In the past, Thanksgiving meant a day of cooking, cleaning and preparing for women. Men enjoyed watching football, eating and relaxing. These roles in no way took away from the meaning of the holiday—sharing food with friends and family and giving thanks for what we have and for each other.
As with many things, traditions are changing. More women enjoy the football games and more men are doing the cooking. Men are more involved if frying or smoking the turkey is the method of preparation, rather than roasting the bird in the oven. But as far as my own family, it is a mixture. I imagine a lot of people are creating new traditions as roles evolve. One of my sons does all the cooking, except for what the guests bring. While both he and his wife like the Cowboys, she may be the bigger fan. My other son is very familiar with the kitchen, but his wife is the one in charge of planning, a lot of the preparation and most of the clean-up. She has a large family and on Thanksgiving the women gather in the kitchen, while the men watch football. My daughter is the cook in her family…on Thanksgiving and every other day.
I used to be the family cook as well. But since I currently work longer hours, my
husband does most of the cooking. He has made some very impressive dishes. However, on Thanksgiving, it is definitely me in the kitchen and him in front of the TV. Some of my friends choose to go out to eat rather than cook, but I love smelling the wonderful aromas that are abundant at Thanksgiving.
What’s happening in your family? Who cooks and who watches football?
Thanks for the snapshot of what other families do for Thanksgiving. In my family, the women do the cooking. There are five separate subfamilies coming to our farm for dinner. Each of those families brings a side dish while I prepare the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy. The men watch football or sit around the table with the women and talk. My husband usually does all the clean-up just like he does the rest of the time.
When our family comes together for big meals, the women gather in the kitchen. In the kitchen, the women in our family have created bonds, passed down recipes, taught our daughters to cook, laughed, cried, and supported each other with love & encouragement in a way that our men could never do.
My favorite dinners are the dinners that my husband & I cook together. We put on old rock & roll music. We dance around the kitchen, having a party before the party.
Interesting isn’t it, how some things change, yet others stay the same.
This year my sister’s ex fiance did the cooking. (long story on the ex-faince bit) He’s an Italian and a master chef. It was absolutely yummy.
I bought the wine and watched football. So we definitely had some “new roles” in my family.
thanks for that