[22-25 November, 2022]

Thanksgiving has always been about spending time and eating all kinds of food with family. And in this family, “no turkey” is the holiday’s tradition. In the past, it would be seafood dishes, and beef, and crispy roast pork, and all kinds of noodles. Add to that the plethora of desserts from banana egg rolls fried in brown sugar to all sorts of sweet rice cakes. This year was no different.

Because of everyone’s different arrival and work schedules, the feasting started on Tuesday evening and went all the way through Friday, with the traditional big event on Thursday. This year’s eclectic, homemade-from-scratch dining selections included meatloaf and mashed potatoes with gravy, French toast casserole, green bean casserole, yakisoba, fried veggie rolls, eggplant omelet, fried marinated milkfish bellies, beef short rib caldereta, peach and mandarin orange pavlova, rice cake drizzled with a sweet coconut syrup, and a notable vegan selection (moussaka, roast tofurkey, and cranberry cake) for the vegan nephew.

Another year with much to be thankful for, another non-traditional Thanksgiving family holiday in the books!