On Thursday, millions of families across the nation will be popping turkeys into the oven and watching football in their fall sweaters. For some, though, the holiday brings with it some unexpected traditions.
When it comes to the Thanksgiving spread, freshman Karli Bell’s family members don’t limit themselves to the usual turkey and mashed potatoes. Instead, they dine on a different seasonal meat — “Vhatsteü,” a German traditional dish that translates to rat stew.
The Chicago native’s family pays homage to its German ancestors who took “rats off the streets that were infected with the plague, ‘de-disease’ them and use (them) for a stew,” Bell said.
In order to protect from diseases, and for the sake of taste, Bell’s family substitutes venison for the furry rodent.
Bell’s isn’t the only table that will feature unconventional holiday fare.
Tori Knueven, an Ohio University student studying journalism, also has a unique twist on her Thanksgiving dinner menu.
“Each Thanksgiving, (my grandma) takes a few hours out of the day to make a Jell-O that’s several layers thick,” Knueven said. “It’s got (layers of) pink, green, red, orange, and all of the colors of the rainbow.”
Not everyone’s Thanksgiving quirks involve the menu, though. For freshman Andy Erb, Thanksgiving involves more than preparing food.
“(Two weeks before Thanksgiving), I am given a partner, and we have to come up with a silly, ridiculous PowerPoint presentation,” Erb said. “The group who has the funniest presentation wins a prize, like movie tickets or extra ice cream.”
Though Erb is unsure where the idea stems from, he said his entire family looks forward to the presentations every November.
And while Erb’s family members aren’t spared from intellectual work during break, senior Matt Haviland’s family chooses to exercise the body instead of the mind by lacing up the running shoes and hitting the pavement.
Haviland, whose parents and siblings are all runners, usually wakes up bright and early to participate in the five-mile Turkey Trot in Columbus, although this year, the family will run the Flying Feather Four Miler in Dublin. After the race, the family heads back to its lake house to chow down, with the free bottle of wine it receives upon completing the race in tow.
The Turkey Trot might not pay tribute to the origin of the holiday, but the family’s Thanksgiving festivity tips its hat to the first Thanksgiving in the Pilgrim settlement of Plymouth.
The Pilgrims did not coin the term “Thanksgiving,” but their initial feast celebrated the bountiful harvest of 1621, according to history.com. The theme of being grateful for what life has to offer has been passed on for generations since the first Thanksgiving dinner.
Despite its American roots, the holiday is not limited to the United States. Countries around the world — such as Japan, Germany, Liberia and The Netherlands — also have their own reasons to celebrate the holiday. With so many different versions of Thanksgiving, one nation’s “unusual” traditions may be another nation’s normal.
bf051111@ohiou.edu
