On October 30 and 31, nine students and staff at the CLC Southlake Campus in Vernon Hills were asked how they celebrate Thanksgiving. At the top of everyone’s mind was food and they were eager to talk turkey – or duck.
Kassie Mruk, a student success coordinator of Adult Education and ESL, says that she celebrates Thanksgiving, but not in the typical American way. Her family is Polish, so while they gather on the same day as other Americans do to give gratitude, their table looks a little different. You won’t find turkey on their Thanksgiving menu.
“It’s more European, so it’s usually duck or chicken,” she said.
They also enjoy sauteed greens and cucumber salad. While Mruk laments the lack of American staples such as gravy and cranberries at her family’s meal, she gets to enjoy more traditional Thanksgiving foods when she celebrates with her boyfriend’s family.
“I’m so glad my boyfriend is an American,” she said.
Cristina Fermin, a CLC student, also celebrates twice on Thanksgiving. She splits her day between her family and her boyfriend’s family.
“It’s like that for every holiday,” she said. “We start off with my family and then we go over to his.”
Fermin’s family meal includes traditional Mexican foods like tamales, pozole, and mole. Her boyfriend’s family meal tends more toward the American tradition and features turkey, ham, and mashed potatoes.
Alan Vu, a clerk at the CLC Bookstore at the Southlake campus, describes his family’s celebration as typical American. It includes eating turkey and mashed potatoes, drinking white wine, and cheering for the Bears. Vu usually stays close to home for Thanksgiving, but this year he will travel to Colorado to be with his family.
“Food, football, and family,” he said. “The three F’s.”
CLC student, Nancy Enriquez, doesn’t need to travel far to celebrate Thanksgiving. Her family is almost all in this area. Enriquez’s father and his sisters rotate hosting duties from one year to the next, in order of oldest to youngest. This year is her aunt Norma’s turn.
Enriquez’s family enjoys Mexican and American food at Thanksgiving. Their meal includes pozole; red, green, and colored tamales; tamales with atole champurrado; and two turkeys: one of which is made in mole. Jam, salad, grilled vegetables, macaroni and cheese, rice, pasta, and sweet potatoes complete their table.
“We have almost everything,” she said.
Anne Chernaik, a CLC librarian, sometimes travels as far as Florida to spend Thanksgiving with her family, but this year she’s staying local. Her celebration includes a combination of her family and her in-laws as well as found family. Chernaik’s husband was previously a chef and does the cooking for Thanksgiving. She describes their meal as semi-traditional.
“I insist on turkey and mashed potatoes,” she said. “But other than that, we’re never quite sure what we’re going to get.”
Eliza Hasani and Musa Dzemaili are CLC students and cousins. They spend Thanksgiving together. Hasani’s family hosts the celebration and prepares the turkey, then the guests bring their favorite dishes. After the meal, Dzemaili enjoys playing board games such as Pictionary, with the whole family. Hasani says the abundance of food comes in handy when their celebration inevitably goes late into the evening.
“Everyone gets hungry, and we eat again,” she said.
Jennifer Sabatino, a library services coordinator at the Southlake campus, celebrates with her husband, father, siblings, nieces, and nephews. In addition to traditional Thanksgiving fare, Sabatino says the past 25 years have included birthday cake as they simultaneously celebrate Thanksgiving and her oldest niece’s birthday.
Brown and serve rolls play a critical role in Sabatino’s family gatherings. Her mother found this out the hard way when she tried to replace them with French bread once, and a whining spree ensued. Sabatino’s family won’t settle for just any brown and serve rolls either.
“The cheap ones,” she said. “Otherwise, there’s a meltdown.”
Miroslava Blazheva, a CLC student, is from Bulgaria where Thanksgiving is not a national holiday.
“We never celebrate there,” she said.
Blazheva likes the idea of Thanksgiving, though, and the opportunity to be thankful for what you have. She and her immediate family spend Thanksgiving with a friend who cooks a turkey. Blazheva isn’t sure her version of Thanksgiving is a traditional one, but it works for her family.
“It’s not like normal Americans, I guess,” she said. “But close enough.”
