Reasons to Give Thanks



Cheese beureks featured appetizer on the table

Ahhh. Thanksgiving!   Dilemma for my family, every-single-year.  Do we cook, or do we go out?
Do we stick to a classic, all-out Thanksgiving menu?  or add an Armenian/Lebanese dish to the table?

As an immigrant kid in the U.S., nothing pleased me more than a sense of belonging by celebrating this newly acquired tradition with my family, in our new home. From the first attempts at planning out this feast, I'd insist on helping prepare all the fixings like savory cornbread, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, and perhaps even green beans, while leaving the turkey situation to mom and grandma. Two reasons for letting the elders handle the bird: First, they knew exactly how to prep and dress it, and second, they really reveled in the turkey itself.   They may not have been ready for total integration, but they sure LOVED the turkey idea, and respected the whole symbolism of this holiday. They honored the "thanks" part, of course.  And then, naturally, we would enjoy setting an elegant table together.  While grandma was always known for her ability to pull off an entire dinner on her own, on this special occasion, it was I who got to shine with my skills.  Still, I'd find myself arguing with the queen of the kitchen, begging her and mom not to "ruin" thanksgiving by adding any dish from the old country to the table.  After all, I'd say, I'm sure the pilgrims would not be messing with garbanzo beans, or phillo dough!   So why on earth would we add hummus or beurek to the menu?  I'd tell her she had 364 other days to demonstrate her culinary prowess.  But not today.   And though mom and grandma would say fine, fine, don't worry, lo and behold at the last minute,  that bowl of hummus, or platter of cheese beurek would magically appear on the table, right next to the gourd.  Because God forbid the last thing any female of the household wanted was for their men to go hungry without their familiar foods! It was, after all, always part of the Armenian family's food dilemma.  Over time, I realized deep in my heart, it was not about the beurek or babaganoush, or even rice pilaf, really.   It was about a sense of contribution, of putting their immutable personal stamp on the dinner table.  Well, over the years, I learned to slowly let go, and let everyone do what they'd like. Cause no matter what, our family Thanksgiving was still gonna be damn DELICIOUS!

So, this year, just after the recent passing of my dear grandmother, with a heavy heart and an empty seat at the kitchen table, mom and I decided to still go ahead and plan out a small feast with family, celebrating Grams in the usual way.   Funny enough, talking through the menu with my mom over the phone, she once again mentioned those words, "Maybe I will do a nice cheese beurek as 'appetizer', huh?".   Haha.  I thought,  Go for it :) 

A small glass of fresh pomegranate juice started this meal as a palate cleanser

Despite being sick with the flu this year, I mustered up just enough energy to bake this peach/blueberry pie. My reason to give THANKS?  An Armenian expressive family gene that shows our love of cooking/baking, no matter how we feel ;)



Not the perfect lattice, but still a fun attempt!