Tradition

I'm unimpressed. I pulled out the Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cook Book from 1959 to see what ideas they might have for Thanksgiving. They have instructions for cooking a turkey, of course, nothing particularly riveting there, and roasting a chicken or cornish game hens. There's a recipe for giblet gravy, mushroom  wild rice, browned rice, apple-pineapple slaw, a jellied cranberry ring, and shrimp cocktail. Still not inspired. A recipe for tomato soup that involves combining canned tomato soup and beef broth. Whee. Orange-glazed sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pickled beets, and corn bread.

The page of "pretty trimmings" ideas doesn't wow me either. There's the idea of sticking chrysanthemums on the naked bone of the turkey legs, or poking spiced crab apples over them. There's the avant garde notion of blopping whipped cream on your pumpkin pie, or if you'd prefer, cut a slice of American cheese in half on the diagonal, and roll the resulting triangle into a cornucopia anchored with whole cloves. Arrange six of these in a pinwheel shape on top of your pumpkin pie. Cheese on apple pie: okay. Cheese on pumpkin pie: I don't think so.

I am neither comforted by old favorites or intrigued by new twists...and then I come to this:

"For tradition's sake, serve time-honored Creamed Onions. To lots of folks, it's not Thanksgiving unless this specialty is on the table. Our version has two Southern accents--cheese to enrich the sauce, peanuts for crunch and their own good flavor."

Creamed Onions
18-20 medium onions
1/3 cup salad oil
3 T flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded process American cheese
peanuts, chopped

Peel onions and cook in a large amount of boiling, salted water until tender; drain. Blend oil and flour, stir in milk and cook slowly until thick, stirring constantly. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Add the onions and heat through. Place in vegetable bowl and sprinkle with peanuts.

Did I miss something? When did Creamed Onions become such a hallowed part of Thanksgiving traditions? I have never heard of this. My friends have never waxed nostalgically about their gramma's creamed onions. I don't remember Mr. Food telling us, "oooh, it's so good." Peppermint Patty didn't yell at Charlie Brown for not providing Creamed Onions as they sat around the ping pong table. There has to be some kind of editorial bias here: maybe it was traditional at HER family Thanksgivings but putting it in a book doesn't normalize it for the rest of us.

I'm going to write my own Thanksgiving chapter, it will include that great American favorite: hummus,  and that little pastel marshmallow overnight fruit salad my mom makes. What? That's what's on our table.