 LZ Granderson, who writes a weekly column for CNN.com, was named journalist of the year by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and is a 2011 Online Journalism Award finalist for commentary. He is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com and the 2009 winner of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation award for online journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @locs_n_laughs I was told the substance in the glass casserole dish in front of me was potato salad - but I wasn’t buying it. Why was it white? Why was it smooth? And where was the red stuff that goes on top? It was 1998, and I was having my first Thanksgiving dinner with white people. As I was being introduced, I took a nice deep breath and...nope. Not a whiff of collards, or turnips or even the Tito Jackson of greens—mustard. For a moment I thought I had wandered into an episode of the Twilight Zone or maybe my mother had hired a witch doctor to put a hex on me because she was mad I wasn’t coming home. I mean, it was Thanksgiving. Who doesn’t cook greens on Thanksgiving? It was a real eye-opening experience for me in that up to this point, I thought we had pretty much navigated across the sea of cultural differences between us. I taught him how to play spades, he taught me gin rummy, it was all good. But now there was this string bean casserole with dried up onions on my plate and a dish of naked potato salad in my face and I was beginning to think we wouldn’t make it. It’s Thanksgiving. Why isn’t there any paprika on the potato salad? How come there isn’t any hot sauce out on the table? How come there’s nothing to put hot sauce on? I was willing to do anything for love. But I wasn’t ready to do that. Give up greens, and dressing and sweet potato pie. I wasn’t ready to give up Thanksgiving. I grew up in a household that if a particular aunt or uncle didn’t make their signature dish for the Thanksgiving festivities, the rest of us spent the rest of the day trying to figure out who they were mad at. We didn’t cook food just to eat. We cooked food to show love. It takes a lot of effort to make a dish of potato salad large enough to feed all of the mouths that would come together. It takes a lot of patience to pick all of those greens from the stem. And whoever volunteered to clean and cook a pot of “chitlins” had the biggest heart of all. Had the kindest soul. That’s what soul food is about. My family didn’t have a whole lot to give, but what we had plenty of was love and we poured that love, our soul into the food. But the problem with the phrase “soul food” is that it insinuates no other kind of food has that soul, that care. I knew it was good, but I wasn’t sure if it was made with the kind of love I had seen my family put into their food. How could I? My sphere was not very large, my worldview limited. But as I’ve grown and had the chance to travel and become a citizen of the world, I realize that there’s a whole lot of people who are not black putting their whole heart and soul into their cooking. And it is good and it is delicious and it is full with a lot of love. Looking back, that Thanksgiving Day was one of the most pivotal moments in my life. I had worked so hard to get into college and earn a scholarship, and yet I really didn’t know anything about people outside of my own experiences. Sure, I took classes and learned about people who weren’t black. I had been roommates with and worked with people who weren’t black. I was even dating someone who wasn’t black. But it wasn’t until I left my comfort zone and broke bread in someone else’s that I realized I was book smart, street wise but a little worldly dumb. And when I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school. The potato salad - while still naked in my eyes - was pretty good. So was the pumpkin pie. I’m not going to pretend as if I didn’t miss a lot of the smells and tastes of the Thanksgivings I was accustomed to. But I will say that if it wasn’t for that day, I might not be the adventurous eater that I am now. More importantly, it would have taken me a lot longer to understand the difference between accepting our differences and celebrating them. And for that, I am forever thankful. Submit your own "It's not Thanksgiving without..." story on iReport and catch up on past installments Food says so much about where you’ve come from, where you’ve decided to go, and the lessons you’ve learned. It’s geography, politics, tradition, belief and so much more and these next two weeks, we invite you to dig in and discover the rich, ever-evolving taste of America in 2011. Catch up on past coverage and stay tuned for the live blog from our Secret Supper in Chicago on Wednesday night starting at 6:00 CT. |
This whole premise is ridiculous. This is a regional thing, not a race thing. I am Southern and white, and I had collards cooked in fatback, dressing, and sweet potato pie on Thanksgiving - just like every year. I do admit that I made corn pudding with red peppers for some kick, but you have to mix things up some times. Oh, and while there was no potato salad, the deviled eggs did have paprika on top.
I am not trying to be rude but did you actually read past the title? I ask because your comment seems to be EXACTLY what the story is about. Quote: "And when I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school."
I agree that this is a regional difference in food not a race thing. I'm white and we always have dressing, greens, homemade pie, and everything else. This is the difference between a southern thanksgiving and a new england one.
I love my greens., all kinds. I am white. squash pie is better...Butternut. Yams are better than sweet potatoes. Corn oil is better than lard. Steam baked turkey is best and fastest...therefore tenderer. My rice is now short grain organic brown sub gum...laughter. Fried chicken me loves tooo death. Okra is to die for and eggplant...gotta know how to cook em'
I just dropped a lot of the fat, changed a recipe here and there...I add wrinkled, small, diced, late summer apples to my bread dressing, freash sage and butter...lightly browned celery and garden onion, parsley chopped, black pepper, cream...ohhhhh yes...dressing...and a gravy from heaven, slow cooked...I am Southern French.
Oh, HELL no. I would rather get a butt whoopin' than to get anywhere NEAR a pot of chitlins. Now that I'm an adult, and a Chef, introducing Southern and Soul Food to an upscale clientele has been met with rave reviews, and they really DO "get" that soul food as a part of culture shares the same place that food and family celebrations have in cultures all over the planet.
He doesn't say whether or not he ended up with the white boy.
Hi everybody - loved the article and thought it was wonderfully self-deprecating and loving. I'm an old white woman who grew up with traditional northern Thanksgiving - had a fabulous Hungarian Thanksgiving with a refugee family one year - had fabulous black Thanksgiving arranged by my husband's black secretary - had a fabulous Italian Thanksgiving with my son's roommate - thought they were all huge fun and a grand celebration of AMERICAN!!! LZ is no racist, he's a bright guy who's poking fun at himself and enjoying the fact that he can also poke fun of his new second culture.. It's a healthy thing that people can lovingly poke fun at each other's differences. My black students think it's a hoot when I say that even a honkey (me) loves greens.
What a fun interesting article. Let's celebrate our differences!
It was an excellent article/story, wasn't it?
I JUST had this experience. NO mac & cheese? what's creamed onion? what's broccoli casserole? what's store bought pies? NO greens! what's mashed turnips?
Caucasian.
I am not "white" any more than LZ is "colored".
I'm a little concerned since the author makes it appear that "white" people don't celebrate Thanksgiving as good as "colored" people. To be honest, Thanksgiving is what anyone wished to make of it and I have known families that eat shrimp instead of turkey. Does this imply that there celebration isn't as good as mine? I would feel a bit out of place if i smelled greens cooking but I wouldn't make it an issue NOR would I make it appear to be racist.
Oh and you don't see color right. Pretending you don't see(or smell) differences doesn't make you a better person.
After reading the full article, I still deem this article very a$$ bacwards. Talk about a lot of generalizations of the whites and blacks while talking like he's learning about cultural differences. This is not necessarily a racist article but just seems like its coming from a child who has yet to seriously and deeply think about his "racial" identity. Also the title is sooooo bad, but I'm sure it was chosen to fish people into reading this total crap. *coughcoughattentionwhorecough*
All conflict and consensus about Thanksgiving fare considered, I appreciate the "total package" inside out, be it a meal or a person. What is served by my Thanksgiving host and hostess is less important than how it is served, i.e., with true hospitality, the best that person has to offer (be it beans and franks, oyster dressing, etc.), and yes, how clean the place is, be it a dormitory room, apartment, house or palace, wherever the venue occurs. Whomever is sharing the best he or she has to offer being considerate enough to inquire about any health issues (vegetarian, no salt, sugar, gluten) is a plus, yet a cautionary note for all who accept a dinner offer.
I rarely ate away from home and even now, I appreciate a restaurant or non-homemade meal more if I travel or some special event is connected to the food festivities. Who is being forced to eat dishes he or she does not like?
As an older lady, most of my fond food memories are of family and acquaintances who shared the simplest dishes made with skill and love.
I knew before I even clicked open this article that it was written by LZ Granderson.
I have a few problems with this article, but my main beef is that LZ is constantly talking about breaking through the gay and black stereotypes...but then writes this article?
What if I wrote an article called, "My first Thanksgiving with black people?"
It would actually be pretty cool. I don't think differences in the races should be hidden, I think they should be celebrated.
Black households do things differently than white households, that do things differently than asian households, that do things differently than latin households. It's just a fact. And that's the beauty of the world. We're all different, and we all have something to learn from each other.
So instead of acting like it doesn't exist, we should embrace it and learn as much as possible about each other.
I'm black, and I'll tell u what...Best BBQ I ever had was from a white housewife over in southern Germany!
But that's my point; other than the title of this article, LZ isn't discussing differences in race; he's discussing differences in food style.
The style he's discussing isn't a 'white' style it's a traditional northern-ish style. I'm from New England, and this is what we eat on Thanksgiving... me.. my white friends...my black friends...my Asian friends... It's not a race thing; it's a regional food thing.
Sure, race and food can overlap, but that's not what he's discussing here.
