It’s Thanksgiving! Well, in the United States anyway (the Canadians get an early march on us by holding theirs in October). It’s a holiday designed specifically around American food culture, where no one is supposed to walk away hungry, and leftovers are the language of love we all speak. For people like me with allergies, however, a major holiday with lots and lots of food can turn into a minefield of potential tribulation.
Most Thanksgiving meals in the US are handled buffet-style. When I was a child, every year we’d say grace and then line up single-file, clutching our plates, to tread alongside the kitchen counter, scooping up turkey and side dishes before looping through the front room to make it back to the dinner table. When you have food allergies, as much as these are fond memories, they also contain a certain amount of stress. Will someone put the green bean casserole spoon in the wrong bowl? Will someone have ‘helpfully’ added butter to the peas and onions dish? Has an inattentive aunt allowed her Waldorf salad to touch the turkey fork and then not cleaned it off?
Getting right with the holiday meal took a really long time. It started with an honest and frank conversation with my family about what I needed to avoid, and how I needed my food kept away from the food and utensils used by people without my allergy. When I was younger, my mother had to be quite firm on my behalf. Now, if I visit someone else’s home for Thanksgiving I will bring one or two side dishes with me. Fortunately, the potlach aspect of Thanksgiving makes this very easy, and it also helps alleviate the isolating feeling that Eating While Allergic can instill in you when in a group.
If you’re not in charge of holiday preparations (and with a major holiday, younger family probably are not) then don’t be hesitant to go to your grandparent or parents, or your aunt or cousin, and explain your allergy needs. Do you need to bring your own meal completely? Do you want to skip the meal and just eat dessert? What part of Thanksgiving is so important for you that you want to be in charge of it?
For me, I want the full package, which means I tell people what brands I can eat, and what ingredients I can’t have. If I can throw together some vegetable dishes that make everyone happy, then I’ll do so, and gladly. If someone is willing, I’ll make the turkey, too. Part of making a holiday special is putting in the degree of work that makes everyone happy.
Source your food carefully! If you’re going for any kind of turkey, speak to your butcher about the type of meat you’re buying. Is it corn-fed? Do they wash the meat in any kind of solution? Do they butcher in house or get it from elsewhere? I can’t recommend a brand, but these are important questions to ask. Knowing your allergy, means knowing what questions you have to ask to purchase meat and vegetables that are safe for your holiday table!
This week, I’ve got a complete savory Thanksgiving meal, which I and my family eat ourselves. It’s got turkey, it’s got a green vegetable, and there’s not too much clean up afterwards. This meal is the basis on which you can begin to build your own Thanksgiving feast, allergy-free and delicious.
But What Can You Eat? 