Storytelling is a tradition as old as humankind, because before there was writing, there was storytelling. Storytelling exists to entertain, to educate and to expand culture. Storytellers were (and continue to be) as important as the stories themselves, sharing knowledge and connection about people who came before us.
In West Africa, a griot is a very respected storyteller who travels the countryside sharing the history of people, their stories, traditions, poetry and song. A griot does this all by memory and by word of mouth—things are not written down. Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor (1937-2016), a journalist, cook-book writer, actress and dancer, called herself a culinary griot because she helped keep alive the history of recipes and food traditions of people of African descent. It was very important for her to serve this role because the culinary contributions of people of African descent were often left out of history or not valued by other kinds of people.
Around the world, cooking and storytelling go hand in hand to keep cherished food traditions alive; the ingredients are the characters, the plate is the stage and the chef is the director. With the holiday season knocking on the door, I asked the Oldways team to share their favorite traditions and the stories behind them.
Our senior director of operations, Caroline, reminds us that the people we share celebrations with are just as important as the holiday: “My family always traveled to my aunt and uncle’s house in New Hampshire and shared Thanksgiving with about 30 people on my mom’s side of the family, including aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and a variety of adopted friends and neighbors without family nearby. The cousins would all decorate team T-shirts and play touch football in the backyard and then come inside and have loud dance parties for hours as my mom and her sisters cooked. I have wonderful memories of my grandmother in her 80s dancing her way through the kitchen while all her grandchildren cheered her on.” While a delicious meal may have been a reason to gather the group, the feeling of connection with loved ones encourages a tradition to continue.
Traditions change over a lifetime, and Oldways president Sara shares with us what her celebrations looked like before compared to today: “My early Thanksgivings involved going to New York City to be with my fancy grandmother – I loved it! I got out of school early to fly from Pittsburgh to New York, and then the weekend was full of fancy fun. We ate a super formal dinner, I dressed up with a puffy dress with a big bow, black patent leather Mary Jane’s and ate great food while drinking Shirley Temples. I loved watching the Macy’s Parade, seeing the Christmas windows, getting a very cool balloon at Best & Company, and maybe seeing a Broadway musical. My current Thanksgivings are not fancy. They’re really warm and friendly with lots of kids and everyone cooking together. Last year we all made pasta – even 1-½-year-old Nora! This year we are having a non-fancy honey tasting. Warm and cozy, with lots of love.” Maybe this season of life has you telling the stories you once heard, and creating fond memories for your family.
The holiday season revives roles we play once or twice a year. Our graphic designer, Jackie, shares: “Growing up, my mom cooked 90 percent of the time, which meant at Thanksgiving it was someone else’s turn. My dad prepared most of the dishes, but the best part was being on ‘pie duty’ with him the day before. Every year we’d make two pumpkins, one apple, one bourbon pecan, and one French silk – regardless of the number of people coming to the table. I prepared the fillings and he made the secret, perfectly flaky crust. Now, living far away and having to manage both crust and filling, I really miss my sous chef responsibilities!” Sharing time in the kitchen creates more than delicious dishes, but core memories to last a lifetime.
Sometimes it’s the little things that can have the smallest impact. Our marketing communications coordinator, Tess, shares: “One little thing my sister and I always loved about Thanksgiving was that it gave us an excuse to break out the fancy wine glasses — and then drink sparkling grape juice out of them! We would get fancy, taking dainty sips of both white and red juice and discussing the notes (“Mmm, grape-y!”). Getting to join the adults in a proper ‘cheers’ to start the dinner always made us feel so included and grown up.” This Thanksgiving season, break out your fancy utensils or drinkware and let them take the stage along with dinner favorites.
Cooking is one of our favorite forms of connection, and this rings true for Sarah, our heritage curriculum partnership manager: “For years, Thanksgiving meant driving 16 hours to my grandparents’ house. My grandfather, known for his gadgets, never missed an opportunity to show off when preparing food for a get-together. He is famous for his sweet potato pies, made from scratch every Thanksgiving. I was the only grandchild who loved spending time with him in the kitchen. It started with simple sides, then finally the sweet potato pie recipe. After a while, our time in the kitchen turned into a friendly competition over whose pie or deviled eggs would turn out best.” Like Sarah shows us, passing along recipes and cooking skills are lifelong gifts and can grow stronger each year.
Some traditions don’t happen until after the table has cleared and the day winds down. Our Whole Grains Council stamp program manager, Vik, shares: “We’ve always been the family who invites ourselves over to other people’s houses for Thanksgiving, whether it be driving deep into Long Island to my great uncle’s house or going down the street to our neighbors. However, our one constant was that every Thanksgiving after we got home, we’d watch ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ together to ring in the holiday season. To this day, if I’m with my parents on Thanksgiving, we’ll watch it together, or if I’m partaking in the family tradition of sitting around someone else’s table, I’ll put it on as soon as I get home.”
Our vice president of nutrition programming, Kelly, encourages us to remember that sharing is caring, even with holiday traditions: “Growing up, we celebrated Thanksgiving with a lunchtime feast with my entire extended family — cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and all. When the plates were cleared and leftovers put away, many of us would find ourselves back at the dining room table to play hearts. There was no shortage of players, and it was a fun way to digest and unwind. Now that I am hosting Thanksgivings of my own, I look forward to carrying forth the tradition of post-meal card games, especially once my little one gets older.”
Cooking tells a story, while keeping family close by. Our marketing director, Katherine, shares: “My Nana always made her famous cheesy potatoes! She passed away in May, and I have been put in charge of making them for Thanksgiving going forward. It’s an honor!” Katherine reminds us that apart from making food, cooking is a form of communication. Sharing recipes, techniques or even time in the kitchen allows for opportunities to connect. A dish doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful when the history or person behind it holds a special place in the heart.
Some recipes span generations, but offer the chance to personalize based on preference. Our office manager Katie shares: “My grandma always made an apple salad; basically a simple Waldorf salad with apples, celery, walnuts and sometimes grapes. My aunt and uncle now make it with both two types of apples, and whipped cream instead of mayo. I like to use Greek yogurt, honey and lemon as the dressing. So we have an ongoing tradition, and it’s delicious!”
As we get older and families grow, sometimes the timing of gatherings changes. Our vice president of finance and administration, Abby, shares: “My parents always host Thanksgiving, and one of my first memories is waking up to the incredible smells while I ventured sleepily to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (my favorite!) while trying to help with basting and stirring. Now we partake in my husband’s family’s tradition of ‘pie breakfast’ where everyone gets together Thanksgiving morning to start the day with PIE. Now that everyone is getting older with varying responsibilities and plans, it is great to join this delicious start to the day to make sure we can see as much family as possible.”
This Thanksgiving, remember that storytelling can be done anywhere; whether it is around the table or in the kitchen. Take this time to dig into your own library of recipes and share your favorite traditions with loved ones. You might be surprised at what gets passed along.
Bri dela Torre MS, RDN, CLC
Community Engagement Dietitian
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