is very popular on Thanksgiving.  They do a 17th century harvest day dinner throughout the fall and they also do a traditional Thanksgiving Day buffet and dinner.  (Incidentally, I had Thanksgiving at Plimoth Plantation with my family a few years ago, and the place was packed).

[Lura]

(Incidentally, I had Thanksgiving at Plimoth Plantation with my family a few years ago, and the place was packed)

 

Did they cook the dinner over fires like the contestants did?  I'd think that would be a huge undertaking.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

No, this wasn't a 17th century dinner, it was just your typical New England Thanksgiving dinner - turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, squash, etc.  It was served buffet-style and, I assume, cooked with modern equipment.  Luckily for us, it was a fairly warm, sunny day, so it ended up being a nice dinner.  We had snow and rain here yesterday, so I think it was probably less pleasant for diners yesterday.

[Julia]

Did they cook the dinner over fires like the contestants did?  I'd think that would be a huge undertaking.

 

It really depends how fancy the meal is. Cooking most things colonial people ate over an open fire isn't all that complicated, as long as you're willing to get a face full of smoke. I cooked stew for 50 over a campfire for a reinactment crew when my husband was a ranger at a historical site, and it really wasn't hard.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Julia

[ratgirlagogo]

 

 

Pilgrims had access to ancho chilies?

Ha, that was my comment, too! Pretty sure there weren't any ancho chilies at the first Thanksgiving.

Late to this thread I know, but this was my first reaction and I posted something along that line over at Chowhound.  One of the (many) resident food historians there answered that chile peppers came back to Europe with Columbus.  Because they began to be cultivated there,  for a while they were used even more than black pepper, which cost more to import from Asia.  

Edited November 30, 2014 by ratgirlagogo