He simply used the title to draw in readers.
Jesse jackson and the other gas bag sharpton would be calling for riots and looking to sue you..Personally, I 'm surprised blacks even celebrate this holiday. They are constantly complaining about slavery and how their people were forced to come to this country
#blocked
I think you should write an article entitled – My first Thanksgiving with Black people. I think it would be as eye-opening, and funny as this article. I think folks are putting to much on it – differences abound, and rather than say "at the heart of it, we're all the same", it is fine to highlight, and laugh about them. After all, they are mere constructs and only have the weight that we give them. So, I'll look for your article – I wanna read it.
and one day my first Thanksgiving with a woman that im not related to.....
First, I’d like to say that I have really enjoyed many of your articles, LZ. Secondly, I would like to express my appreciation of this article. It really hit home, considering my impending first Thanksgiving with my husband’s family just for reference, my husband’s black, I’m white. As with EVERYTHING there is a large spectrum of exceptions to his experience, but I can say from my experiences with my in-laws that there are some definite surprises at another family’s table. First, there are the greens. There are always greens, and they look exactly like the nasty green spinach that my high school use to serve. So when I tried it out of courtesy, I was expecting to gag… but I was pleasantly surprised. Then there is this strange phenomenon of spaghetti showing up as side dish to accompany any meal ranging from barbeque to Ham. Inversely, I wouldn’t expect my husband to ever understand my family’s fixation on Jell-O side dishes (Lime Jell-O with cottage cheese, strawberry Jell-O with applesauce and Red-Hots…)
I think the main point of this article was not to tell white people they eat weird food, or that any one group is wrong or right, but to illustrate the idea that food is what makes the gathering in many cultures. And experiencing another group (whether it be a separate culture or a family of similar descent down the street) can be like a glimpse into a different world. It can open your eyes to something new.
This is a really common experience. Not just the white/black aspect. I know of many people whose first contact with different cuisines was through Thanksgiving dinners with college friends. I never would have thought about having pasta on T-day before becoming close to a friend of Italian descent or pierogis until I dated someone of Polish descent. Even coming from NY, where all types of foods are common, the idea that Thanksgiving traditions vary can be a bridge in unexpected ways.
There is nothing wrong with pointing out the differences in race or culture. That is not racist. Racist is when you hate their culture, and treat the other race poorly because of it. People have lost the meaning of what "racist" is. This article isn't racist. It's a black person writing about celebrating a holiday with the white race, and explaining the goods of it and the shock of it in the authors own words. Nothing wrong with that or racist.
Now I will say, if some white author had written "Thanksgiving with a black family", and had pointed out a lot of differences, a larger majority of people would consider it racist. White people usually aren't given the same platform as black people to discuss these things openly. That observation isn't racist, it's just a fact of the media and the mixed culture we've created over the past 30 years.
Forgot to mention – last year my son's girlfriend from Shanghai had Thanksgiving dinner with us. While she enjoyed the food and thought it was "tasty", she didn't hesitate pouring on her hot sauce, as she is accustomed to spicier food than we had.
Hot sauce on my delicious, homemade oyster dressing?? To each his own.
I enjoyed this article very much. You are all reading too much into this article....no racism, just a real, nice story about his experience.
"What is it!?"
"Bundt Cake."
"BuuuuuunnnnnnndddddddddT....?"
"Bundt Cake!"
"BuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnndddddT Cake." :)
It's ok. I fixed it.
I never knew that it mattered what comes on top or inside of a potato salad my grandmother from Germany made the best potato salad, I think it has to do with different countries or heritage not color or race. When I came to the States, I thought turkey, stuffing, gravy, corn, beans and pumpkin pie was the real thanksgiving dinner and till this day that's my thanksgiving dinner.
Dang ya'll! He was writing about an experience from 13 years ago and you are reading your own fears and misconceptions into his words. He's writing about what is "home" and "soul" for each of us.
But paprika is for deviled eggs. And potato salad is so weird for Thanksgiving. Greens were an everyday food for us, far too mundane to be on the Holiday table.
Every year I used to have to fight to have candied sweet potatoes on our table as my wife grew up in Wisconsin. We finally came across a recipe that is more like a sweet potato candy bar and everyone is happy again. She loves the green bean casserole. I think green beans are nasty no matter how much cream of mushroom you dump on them. She wouldn't eat my brussells sprout/asparagus/mushroom/garlic roast veggie dish if it would bring about world peace. However we both agree that canned gravy is of the devil.
Every family is different and every family has traditions handed down.
Green beans aren't nasty UNTIL you dump the mushroom soup and dried onions on them!
Yeeesss! Leslie B. What the heck??? Just not right...
Why all the focus on race in the first place? There would be a lot less racism if people didn't obsess so much about race.
Race shouldn't be minimized or ignored–it should be talked about and recognized. Opening a dialogue about racial differences is more likely to lead to acceptance than pretending that differences don't exist. Ignoring problems can breed ignorance, misunderstanding, and contempt.
Frightening display of how one person viewed/views others around him.
If I met him and started a conversation with him, what would he be thinking of me? And to add to his CONFUSION - what if I was of a VISIBLY MIXED RACE?? Oh, how his little head would SPIN!
This is a person that bought into a (Poisonous and Harmful) Collective Line of Thinking - one that unfortunately cancels out a human being on first glance - cancels out his individuality and humanness in the eyes of another.
... and the Worst Part ?? This writer most deeply stereotyped HIS OWN RACE. So, yeah, glad he's ALL BETTER NOW.
As a gay white man in an inter-racialbi-culteral long term relationship, I think your article is beautiful and perfectly insightful. Thank you.
Um, this article HIGHLIGHTS the author's PURE IGNORANCE, naivete and lack of respect for people in general. Just because you are an ignorant, back-assward, stereotyping jerk - for you to become a WRITER - that's TOO MUCH. Sharing and spitting your ignorance everywhere. I can't believe CNN would allow this article on their site.
Learn to become a reader. You obviously only read the first couple of paragraphs and made a huge misjudgement about the entire article. Or did I lose you at "Learn"?
Even the title iself is offensive. If everyone thought like this person did UNTIL they experienced differently...!!! Buying into stereotypes is dangerous and anti-social. When you meet someone face to face, that is a PERSON, a Human Being, multi-dimensional, multi-faceted. The skin is just the bag holding it all together.
Apparently you were born perfect ... oh, no, you weren't, because if you were perfect, you would have already known that some people need to learn, to experience, and to grow beyond their childhood experiences. That's what the author is talking about: how he learned an important lesson in life. He deserves applause for sharing what happened to him, back in the day, rather than insults because he, too, had to learn. A wise man once said "there is nobody so smart he has nothing to learn, nor so stupid he has nothing to teach."
I totally agree! I can't believe in this day and age CNN would allow even the title of this article! As a young person, perhaps it was a surprise to see that people celebrate a holiday in a different way, but leave it at that – apparently, in the years that have passed, you haven't figured this out. I feel like we've gone to a totally different universe to see this article published nationally!
My wife is of Jewish descent and I'm of Italian descent, and her first experience having Thanksgiving dinner done Italian style and she didn't know what hit her. After the soup and the ravioli, she thought dinner was over. But that's when the turkey and all the trimming came out!; turkey, ham, stuffing, butternut squash, roasted potato, and on and on...
I am white and culturally challenged but open to almost anything. What is the red stuff that goes on top of sweet potatoes?
That would be paprika. It's more of a Southern thing than a black thing.
yup, you're right–it's a southern thing. i'd never seen potato salad with paprika until i came to maryland.
It's paprika, it's definitely a Southern thing, and we put it on both potato salad AND deviled eggs. I'm white, so I can't speak to whether it's a black thing too. And my family is divided down the middle as to paprika/non-paprika.
And Maryland may have been a Southern state during the Civil war, but to most of us – Tennessee/KY/NC and below, anyone from Maryland is a damn Yankee. :)
It was red stuff on Potato Salad and it is Paprika
Thanks much. I am from Detroit, and I always put paprika on potato salad, also on cole slaw. It isn't just a southern thing.
I liked this article, but I've had dinner at my black friend's house several years, and let me tell you, she doesn't cook with soul. She buys everything pre-made, in packages, heats things up in the microwave, and the only thing close to soul is she does provide hot sauce. This article makes it sound like every african-american is a soul food cook, that's hardly the case.
The article clearly does not do this: "And when I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did."
Greens are definitely a cultural thing. But I think it's more to do with North versus South. I come from a white family with a lot of kids. I was born in the North. My little sister was born in the South. I never had a single bite of "greens" until one day I was visiting her and she forced me to try them. It was New Years day and she said you had to eat greens to ensure a prosperous year. Some kind of southern thing that I was oblivious to. Weird that my family is so big we have cultural differences.
I really enjoyed your little story. I am from the south and I hate all greens and spinach and I also hate black eyed peas they are like eating dirt. I really do like your story I am not being sarcastic.
