Originally posted on my LinkedIn on November 24, 2022. Edited on November 23, 2023.

I arrived in the United States in 1986 at age seven.  I had never heard of the word “turkey” before, and had no idea it was a chicken-like bird you could eat!

My first Thanksgiving was not particularly memorable in Tampa, Florida, and I don’t recall what we ate that year.  As my mom began to learn how to cook turkey, our first homemmade turkeys were made with lots of “masala” – Indian spices.  As a student at the Louisiana Center for the Blind in 1998, I replicated my mom’s concoction with my own twist of spices, which my cooking instructor, Merrilyn Whittle, said looked like a salsa-stuffed turkey.

Over the years, my mom took to making more traditional turkey recipes, with rosemary, sage, and other similar spices instead of cumin, coriander, garam masala (hot spices), green chiles, garlic, and ginger.  And like other families, our Thanksgiving turkey was served up with lots of traditional sides – mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and – a Cementwala “must have” – grilled or stuffed or sautěed mushrooms. 

Thanksgivings also grew larger in size and scope, starting from our family of three (my parents and me) to slowly four (adding my sister in 1988) to many more as we began to celebrate with extended family or friends – usually a bunch of boisterous South Asian immigrants sitting around, eating ourselves silly, playing jenga, and seeing who would bring the building down first!

As my sister and I left home, my parents grew older, and we all started going in different directions, our turkey time – traditional or made Indian spicy at my very “gora” (white) husband’s special request – became a signature event that defined our holiday season, whether that turkey was had on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve.  Turkey time meant family time, no matter which day it was held, and no matter where in the world.  We’ve had turkey time as an iftar meal when Thanksgiving fell during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, breaking fast in California among our community, or in India and the Middle East, when my family and I were living there because of my work overseas.  And as the concept of “halal” became more prevalent, we had an easier time sourcing halal turkeys!

This year, a halal turkey was impossible to come by because of where I am in the world. So even though we are dining on my mother’s delicious roasted chicken instead, a festive Thanksgiving meal remains a staple in our home.

No matter where I am and where I go, Thanksgiving is and will always be a distinctly American tradition. And I’m thankful that this year, I’m counting my blessing as I spend the holiday with my entire immediate family.

So from my dining table to yours, I wish you all a festive holiday season filled with joy and love from family and friends. Happy feasting, and talk to you all again soon!