Friday, November 20, 2009

That first pumpkin pie

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I've been thinking about how our family traditions have evolved. My husband, who is several generations removed from his European ancestry, brought to our marriage the assumption that you eat turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and pumpkin pie for dinner, and also that the afternoon and evening are spent in front of the television set, eyes glued to a slippery football and hands glued to snacks. "Sounds like the American Dream to me," says John.

As a first-generation American whose parents were born in Germany, however, my family treated Thanksgiving very differently. First of all, Thanksgiving is known as Erntedankfest (a thankful celebration of a successful harvest) in Germany, and is not really a family holiday at all. It is typically celebrated at the end of September (when it is celebrated at all) with a church service, possibly a daytime procession ending with a coronation (Erntekrone, or harvest crown), and maybe a musical gathering at church, accompanied by dancing and food. There might also be a lantern procession (Laternenumzug), and perhaps another evening church service, followed by fireworks. Football? Sports? They pretty much don't enter into the picture.



The above picture of my paternal grandmother (visiting from Germany), my younger brother and I will give you an idea how Thanksgiving in my family was celebrated. We dressed in our Sunday best, and while the Thanksgiving Day parade marched on the black-and-white streets of Television Land, we piled into the family car to attend Mass at the local church. My mother, meanwhile, stayed home to prepare a noon dinner. We ate egg drop soup, turkey, dumplings and a vegetable. Instead of pumpkin pie, we had Jello or Kuchen (cake). No football games for us . . . we played board games when we were younger, and Canasta as we grew older. Midway through the afternoon, we took a Kaffeeklatsch break, which consisted of coffee and cake for my parents, and milk and cake for the children. And when evening came around, we all enjoyed open-faced sandwiches on thin, dark slices of Pumpernickelbrot.

When John and I first married and he learned that I had never baked a pie, in fact never ate pie at my parents' house on Thanksgiving or any other day, he volunteered his baking expertise. That first Thanksgiving (and his pumpkin pie) were memorable. He floured his rolling pin and shaped the dough for the pie crust, added a pumpkin filling and slid the pie tin into the oven. A little while later, however, instead of the sweet smell of a much-awaited dessert, the smoke alarm went off and the stink of burnt sugar wafted through the house. It turns out that John had unknowingly substituted powdered sugar for flour, with disastrous results. These days we buy our pumpkin pie at the local grocery store, mostly for John's sake, since I have still never baked a pie, and mostly, I don't eat it. So much for meshing customs from two families!

In the early years of our marriage, my husband enjoyed the typical Thanksgiving football fanfare, but apparently this is a game that is better appreciated when you watch it with someone who understands the rules. That wasn't and still isn't me. I certainly don't mind if John watches football, but I'm more likely to have my nose buried in a book while sitting in the same room. In a word, I'm not a very good cheerleader. As the years passed, John began seeking an afternoon Thanksgiving activity we both could enjoy. So, gradually, Thanksgiving afternoons instead became times when we played board games or watched movies. And in the evening, we enjoyed open-faced sandwiches on baked rolls.

To be sure, we spent our share of Thanksgivings at both of our parents' homes. When we lived too far away on the West coast to visit--and before our son was born--we celebrated with friends who were just as inept in the kitchen as we were. But as empty nesters today, we have gained a few cooking skills and can serve decent Thanksgiving fare to our son and his fiancee. We eat too much food, watch movies and play games, and eat some more. That eating part, at least, is like the typical American Thanksgiving. And it turns out that our son's fiancee likes pumpkin pie, so these days John is learning a new skill: how to share. "Sounds like the American Dream to me," I say.

© 2009 Judy Nolan. All rights reserved.  

11 comments:

Kris Bordessa said...

Judy, I grew up baking pies with my mom - couldn't fathom NOT knowing how to bake a pie. Of course, needlework is a skill that's beyond me...

circleinthesand said...

What a fun blog!! Thank you for sharing all your family tidbits! I grew up on Turkey, dressing, sweet potatoe casserole, squash casserole, turnip greens, rutabagas, AND pumpkin pie. IN fact, for many years, I was known for my super delicious pumpkin pies!! I admire you and your hubby for 'breaking tradition' and finding activities that you can enjoy together on Thanksgiving Day. I wish you and your family a wonderful day on Thursday!!!

LazyTcrochet said...

This was very fun to read. My grandparents were of German descent. My grandmother was the best baker ever. She taught me the secret to pie crust. Happy Thanksgiving!

Judi B said...

Family traditions and how they merge or don't into something new for the next generation has always fascinated me. Thanks for sharing, Judy! One set of great grandparents came from Germany to Kansas. Baking, and especially baking pies was handed down in our family as a result.

Erin said...

Loved this post. For a minute I thought that WE might be the "just as inept" west coast friends...but then I can't remember ever being turkey-challenged...of course, memories fade. In any case, I love Thanksgiving, and although we are purposely avoiding it this year, I look forward to being able to celebrate the day again.

jstinson said...

Judi, my sons and John must have attended the same culinary arts school! When they were about 8 and 12, they decided to bake a choc cake. They too substituted pwd sugar for flower. It didn't burn but it didn't set. So, we merely declared it a new approach to hot fudge sauce and ate it on ice cream.

Anonymous said...

Judy great post. Our family did the traditional Thanksgiving dinner too but no football. We did play
board games.

Memories for Life said...

What a great story! It's fun to read how everyone celebrates holidays differently :)

Judy Nolan said...

No, Erin, you weren't inept at cooking and baking. (That was me!) There were some early-in-our-marriage Thanksgiving dinners that we shared with friends, though, where we all puzzled about how long to thaw a turkey, how long to cook it, how to make dressing, and so on.

tamdoll said...

Wow, that's some story! I've burnt many things over the years, too... nobody even batts an eyelash anymore, they just open windows.
I'm amazed that you never have baked a pie still. Going into marriage, that's about all I could do growing up in a bakery, but I had very little experience cooking meat & large meals. It's been a fun journey over the years and I enjoyed reading about your family. Thanks for sharing.

Splendid Little Stars said...

I especially like the "old" photograph! The story of your family backgrounds and blending of family traditions was captivating.
PS: I LOVE pumpkin pie and I know how to bake one! (They are not all the same, you know. This year my daughter and I made one using maple syrup. Yum!)