Great story...enjoyed reading it. Thanks
Since I host the dinner every year, I have asked my guests to bring a donation for our local food pantry which I will box up and deliver to them. I hope to do this every year and inspire others to do it as well. You can adopt a local pet shelter for the day too. They've all had their funding cut. Our animal shelter prefers Science Diet pet food, only because it seems to be the one all the dogs can eat without wreaking havoc on their digestive systems. Its been a hard year, but I am thankful to have a roof over my head. Have a happy blessed Thanksgiving everyone!
I agree with you-I think it's a great idea to donate to the local animal shelters-most of the animals are there because people could not or would not take care of them-GOD created the animals before the creation of humans-we have an obligation to care for them
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner??? Ah to be a fly on the wall of this house when LZ walked in the door of his white boyfriends house...that's the real story lol. "Now Herb, you took your blood pressure pill, right? Why don't you go and try to relax before dinner, OK?" Cmon LZ, that's what we really want to read about!!
Yes because all white people have to prepare themselves when a black person shows up. You Mary, are an idiot.
Mary, Either you grew up in the 50's , completely ignorant or making an attempt to be funny. I'm gonna go with an ignorant person, born in the 50's n trying to be funny.
Poor Mary-she's all about the tabloid "news". Go back and try to keep up with the Kardashians and their disfunctional family Thanksgiving. E! will probably put it on TV (What are you thankful for,Kim?-I'm thankful that I got to have my dream wedding on TV and I don't have to be married!)
I loved this article! I'm sure a lot of interracial couples, or friends who have experienced Thanksgiving with a friend of another race or culture can relate to this sort of "culture shock" regarding the actual meal. You might get so caught up in hoping that your friend or significant other's family like and accept you that something as simple (yet very much so important) as the food may have never crossed your mind. I even remember last Thanksgiving when my coworkers and I were discussing what our families were going to have at dinner, and as the only Black person I felt like my dinner was totally different than the rest of my coworkers'. For example, one of the dishes that my family always has is baked macaroni and cheese, but mac n cheese was something that they'd never even pictured having at their dinner table for a Thanksgiving day side. Where they discussed brussel sprouts cooked with bacon grease I talked about my greens using a ham hock bone. It was a very interesting conversation, and something I never thought too much about. We all agreed that dinner time was always a hoot, and hey, what family, black, white or blue doesn't have that one relative who had just a little too much wine and suddenly becomes the life of the party! So despite the fact that our dinner menus were near polar opposites, our experiences with our family and friends were nearly identical. Anyway, great article, I feel like discussing topics like this with our friends that are different from us actually help to blur color lines rather than deepen them!
Whew! Did this conversation ever get off the track! LZ's article not about racism or politics at all, but being exposed to cultural differences. I read this article as being not so much about a meal, but about expanding his experiences. He admits, "My sphere was not very large, my worldview limited. " and later, "More importantly, it would have taken me a lot longer to understand the difference between accepting our differences and celebrating them. " It is a journey that I think we all travel – or should. It is something for which to be grateful.
Even the grinchiest of us have a point of reference of what makes a holiday meal a holiday meal, and I am a grinch when it comes to the Thanksgiving-Christmas season. My mother always made a fruit salad that included marshmallows and maraschino cherries – something I've not seen in a long time. Suddenly, I am missing that – and missing her, may she rest in peace. The other thing that we always had on holidays was wild rice. I realize that those were elements of the holidays that I really miss, along with the sweet potato pie and the collard greens.
I think Granderson's take on potato salad is a hoot. One can learn a lot about family traditions through the potato salad. My mother hated "soupy" potato salad. When I visit someone for dinner, and potato salad is on the table, I wonder if it is going to be with or without celery? pickles or pickle relish? boiled eggs? bacon? mayonnaise (Hellman's or Miracle Whip)? vinegar based? olives? The list goes on. Potato salad is an adventure. A lot can be told about one's traditions by tasting the potato salad. Just don't forget the paprika.
I forgot something. My mother always made corn pudding. Her's was on the sweet side. When my grandmother made corn pudding, it wasn't sweet. I have come up with my own versions that are sometimes savory, and sometimes rich. Corn pudding screams "holiday!" to me.
And, BTW, what's up with all the comments about the author being racist? I took no offense as a "white" person. Geez...
Good article. But, I've never heard of anyone, black or white, serving potato salad at Thanksgiving. Just goes to show that within any race group there are many variations of tradition. The green bean casserole with Durkee onion topping was only a recent addition to our holiday table, and I thought it a bit odd at first, though I now do enjoy it. Speaking of which, I've learned, from my Minnesotan beau, that his people call a casserole "hot dish". Heh, this born and bred New Yorker has a lot to learn about the rest of America :)
I remember my first exposure to green bean casserole with the Durkee onions! I was in college, and someone in the dorm wanted to make comfort food, and remarked that they always had green bean casserole. Then, I thought it was the strangest thing. Although I didn't grow up with it, I have come to think of it as one of my comfort foods, and I have even made it for a potluck supper or two. It is so simple – and it always brings a smile to faces.
@BunnyCakes honey my family is African American and potato salad is a MUST for thanksgiving dinner. Many of the dishes mentioned by the author are staples within our community coming from slavery days as a means of survival. The difference now and then is that we no longer THANK GOD live in this environment. And many of us have learned that we must modify those rich recipes if we hope to live a long life. As for being of another race in my family we only require that you bring an empty stomach, a functioning palate, and a great story or two or three. You must be willing to dance until your happy or at least show us a few of your own dances. We don't care what color you are as long as you understand that you are welcomed and plan to come back for a visit next year. ;-) Oh and if the function happens to be at a certain unnamed uncle and auntie's house if you're not a Steelers fan fake it...or none of his award winning ribs for you! Happy Holidays Miss Bunnycakes we may meet at the round table for dinner one day. Salut!!
I want to have Thanksgiving at your house! Sounds warm,welcoming and so fun! Are you willing to adopt a Canadian for a day? :-)
Interesting article and interesting to see who and how folks were going to react to it. Some, VERY typical. Some, with understanding. Any "black" person, who have family from the south or of some southern heritage know what the author is talking about. The article was about things "associated in his experience" with Thanksgiving. To jump all over him over "what he associates" with an event is pretty stupid. Anymore than for me or anyone else to tell YOU how a particular experience means or "feels" to you. I can't tell you how to feel, and if you care to "share" your feeling about it, I'm willing to just STFU and listen. How about that?
For the "black folk" who are all enraged, get the "f' over it. Whites/Northerners/non-"black folk" have some traditions and foods they are familiar with. It's not a "better" or "worse" than situation, it is an "IS" situation. So, just like the author, if you'd get over your own selves, accept that the author is just relaying his paradigm on the situation between what he was "used to" and "what he's experiencing", you'd get the point and think about what you are "thankful" for.
For the "white folk" who are all "how-dare-you-speak-of-race" and throwing around Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton...people, those are two voices of 35 million voices. They are no more a total representation of all "blacks" than the character of "Archie Bunker" is of all 220 Million "white folk". On some issues, they are spot on. On others, yes, they are "attention whores". So don't throw their names into this article which has nothing to do with them. The author's discussion/thoughts/train-of-thinking are about experiencing something from a "different perspective". This IS the problem about talking about race in this country. We have staked our beings on our own paradigm, our own perspectives. You may never have encountered blacks – I work with many guys in their late 20's who have never really encountered blacks EXCEPT for "through the news", which is usually sensational, tragic, or criminal. So their view was that way....until they met some. Then the process of "exploring" those stereotypes happens, and you find, some are true and some are not. This does go all the way down to "diet", "experiences" and even "traditions", which is what the author is talking about. So just chill already! Accept there are differences, understand those differences – WITHOUT JUDGEMENT FIRST, and learn something about others. Then we can have that very much needed discussion about "race in America".
I read past lots of the comments because I just wanted to talk about the food! haha
First of all, I ALWAYS put paprika on my potato salad and my coleslaw. But lawd, I hate yellow potato salad. Just gimme that white stuff made with Duke's mayonnaise.
I think it's interesting to hear the takes on the different stuff we all have for Thanksgiving. I never make sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving, not because I don't like it but because we always have sweet potato pudding or candied sweet potatoes and that would be too much. We have pumpkin pie and cherry pie. We sometimes have greens, sometimes mixed up in mashed potatoes - yeah, that's right. I'm mostly Irish-American. Sometimes, it's green beans. I also get stuck nowadays having to make scalloped potatoes. And cornbread - heck yeah. Made in a cast iron skillet that belonged to my grandmother. And although our family is mixed of Irish and Germans and English, everyone is used to having sauerkraut. Yes, that's right. If you've never had sauerkraut with your turkey, go for it. You'll be amazed. And make sure to dump that gravy over it, too! hahaha It's cold where I live and we like to have hot potatoes instead of potato salad but for Easter??? Well, now, that's a different story. Potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, and yes folks, the cornbread makes another appearance. Lots of us from the South eat alot of the same stuff; no matter what color you are. I don't think anyone can make a claim on potato salad w/paprika; everyone eats it. And also, fried green tomatoes. Good God, I've seen them on the menu in fancy restaurants and had to laugh my a$$ off. What I grew up with in my grandmother's kitchen, using that same cast iron skillet, is now being marketed as something new and people pay up the a$$ for it. Good grief, take some green tomatoes out of your garden, beat some egg, dip 'em in some breadcrumbs and fry 'em in bacon grease. Whew! And hey, if I wasn't going for the sauerkraut with my turkey, as we always do, I would have to make some coleslaw and dip my fork in my mashed potatoes first then, glue the coleslaw onto the fork! hahaha
So, yeah, as far as the subject goes about having your dinner at your white boyfriend's parents' house, I once had it at my SIL's house....now, that was just damn sad. It was cold, they started before we got there even though we were on time, there was some shizz I'd never seen before and part of it was something crazy made with barley, and there were paper plates. It was awful. We made the best out of it and were thankful that I, the cook, was making the real thing the next day. So, I just that we all get into situations like that at least once in our lives and all we can do it just go, eat what tastes nice to us, be gracious and polite (and, my kids had better say please and thank you - mama don't allow no slang in certain situations) and leave. And if it was really nasty, don't go back for more!
