Welcome to Thanksgiving Day!  I’ll be in and out of the kitchen all day today, preparing the feast.  It’s the tradition, of course…although this year, we’ll be indulging in a not-so-traditional way.  I let my kids decide the menu, and they came to a consensus rather quickly: Mexican.  So instead of roast turkey with all the trimmings, it’s chicken mole and frijoles.  Works for me on a a couple of different levels.

For starters, it’s historically correct.  One of the points that sociologist James Loewen makes in the beginning of his book, “Lies Across America,” is that “the usual approach to the American past is from the vantage point of Boston, looking southwestward.”  There’s some logic to this, I suppose, as the United States, as a country, started on the Eastern seaboard.  But, the Spanish preceded the British as colonizers (or invaders, depending on your point-of-view) of US territory; and – just like in the East – Native foods and cultural traditions were assimilated.  Frijoles refritos, tortillas and mole are just as “American” as turkey and cranberries.

Perhaps more so, as the Pilgrims weren’t even associated with the holiday until the 1890’s…the homage we pay them in our choice of foods is simply a tradition.

Sorry, couldn’t resist adding that one in…actually, my maternal grandfather’s family were Russian Jews who emigrated to the US to escape the pogroms, so the clip is appropriate in its own way too.  The traditions that seemed immutable at the beginning of the story, slowly erode over time…as Tevye discovers that some of them conflict with the happiness of others.  He also finds, to his surprise, that they can be broken.

Food traditions can be like that too, and not just the ”special occasion” type.  Beyond the holidays, I’ve often been struck by a question I’ve fielded more than once on the forums I moderate.  Here’s one version of it:

…just looking for any ideas for a protein source to go with my oats or oat bran in the mornings. Not too keen on whey protein as I am already consuming enough a day and eggs and egg whites are a becoming a chore to separate and cook each morning as well as being expensive to buy all the time…

Here’s another:

I do oatmeal regularly, but oatmeal gets old REAL fast, so in order to not go insane and give up on this diet, I need some variety. I try to do “whole grain” and low sugar/sodium as much as possible.

What are your thoughts on granola?

Ok, one more:

…any ideas on other diet friendly breakfast cereals apart from oats? Is muesli ok? just a bit bored of oatmeal with eggs every morning and need a change or another healthy option so any help ideas would be apprecieated…

Do you see the question that’s really being asked here?  It goes like this: “I’m bored with eating the same thing everyday for breakfast…what other healthy breakfast foods can I eat?”

Here’s one version of my usual response:

restricting yourself to certain kinds of foods for “Breakfast” is simply a cultural tradition, and has nothing to do with actual nutrition…there’s no law that states you can’t have grilled salmon, veggies, and brown rice pilaf at 7:00 a.m.; or oatmeal, eggs and fruit at 3:00 p.m. I may start the day with traditional breakfast foods, or I might start the day with leftovers from a previous dinner – who cares? Food is food.

Food traditions are great if you enjoy them, but – not-so-great when they rule the way you think about food.  This is especially true when people are trying to change their diets to lose weight or simply get healthier…they often place very rigid restrictions on what they eat and how, so that their diets become routine, bland and stifling.  It’s no wonder to me that their resolve eventually melts in the face of temptation. Yet these restrictions are simply cultural constructs: if the idea is to eat a lighter, more nutritious diet, there’s no law that says you have to start each day with a bowl of plain, pasty oatmeal…instead of – say – Steak Diane and Green Beans Almondine.

Traditional ways of eating are no more than that.  As such, you have choices: to go with the status quo, bend the ”rules” (like we’re doing w/Thanksgiving this year), or even ignore them altogether.  You’re only “boxed in” if you think you are.