I love southern cooking and using things out of my garden. And I like to cook. Our meal is having a bit of a zing to it this year. Wanna know why? I grew some crazy looking winter squash. And I grew kale and brussels sprouts. So.we're gonna have some of that kale cooked down and thrown into a winter squash casserole with a little garlic, onion, red peppers and salt and pepper. They're being baked like that. I'm going to cook the brussels sprouts in a little olive oil and garliic - a ton of garlic. I am happy and grateful that my vegetables are rewarding us with a really nice bountiful dinner that we worked hard on to use on our table. Come around on Friday; some of the potatoes that I bought could very well be turned into tater salad dto have with those leftover turkey sammiches we gonna eat while we are out shopping at the outlets the next day. Oh yeah, bring our own and enjoy. Everyone.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING and try to remember those who are not so fortunate by donating to your area food banks. It makes you feel humble and happy and even more thankful!
I'm sorry. I'm getting tired and I left something out. I always make my stuffing with white bread and herbs out of our garden with salt, pepper, celery and onion; any cornbread on the table from the day before gets mixed up with egg and broth and I form little pats of dressing. I don't stuff the bird anymore; easier when carving time comes around.
Hey Peggy you sound like a carbon copy of Paula Deen!!! You go head and make that meal. Sound wonderfully ummmm like I'd have to go straight to the gym to make it to Christmas. Happy Holidays and you keep cooking that yummy cornbread!!
Peggy, my dad sent me this article and told me to read it but especially the comments. I am thankful he did. you sound so sweet and I would love to eat at your table. I think some of the folks who read this article are way too serious and critical of the writers intentions. It's Thanksgiving, Remember the story of the pilgrim's and the indians? Can't we all just get along? I guess it's true mean people are mean. Everyone else enjoy your Thanksgiving feast, whatever it is, and the chance to spend time with your friends and loved ones. May God bless ALL of us.
Hey Peggy-You Rock!! Can I come to your house for Thanksgiving Dinner?? I helped at Thanksgiving Meal a few years ago (it was community service-probation obligation,but still...) it was something I will never forget-something like volunteering in your community will make you think of things outside your own world. But anyway, keep on making your Holiday Feasts for your friends and family-I'm sure they all LOVE IT and LOVE YOU-you rock the holidays!!
Peggy- given your Irish -American ancestry, I'm going to assume you are a white woman. And if so, you are proof positive that regionalisms, culture, love, and soul – yes, I said, soul – are what it's all about. I would eat at your table ANYDAY, because if the reading says anything – you burn it up in the kitchen!!! You sound so much like my aunts (who are Black) But, I'm gonna need you to try making your stuffing with that great cornbread you always have, and open your mind to yellow potato salad. :) Hope the thanksgiving was great!
Sounds to me like you were eating with Yankees. If you want to eat greens and real potato salid, eat with the home folks. Now I'm hungry. Let's not forget to eat real pecan pie for desert and forget the pumpkins. I also hope you have some blackeyed peas and corn break to go with that dressing and all the giblets. Can't wait til next week.
As a white girl going to college in the '70s, I understood that if I were invited to someone's house for the holiday dinner, I might encounter dishes I was unfamiliar with, and might not get some of my favorites.
I find Granderson's account of his "First Thanksgiving with White People" to be lacking of any comprehension, regardless of his age, that he was in a new cultural environment and should expect something different. It's almost embarrassing to read about his reaction to the fact that this meal was simply....different.
I mean to say that even back then, we "white folk" expected to find cultural differences when we were hosted by those of a different culture. Was that a lesson just for white folk? Shouldn't it have been a lesson for everyone? And why didn't Granderson get that lesson, when he no doubt knew that having TG dinner with his white BF's family might be different than what he was accustomed to.
Either he was stupid, or is, in his commentary, trying to prove something about his enlightenment.....or didn't have anything more interesting to write, but had a column due.
Joyce, what you describe is not just a JZ issue or a racial issue. What you describe is a complete lack of manners in many Gen X, Gen Y and Millenial folks. I find that, across the board. folks born after about 1975 were never taught simple courtesies like saying "Excuse Me," "Thank-you," "You're Welcome" or "That was great! Thanks for inviting me!" Instead we have phases like "Yo," "No Problem," "What are you having?" "What was that stuff?" etc. We parents of young people in these post-Boomer generations (myself included, sad to say) did not instill in our children the appropriate appreciation for the gesture of occasions like being fed at the host's expense at Thanksgiving.
One that gets me is the transformation of "You're Welcome" to "No Problem". Since when has serving a customer been potentially a "problem" that I need the reassurance of a 20-something that I didn't inconvenience them while they served my meal? Really? REALLY?
Manners, people. And courtesy. A lost art in this generation :-(.
I actually had "my first thanksgiving with black people" in 1981. My black friend from work had agreed to take me to the bus station to visit a friend for the holidays, but it fell through and he invited me to his family festivities. I was quite appreciative, and it didn't occur to me until I was getting ready to leave that this would indeed be my first holiday with 'black people'. I wondered if I would fit in and if they would accept me.
I actually have no recollection of the meal itself, just that I felt very much welcomed and included, in spite of my color. It didn't even occur to me to think about what was served, because I was grateful that this family had made me a part of their celebration.
Maybe that's why I can't comprehend Granderson's focus on the food. I've been there.
Joyce you're my kind of person. You'd fit perfectly with my family for TG dinner. In the African American culture food is a way of expressing love and so goes my family but to have the "opportunity" to share that with someone else makes it that much more wonderful. I think what people are missing here is the fact that for my culture food was not always a staple often times when our people found it difficult to feed their families they depended upon each other. Families coming together with a little bit of this or that to feed the masses. If you go into the history of our people you will find that many businesses of long ago began simply because we had an ole grandmother, aunt, uncle, or cousin who was known for their ability to cook. Often times these people would come together to sale dinners - fish dinners, chicken dinners, even breakfast for dinner. The monies were used to establish businesses even universities. Often times the profit obtained by these small but great business ventures provided the funding necessary to build our churches - the backbone of our community. My grandmother worked as a domestic or maid for whites in the south. This woman was what we call "Big Momma or Momma. She gave a new definition to dinner. Everything leaned to the side rich with butter and fried with LARD!! I can still smell those hot sweet potato biscuits with butter and black strap molasses. She'd have a "mess" of collards cooking on a wood stove and a huge pot of chicken and dumplings...proud to be an African American - My grandmother never learned to read and could barely write she was denied that because she was black but she displayed her love through her cooking even for the whites that worked for. She never taught me color only respect and love....and if she were living today she hastily tell me to grab a plate for each person on this page despite your color or where you'd come from. Her goal would simply to win your heart and your stomach through the love she'd put in her cooking and trust me you'd feel the love. #missingUgrandmaLillieMae
Agreed,
You were in the wrong white peoples' house.
Enjoyed the article. The authors' words did not offend me, however I must say I believe if this piece had been written with a different title, i.e. My First Thanksgiving with Black People, CNN would not have accepted it. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Don't eat too much!
I find it hard to take this article seriously. This writer limits all his writing to black people and/or gay people. He writes about nothing else.
If that is all he writes about, then that is all he thinks about. His view is so limited that his perception is skewed.
CNN perpetuates racism and encourages division between the races, but no writer on CNN does it more than this guy.
There is no such thing as "white people". There is not such thing as "black people". We are all just different shades of brown. Light brown, dark brown. Get it?
Genetically speaking you are correct, but politically and culturally you are mistaken and it should be obvious.
In a hundred years or so (maybe 2 hundred) you may be correct when speaking about the United States in general terms.
Wish I was a tad browner....I'm too white. I'd rather of eat a soul food dinner, too. Yum!
It ain't a "white" thang. It's a southern thang. My family is all white AND we always have a mess of greens, sweet potato pie and potato salad with lots of paprika on the top. Ditto on the comment "if a particular aunt or uncle didn’t make their signature dish for the Thanksgiving festivities, the rest of us spent the rest of the day trying to figure out who they were mad at". Don't make uncle Dan mad or we won't get none of his raisin rolls.
We will make an exception for you :), Have a happy Thanksgiving!
I found your article, well written and entertaining. It brought back memories of my first European experiences of dealing with people in another culture.
As to all the race-related posts, my take is that; due to the constant race bating by the NAACP and liberals in general, white people have developed a hyper sensitivity the term “White People” just like American black people respond aggressively to the phrase/term “You People” or “Boy”.
Even when these terms are not used in a insulting or racial context.
I understood your article as it was written, discussing internal cultural fears and prejudices and growing as a person.
This article and comment section is making me homesick... For the first time, I'll spend Thanksgiving without my relatives (although my friend's family has taken me in as one of their own). I suppose though, exchanging mofongo for dressing and pastelillos for cornbread won't be such a bad change of pace. ;)
Maybe the lack of inhibitions prior to that first day away from one's comfort zone is a bit racist. Not in the traditional "hate" variety. It is just an unknown of what to expect from a people sometimes diametrically opposed to each other. I commend the author for sharing an obviously personal experience. Our would would be a lot better if we mixed the races and religions up a little just so we can be comfortable with each other.
The term is 'raising one's consciousness.'
The racist card is overplayed. This writer is an African-American gay man. Could we please not throw the racist term around so much? I found the article an open-minded and honest sharing of someone stepping out of his comfort zone. It was a brave and fascinating POV piece.
I remember being shocked at how my mother-in-law prepared dressing. Rather than make homemade cornbread for the base she used white bread straight from a package to stuff the bird. It tasted dreadful to me. For those of you who don't comprehend this experience of LZG, perhaps it's yet to occur in your own life. No longer am I married to this man, nor do I know if these people are alive or dead, but my memory of that awful dressing will live on forever.
Well, aren't you specially. You don't know if these people are alive or dead, and don't seem to care. The only recollection you have seems to be that they made the dressing wrong, not that they invited you to share a meal in their house. How shallow.
The next column should be, My firs & last Thanksgiving with Black people..Oh wait that would be racist..If the attack is against whites it's okay but if you the black people in there BAMO..We are instant racists..These frigging people need to hang it up no one cares and no one still cares that 5 million years ago (sarcasm)your so called family were slaves to cavemen..that's past not present, we live in the present not the past..GET A LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!
There was no attack on anyone in this article.... I've seen several responses of "If he was while he'd be called racist". Personally I think it is interesting to hear from every perspective possible when someone steps into a new culture to learn. Only people who look for hate would find hate in an article like this.
You have to admit for an article that was supposed to celebrate breaking racial barriers this article is inappropriately named. I agree that if someone were to write an article My First Thanksgiving with Black People it would be called racist and the editor would have made them change it.Why could this article have been called My First Thanksgiving with another Family. Whether people are white or black their still people you don't need to specify race. If people want to break down racial line then they have to stop labeling everything in terms of race.
Totally racist!!!! We are not "white people" we are "European Americans" or "People of non-color"
The proper term is 'Caucasian.'
If black people can use a fake term like African American then he can use a fake term like European American. Get over it. The only term more ridiculous is claiming to be a Native American, as if there was any such thing.
Agreed. I hate being called white. My skin is beige, and by August it will be a beautiful reddish brown. My only white parts are my eyes and an area of my fingernails! Caucasian is the proper word when referring to race. Of course, right now European American would be correct, but my family has been here since 1640, so it seems stupid to characterize me by that.
Sorry. Can't use Caucasian. That would offend many cultures, such as those with Hispanic ancestry. They, even though they ARE Caucasians and ARE European Americans (with the possible exception of those from South and Central America, who should probably just be referred to as Americans along with the rest of the melting pot), continue to refer to other "white" Americans as "white people." It's all just getting too confusing.
Seriously? You're see-through, like the old Visble Man toy? That must be fascinating, watching you eat!
I find it funny you accuse LZ of being a racist, when he is in love with and shares his life with a white partner!!! If you look for something to be offended by, you will find it. A bit touchy, eh?
I love it when people like LZ confuse "soul food" with the southern food that most people with no money ate. My family has always most definitely had greens on Thanksgiving...and about every other Sunday meal in the year. Fried chicken, mac and cheese (the homemade kind) black eyed peas, cornbread, etc. were staples at my WHITE family's dinner table. My mom talks about having to be the one to hook up the intestines to a garden hose to wash them out for chittlins (or chitterlings, if you want to be formal about it). And definitely paprika on the potato salad, as well as the deviled eggs. It's a Southern thing, not a black thing. But I don't think we had potato salad at every Thanksgiving. Mashed potatoes most of the time, with the yummy giblet gravy.
Amen Kasey, this person didn't have dinner "white people" they had thxgiving w/ "northern" people. My Thxgivings are as "southern" they come, plenty of hot sauce/pepper sauce, greens, etc...to go around.....what a joke article
Kasey and Ken, he wasn't confused about anything. That was the whole point of the article.
"But it wasn’t until I left my comfort zone and broke bread in someone else’s that I realized I was book smart, street wise but a little worldly dumb. And when I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school."
I get the point of the article, Ally. But my point is, the whole "white food" and "soul food" things are misnomers. This is the food that everyone eats in the South, and it has nothing to do with color. He kind of makes that statement, but is still idfferentiating food as white and black, when it's really regional. I like this author and agree with most of his articles, just want to make clear to all readers that this is not a "white"/"black" thing at all.
My dad is from Texas – the southwest and not the true south, and we are white. But when I first went to Texas from New England where we lived, I tried for the first time greens cooked with ham hocks, black eyed peas, corn bread with pinto bean gravy, and sweet potato pie. Man oh man, poor white people food heaven....
Are you making a dig at southern poor people? Or did you really enjoy the food? Your post confuses me and yes I am from the south and No I am not stupid just confused by this post about your Dads family.
An excellent article that takes a good look at how food – home made food – binds us together culturally and personally.
Vegetarians should take note. This is why people take offense when you demand special dishes or lecture them on why their diet/lifestyle/universe isn't right or is inferior. It's because you're insulting them when you refuse the food they're offering that is tied so strongly to the people who made it. When you're a guest in someone's home, learn how to act like a guest, not a customer in a restaurant.
Exactly. If you're going to someone's home as a guest, and you aren't going to want to eat what they serve, bring someone yourself. It's still insulting to your host, but at least they don't feel the need to run back to the kitchen and make something especially for you. Eat the green beans. So, you might get a little ham juice in your body. You'll live.
As a vegetarian for almost 30 years, I have never asked anyone to make special food for me - but I do let the host know I don't eat meat so they won't be offended when I politely decline a dish. If they are open to it, I will bring a dish (but some people get offended by the offer - so you have to navigate that carefully). I never discuss my choice of vegetarianism unless someone asks me about it - so no lectures from me. But, if you want to question my choice or put me on the spot about it - I will tell you honestly why I'm against eating meat. If you don't want to hear about it - respect my choice and let me live my life the way I choose.
And, no, I will not eat some green beans and get some "ham juice" in me. Would you tell a Jewish person to just forget about the pork in the green beans? I think not. And let's be honest, a good host - if aware of a dietary restriction - would do their best to accomodate, if possible, for it. They certainly wouldn't get peeved because someone doesn't like to eat the same things they do. My sweet MIL who doesn't understand my choice, always has at least one dish that is vegetarian for me at the table. And I always let her know how much I appreciate it. And to show my appreciation, we cook together so she can teach me how to make my non-vegetarian husband's favorite meals.
It gets tiresome to always have people get defensive about their own food choices when they discover mine. It is a free country. Make your own choice and let others do the same.
It's funny how a Non-White person can very openly make fun of White people beginning with the article title, " My first Thanksgiving with white people ". But imagine what would happen if the article was written by a White Person (or any Non-Black person) and had the title, " My first Thanksgiving with black people ".
In what universe is the author making fun of anyone? LZG is relating a personal, eye-opening experience. I've had similar situations when eating at friends' homes for the first time. Black, White, Korean, Mexican... it really doesn't matter. There is always that slight bit of culture shock when you try something new for the first time. Accept it for what it is – the sharing of effort, love, and food – and move on. Sure, not everything new you try will be an instant favorite (I'm no big fan of the collard greens or kim chi, but I love tamales) but it doesn't need to be. Thank the gift of friendship in the spirit it is meant and enjoy the company.
You know this author accomplished his mission.He really got ppl angry and making rasict comments.This author really brought out ppl's hate.Why do we fall for crap,I bet he is laughing his butt off.We have really secured his job.
Nah. He's not smart enough.
Wow..I thought he was being honest, funny, and loving while reflecting on his own thoughts and behavior. I chuckled and felt warmed reading this, because I had this same experience with my now in-laws. I was shocked to realize not everyone defined Thanksgiving the same way my family did. It took me a few years to figure out the issue wasn't that my mother in law did not know how to cook, but that I was resisting stepping into another culture, in spite of priding myself on the flexibility that I thought being biracial afforded me. Beware of not acknowledging differences- it can cause tunnel vision, inhibit self reflection, and invalidate the honest experiences of others.
I'm sorry, Liz. You completely missed the point of the article. He was reflecting on a day in his past where he not only learned to accept new and different traditions, but also was able to grow himself. It's ultimately an article that goes beyond cultural differences and teaches that one should never judge based on race.
If you believe that stirring up racism and anger was the purpose of this piece, you should reread the article for comprehension. The point of this article is that people need to step out of their own personal comfort zones and realise that love is expressed in many ways by various cultures.
Well he got ppl's goat,and that's enough for me to state my opinion.
I didn't pay much attention to the fact the writer is gay, I'm still thinking that the potato salad simply does not belong on a Thanksgiving dinner table.
We always had home made potatoe salad for thanksgiving, and home made stuffing, home made fruit salad, home made pumpkin, apple, and sometimes cherry pies, home made deserts.
More recently the pre-thanksgiving meal snacks have grown to include little smokies.
What's on the table isn't important. Being with family is important.
Our huge family Thanksgiving dinners included sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and potato salad. I live in the south...
If the article had a different title, every one's panties would not be in such a wad now would they? Relax, it's just his thoughts on what HIS Thanksgiving should have been. So he missed his collards and wanted paprika on the potato salad, is that really a reason to spew nastiness or bring racism into the picture? Relax people, enjoy your own family and find something to be thankful for!
Who in their right mind serves potato salad on Thanksgiving? That belongs at a picnic, never at a Thanksgiving table.
On Thanksgiving, it is MASHED potatoes.
yep that is wierd alright. potato salad is a summer food. Gotta have the mashed spuds to go with the turkey, stuffing, cranberries, gravy, etc.
Exactly!
It amazes and saddens me that people are so ignorant. Read the whole article before you comment people. The author isn't being racist. This article validates that it's okay to expand your horizon beyond your narrow focus and life could be better for all of us. Something many of you won't seem to be doing....
The "spouters" obviously didn't read the article through. LZ's pint was he thought EVERYONE had the same food for Thanksgiving. Nothing racist about that at all. Went to an Italian friend's home one Thanksgiving- the opening appetizer was: pierogi, yes the SLAVIC dish- covered in thick Italian tomato sauce! It was great! No cranberry sauce of any kind. Cannoli for dessert, no pies. Similar experiences at other ethnic friend's homes. LZ's point was that he grew up in a small sheltered environment, his family and friends, went to college and for the first time in his life was NOT eating at home. It's basically about as he says, not being worldly by assuming everyone's Thanksgiving menu was the same. It just happened to be at his white male lover's house that he first experienced TDay away from home. He could have been invited to another black family's home and also been without hot sauce, greens, chitlins, what have you. The title was designed to draw readers ... more accurately it should have been titled my first TDay away from home. The race "angle" is no angle, this just happened to be a white family. He goes on to say that as his world and cuisine expanded, he now realizes other people eat and celebrate differently. So.. NOT racist at all- stop all you haters!
T
True. But he does generalize racially by assuming that all white people eat things the way his boyfriend did. As I said in my other comment, we always have greens at Thanksgiving in my family, and I'm about as white as you can get without being clear. :-) It just depends on how you were raised. We also have black-eyed peas, greens and hamhocks on New Years Day for luck and money.
Kasey, he generalizes in the beginning of the article because he's showing how he made a mistake when he was younger. He's looking back at his inappropriate reaction in the past and acknowledging that he was wrong. He specifically says at the end that people of every race can cook "soul food".
Ally, my pointg is, this is NOT "soul food", and in reality there is no such thing. That term is closely associated to a specific race, and this food is not. I UNDERSTAND his point, now why don't you try actually understanding mine.
Interesting article. Even more interesting re-actions and comments. Obviously this poor thing didn't get out much. Just his family, just their food? Never with white people? Says quite a bit if this is how it is far anyone out there. Mix it up, invite friends (not just family), girlfriends and boyfriends, you'll have the rainbow in a hearbeat! And when you do, all of the interesting conversations, habits, traditions, and yes...different foods too.
Uh – the author is being humorous here, not serious. Although he does touch on some serious topics, the lighthearted tone keeps the piece readable and entertaining.
As I said, I looked at the article just to see why it was even published with such a title. Commenting isn't a safe bet, but I did so anyway. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
I thought it was a good article.. People that are jumping his stuff about being "racist" need to read the whole article.. As a side note.. I bet there was a lot of butt stuffing and man gravy getting tossed around after dinner.. YUMMY!
Totally inappropriate, but totally hilarious..
Thanks for the article. I vomited a little and I think I will not read CNN anytime soon...
Gay interracial thanksgiving... omfg...
Nice of you to stop by long enough to post something dumb, as_shole.
Stupid.....you are clueless. You make me thankful I do not have to be around people like you in my life. The biggest haters usually are the ones hiding their true selves. Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy your vomit.
Yes, gay interracial Thanksgiving. That shocks you? Do you own a television? How do you even have the internet all the way back in 1950? Tool.
Hate to break it to ya but it's a brave new world out there. You better keep your head securely buried in the sand. Good luck w/ that....
So only gays of the same 'race' can celebrate Thanksgiving? Gays shouldn't be grateful for the good things in their lives?
Hey, can straight people of different 'races' share Thanksgiving, or must I kick my husband out of the celebrations this year?
Look, we're all human, with similar hopes and fears and desires. The amount of melanin your cells produce is not what makes you a valuable (or less valuable) member of society. Nor is the sex of the people you love.
Neat! He's still used to eating weeds (with enough hot sauce and mustard to kill the taste) and pig guts (chitterlings) and to say so in a national rag (for that is what CNN has become) to show that however high you can elevate a man, he can still always revert to the lowest common denominator at need. And CNN actually PAYS these people to write this crap?
I'm confused as to why liking foods he grew up eating makes him less of a person? Don't most people harbor nostalgia from comfort foods we were served as a child?
You're a sick man, mxptlx (or whatever). So you grew up eating turkey – there's a lot of vegans out there that would say the same about you... especially if you had giblet gravy (heart and gizzard).
My mother loved all those foods. She had platinum blond hair, blue eyes and was 5'1" with golden skin. So bloody what?
Weeds? Weeds are plants growing where they're not wanted. The foods he grew up eating (which are quite good) have good nutritional value and the only difference between them and some of the foods more familiar to other palates is that they use a part of the plant we all too often waste. We also eat leaves (lettuce, cabbage, kale, parley, cilantro), stems (celery, onions, chives), roots (carrots, beets, turnips, rutabaga), flowers (broccoli). I don't see why you're feeling so superior.
with white people? oh, I see. When I tell my story of my Christmas with black people, it comes off racist, yeah? It's cool, it's not like you're entitled to make white folks look boring,lame and plain because of slavery 200 years ago. Ugh, enough already.
Is it ok for me to be offended at the phrase while poeple?
What are while poeple?
Only if you can figure out how to spell it correctly.
hahahahaha. That was too funny. Ignorance is ignorant I guess. Even spelled people wrong.
i clicked on this article out of sheer curiosity to see why it was even published with such a title. It doesn't make much sense to me to print an item like this, as it seems pretty strange to bother discussing this person's thoughts and feelings in this way. Innocent, decent people are still being angrily painted with the term "racist" and "uncle tom" all over the place just for disagreeing with Obama on matters of policy and ideas these days.
To me, it shows that SOME "whites" are definitely not the only people who apparently feel a little this or that about skin color and customs and habits! (Finally, the truth is out!) Frankly, if a "white" person" wrote an article entitled, " My First Thanksgiving with Black People," or even, "My First Thanksgiving with Asians" or whatever, I just wonder what would happen in the comment area. Do I hear the rabid screams already? For just pointing out the truth? Probably.
No.
As a white man, raised in the South, I have to agree with the author. Although I am used to the "White" Thanksgiving, I always make sure there are Greens cooking and there is definitely Paprika on the Tater salad! I think it is a Southern tradition. Food from the South. There IS no substitute!!!! I'm just sayin... ;-) But on another note, I have a diverse family. Filipinos, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Indians and Chinese. I love the strange combination of flavors we have at Thanksgiving (and Christmas)! I am thankful for every one of my family members. I don't care where they are from. They are part of my family and that is all that matters... We have happy holidays, filled with love, period!
A lot of you folks on here are just plain stupid. Did you even read the entire article?! Are your comprehension skills so deplorable?? Or did you just read the first paragraph and then run off to think of a "clever" screen name (like "Shut Up Black People") so you could log on and let your fingers fly with the "hey this guy is racist" drivel??
Unlike many of you, at least LZ can honestly look at how he used to think and how he has grown and moved past those racist and unfair assumptions of other people's race/culture. He learned, he matured, he can say that he was wrong. Sadly, there are not enough people in the world that have the ability to do that. Some of you may greatly benefit from actually reading the ENTIRE article and trying to absorb some of the message within.
Wow... clearly racial tensions exist even in this century.... but differences from one's experience to another are what wars have been waged over (that and oil)... when will we mature to enjoy the rich cultural diversities that exist in our beautiful land? What i find interesting is that on Thanksgiving regardless of color/race/creed a vast majority of Americans enjoy the day in each others company and dine together feasting on dishes that aren't served all year round. There are special heirloom recipes or ingredients that "must" be present in some way or another. It's a day set aside to celebrate gratitude. EVERY SINGLE PERSON in this country can identify at least one thing (and many, many more for most) to be thankful for. THAT is what Thanksgiving is about.... celebrating gratitude, sharing a meal, enjoying traditions new and old. Be blessed and pass the lefse.
according to the article , the writer is a woman!!! it states "on the one hand, going to HIS house for Thanksgiving was a good thing!!" i really can't believe that some of you guys didn't get the point of the story!! maybe you should go back and re-read it!!!
um..sorry but LZ is a MAN and he is WITH a MAN.
Maybe you should have realized it was a gay man. GO BACK AND READ!!
Guiltyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!
He (the author) is a gay black man. You should reread it.
I thought it was a woman also, mainly because I misread LZ as Liz. It wasn't until I read the comments that I realized that the author is male.
A very good article which focuses on embracing differences.
Almost 2000 comments at this point, so this will be lost ... LZ, take a look at 'What's Cooking,' a 2000 film by Gurinder Chadha. Tells the story of four Thanksgiving dinners, all unexpectedly linked by a single potentially tragic event. Lots of warm humor, and a lot of cooking for love. In 2000 comments, someone else has probably mentioned it, but if not, it is worth a look.
Lovely article, as always. Too bad some trolls read half the piece and then spout bile. Ignore them.
–charlie
Saw that movie and loved it! Great snapshot of different backgrounds celebrating their traditions on Thanksgiving in America.... i think i watched it on Amazon Prime.
This author is an ignorant bigot who should understand every ethnic group adds their own spin to thanksgiving, no matter what the skin color and thats the point of the frickin holiday. Thats the point of America. In my house, manicotti comes out before the turkey. In my neighbors house, they do Korean Short Ribs before turkey. Good for them. Good for me. This author ought to grow up.
Did you read the whole article? Because this portion indicates that he might understand a bit better than you do.
" But it wasn’t until I left my comfort zone and broke bread in someone else’s that I realized I was book smart, street wise but a little worldly dumb. And when I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school."
"every ethnic group adds their own spin to thanksgiving" In so many words that is what the author said. KUTGW.
My case is a bit different. My household is multi cultural but I have invited some Africans over–they say they have never ate food cooked in the home of an American. Well...I'm having Turkey with cornbread dressing and gravy, cranberry sauce, corn pudding, salad and greenbean cassarole, rolls and ice tea....then the "other meat" is a ham with candied sweet potatoes, collard greens, cornbread...THEN the other dish are my signature baked baby back ribs, macaroni and cheese...THEN for the Africans –a special dish–chicken briyani (my daughter is partial to that too) all in all, a lot of food but notice no desserts? My bro is taking care of that . sure to be a pumpkin or sweet potato pie, peach cobbler, and (hopefully) a yellow cake with homemade fudge icing.
Drinks–also and of course to usher in the coming Holiday season–eggnog with rum for the grown folks, I would love to do chitlins–but if I did, everyone would disown me. for me–and for most–Thanks giving is about the holiday and abundance of food. FAR too much food. I expect the day to set me back at least 600.00 but that is not the point. The point is my kids are coming and we will cook through two days to get to the Thanksgiving day.
As we cook, we will regale each other with stories of thanksgivings past–when the food was oh so good or horrible, that time Momma made oyster dressing–or when my sister made mashed potatoes that must have been the forerunner to superglue. Her hilarious broccoli souffle...or the time I cooked a roast for 7 hours and we could not get it to turn brown (stayed pink inside causing many to not eat it–delicious).
It is about remembrance and ritual and coming together of the new and the old–it is tradition (I could NEVER get away with not cooking a ham or not having dressing or corn pudding) it is about recognizing when to let some stuff go–chitlins and it IS about being sensitive to others–my African guests are all Muslims–so I anything I put pork in has to be labeled and a separate version made for them. Hard work that we all look forward to.
The writer was not being racist–he was saying he had a few racist or at least culturally narrow thoughts–but he has learned to move away from that. Here is something a lot of us do not think of–how do many Native Americans celebrate Thanks giving?
After all, the acts of Squanto helped to develop the seed that ultimately destroyed the Native American civilizations–so was Squanto and that first Thanksgiving a "great thing with Squanto and Pocohantas viewed as heroes?) or is that day a time that is bittersweet recognizing that they now celebrate a tradition of gloating and excess by people who destroyed their dominance? I am 1/4 Cherokee–so I am curious about this–and about what other Americans think of this holiday from another perspective.
My hubby thinks it is an appalling waste of food-and a day to be pigs..oink oink. We end our day with deserts and talking and going out to the movies–and we pack large boxes for everyone to take home, because I do not plan to cook much else until at least the 2nd week in Dec. LOL
That's the right perspective!! God bless your gathering and fellowship
Can I join your family for dinner? Yum!
Identify yourself and post your address! Expect me around 2:00 on Thanksgiving Day! :)
You rock, QueenBee! Mama Like!
Wow "S.U.R.B", you really did NOT read this entire article did you? Sadly, your language is strong, and illinformed. I"m white, from the midwest – technically its white bread America. I wasn't sure where this article was heading either, but it was nice to read someone else's perspective. The author merely brings up the knowledge she has gained from her life "before" and then being exposed to a new world with new people, cultures not her own, and loving the gained "positive" experience of it. She's positively talking to everyone, regardless of readers backgrounds. Personally, I would LOVE to attend a Thanksgiving with a wonderful black family. I've never had any of the greens/food she described and I'm hungry. :) Read and digest the ENTIRE article. NOT just the parts that might irk your background. God bless you all!
The author is male. Just so you know.
Ironic, isn't it?
Bless your heart, suga...as my Granny used to say, its better to close your mouth and have people wonder if you are stupid, than to open it and remove all doubt. Read the article, honey bunches of oats....Happy Thanksgiving, Precious One
You are waaaaay too stupid to be posting comments. Please re-read the article.
This is a pretty pathetic response. This was a piece about cultural differences and overcoming them. If you don't have some kind of "soul food" at your Thanksgiving that's pretty sad. I make the pies, my mom makes the stuffing and cranberry sauce, my sisters usually do the turkey and everybody brings something traditional or new to the table. And we all work our buts off at it because it's a special day to say we're thankful to have those people in our lives. I think that's what he was talking about. I would be thankful if you'd use your brain for something than aping Rush Limbaugh.
LZ, loved your article as always. I know I'm partial to you because you live in Michigan, but I do enjoy your articles and hope they keep coming. I've only ever had Thanksgiving with similar cultures, and I can just imagine how I'd react if something I "needed" was missing.
I have to admit, I saw the title of this article, got pissed off and didn't read it.
I came back to it a week later, and I'm glad I did. The writer is telling us that his first Thanksgiving with white people expanded his horizons. I really appreciate that.
But others who have said that a white man could not write this article about his first Thanksgiving with black people without being labeled a racist are right. Argue this till you're blue in the face, that's just the way it is.
I can't wait for his first Thanksgiving with the "yellow people".
I can relate somewhat. I went to Thanksgiving dinner at one of my friend's house once. Everyone there was Cuban or Cuban-American. I had never had a single thing they made, didn't recognize anything. Except the enormous pig roasting in the back yard. I had brought a pumpkin pie and they didn't know what to make of it. It was the first time I realized not everyone celebrates the same way. Her family was great and the food was AWESOME.
Happy Thanksgiving, eat well . . . . . . . . . . . .
If it were me, I'd be a bit embarassed to admit that, while being included in another family's holiday celebration, all I could think of was how wrong the menu was. Instead, Granderson seems to take some sort of pride in going on an on (more than necessary) about how wrong the food was.
If his point was to explain how it's good to respect the customs of other cultures and perhaps embrace the idea of new foods, he didn't need to go on and on about what was missing from his "Thanksgiving with White People" meal. As pointed out, not all white people are alike, and the title of this article alone makes Granderson sound like he lumps us all together...which, you've got to admit, sounds a bit like racial profiling. Just saying.....
I've never liked Grandersons columns, as he usually comes off as pretty shallow, biased, and narrow minded. But I suppose Those People deserve to have a say too. I'm gladd CNN is hosting him, as he fits right in with all the other meaningless items that CNN calls "news".
I guess I'm just easily confuse. If you never liked Granderson's columns, then why on earth to you bother to read and comment on them? Is it a form of masochism or are you just painfully illogical?
Don't you people have friends of different races?? Don't you discuss cultural differences and laugh about them?? Why are ya'll so uptight?
Paul, what "culture" within the category "white people" was the author referencing? I guess all "white people" are from the same "culture" now right? We all cook the same way on Thanksgiving, all us "white people"? I suppose all "black people" are from the same culture and cook the same way on Thanksgiving too.
@white people, but that's exactly his point. This article is him looking back on that day and and seeing that he shouldn't have thought the food difference was due to race. It's a lesson learned and shows how he's grown.
I love how on every one of his articles there are people who clearly didn't read it but want to bring up their "if a white guy said this, it would be racism" nonsense. If you would actually read what he says, he talks about how he had his misconceptions of food made by white people and admits that it was simply ignorance on his part. What is really racist is that a vast majority of the people who comment on his articles sees a black man talking about race and, without knowing the content of the article, assume that he is bashing white people for no reason. In reality, that is never the case.
"that is never the case" that non-whites bash whites "for no reason?" wow. I don't know where you have been living- whites are even supposed to bash themselves as much as possible these days, even if they didn't do anything wrong.
Went to Thanksgiving where the family liked"Turkey Roll" and stove top stuffing. I don't care what race they were it was crazy disappointing. I was a young man, had only eaten Thanksgiving cooked by my Mom and Grand Mother and was flipped out by the difference. Couldn't figure out how they got it so wrong. Same case here, the guy knows he is going somewhere new, across race lines and it just isn't anything like home.
I have a male friend (black) that refuses to eat Soul Food - he calls it slave food and deems it not good enough for him.
Slave food? I think he may have deeper underlying issues but unfornately my usual suggestion of a cure involving a pot of well cooked collard greens wont work.
Wean yourself from that soul food. It will knock ten years off your life span.
I hope they read this and server you fried chicken and watermellon this year! You are a RACIST!
Frank baby, re-read the article to get the correct conclusion. And I am crazy about watermelon but it is out of season for Thanksgiving.
Your grammar is bad Mr. Frank.
When your invited into someone's home to share a meal you don't criticize the cooking. it's just plain rude.
I dont understand how so many people are calling this writer a racist. All she is doing is sharing her own experience with us.
The writer is a man. A gay black man.
Read the article, nowhere does it say that he criticized the food, it was what he was thinking to himself when he saw it. Also, the word is "you're".
If this story was anything outside of stereotypical racism, what dish did you put your heart and soul into to bring to the white thanksgiving? It would have at least made the article just slightly interesting and less stereotypical.
I've had Thanksgiving Dinner with white people my whole life. I still haven't gotten used to it.
This article is racist. There are unenlightened black people and unenlightened white people. We see them everyday. We hope they go away.
They multiply like rabbits, turn into zombies, and will suck out your brain. They are going nowhere.
agreed and even more so, if a WHITE PERSON wrote this about the disgusting smell of chitlens, greens and other bad 'soul food' ... it would never have been published. F- CNN.
I am a black girl, and you are RIGHT! If this article swung the other way, I probably would have been pissed. Time for me to rethink this. Good point Ryan!!!
Can you imagine a similar article written from the opposite point of view; "My Thanksgiving with Black People"? Imagine the uproar. Hypocrisy stinks.
I think this article might be a case of triple reverse racism.
Might be quadruple: Reverse Reverse reverse Reverse racism.
could even be quintuple. Actually thinking about it, I say this is:
OCTUPLE REVERSE RACISM !!!!!!!!!!!
doubled.
And then reversed back again two times.
TO the guy saying this is racist, you are talking about a gay black man.....it today's PC society, he is unable to comprehend and therefore commit a racist comment. Most universities (and I went to a small midwest college) actually teach that only white men can be racist as they grew up with a silver spoon. So shut your mouth, crawl back into your mansion and let REAL people run the place. LOL
People are missing the point of the article. This guy was closed minded but has grown due to his experiences after college. That happens to most intelligent, intellectual people as they get older. Thanksgiving is different for everyone. Obviously people make the food that they like to eat on Thanksgiving and it doesn't have to be just the traditional foods like Turkey and Stuffing. In the South they make "dressing" and they love it. I don't but that's because my early memories of Thanksgiving don't include dressing. As humans we become attached to what is familiar to us. What gives us comfort is what we're used to because of our memories. I still want to create almost the exact same Thanksgiving meal that my Mother made every year which was basically the same as the meal her Mother made too. I agree with Granderson that Thanksgiving is about love and food that is made with love. Happy Thanksgiving.
LZ is racists. His other articles always have a race undertone to it but he gets away with it because he's BLACK. he's a horrible journalist.
My only complaint about LZ's writing is his occaisionally poor grammmar. I have the same comment about your post.
catchy title, popped in, totally disappointed. the article, something to read. the comments, like mine, moody rambling... and who gives a rats ass what's for dinner when you are blessed to have food and people to share it with... enjoy! if someone invited me for a feast or a sandwich, i would be gracious. i would hope for a turkey sandwich with miracle whip on white bread lol, but so long as it was not grub from a stump or something else i couldn't watch on t.v. let lone my plate, i would celebrate the holiday remembering those of all hues and habbits i am thankful for. grow up people!
I am particularly concerned by the suggestion that "white food" is not prepared with the same love and love care as "black food" and therefore has no soul. Is there a white food purgatory? Is angel-food cake a lie? Oh gnash, wail...!!
Did you read the entire article, or stop in the middle? The complete article is exactly the opposite of what you have posted.
From the article that you obviously didn't read but felt you had to comment on:
"And when I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school."
First off...this is a great story!! Well, if you can't relate then your ignorance may leave you feeling this writer is so off. I am from the midwest and my Mama is from the south. Can you imagine combining the food from both of those parts of America? God I am lucky! lol! I get the whole Thanksgiving where you go to someone else's house and it is so NOT the same. It ruins your whole Thanksgiving! I married a man from California who's family is Italian. They can fix a mean meatball but,they would NEVER add a pound of bacon cut into piece's fried with a whole white onion, mustard, ketchup and seasoning to a pan of pork and beans(baked for 30-40 minutes at 375) to get the BEST baked beans you have ever had! Mashed potatoes need to have REAL butter in them and half and half. Chicken broth doesn't cut it. I LOVE California...but when it comes to any holiday dinner...birthday supper..or a good ol' pot of greens...I will do it myself. I will say...it is not about the color of skin you have, it is about how we were raised. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
exactly! this guy is racist. he could have written this article and left out all of the references between white, black, soul and non loving white food...he's an f'ing BLACK racist.
Ryan, if he would have left out the references to race then this would have just been an article about different cultures. Since he included his past misconceptions this article now becomes a lesson learned to everyone that you should never judge based on race.
Of all the diverse peoples of the world, the one day where we can come together for a unique American holiday, lets remember those without chitlins, greens, turkey, hot mash potatoes, cranberry relish and football on Thanksgiving. Be us African-American, Korean-American, Slovak-American or Russian-American, take a moment today and ask your local soup-kitchen, mission, shelter, elder single neighbor “hay, if I make a bunch of “fill in the blank” can you use it? Would someone like to join me for dinner? Coming from different places with different smells and memories of Thanksgiving; can we put the negative aside for one day please? Just as LZ did, take a step out-side of our comfort zone to share just one meal. In terms of LZ’s commentary, I can relate. I’m standing in the company’s cafeteria line last week for the usual every Friday breakfast brunch (more than enough food to get you to dinner time at a bargain price) and instead of having the usual hash brown potatoes, I asked for grits. An African-American lady behind me said “I didn’t know you white people eat grits.” To which I replied with a smile, “my mom (100% Slovak – RIP) always made grits in the winter, boiled than fried in bacon drippings. I’ll add my breakfast bacon, a pat of butter, a dash salt, and this becomes lunch! That is with a little help from the microwave oven.” We both had a good laugh and went on with our day. Let’s take LZ point this Thanksgiving and just reach out to those that have NOTHING to look forward to.
Great comment Steve! Absolutely love and share your point of view. Thanksgiving can be such a powerful holiday! A whole country celebrating and giving thanks without any kind of barriers (political or religious), can you all imagine the power of one day like that? We GOT IT! let's make it about sharing and helping each other.
Have you ever wondered what people all over the world think of your religion? Visit http://www.isitacult.com and vote today!
Please stick to the topic.
I LOVE it when this guy writes a story. I don't read the actual stories anymore, the writing is always rubbish, but I skip right to the comments from the people who freak out after wasting five minutes reading.
I couldn't agree more. I'm going through the comments now and looking for the ten absolutely most insane and will read them to my guests this Thanksgiving. I love reading these put loud because they are just so goofy.
EXACTLY! I'm more upset with CNN for publishing his stories though simply because he's a racist and if he's allowed then they should also let a racist white person write stories right next to his.
wow, this is possibly one of the most narrow minded, offensive, arrogant pieces I've read in some time.
How?
Oh, this makes white folks' Thanksgiving sound so bland! I'm glad that the experience opened your mind, but I still can't help but feel that we (white folks) came off a little boring. Come on over to my place next Thursday and let me shatter that stereotype! Oh, and please bring some greens. I don't cook them but I sure love to eat them!
I don't think the article is racist, just a poorly written blurb from someones diary. Next.
at least you all have families to spend thanksgiving with. I would love to have a family to have thanksgiving with. I am getting tired of chineese take out for holidays with my only dinner companion is a cat and Law and Order re-runs. I miss the big family, the gossip, the fighting, the drama, the stories, and the company.
Sorry Aud...
Get a Dill-doe
You are rude.
I would love to have you come to my dyfunctional family's thanksgiving. The food is always wonderful, but sometimes family can be a little tough, however, I will grin and bear it and cook up all the food as usual, turkey, ham, fried chicken, dressing, yams, collars, fried corn, home made rolls, potato salad and macaroni and cheese, peach cobbler, sweet potato pie and pound cake and banoffee pie,
What is banofee pie?
"Banoffee pie (also spelled banoffi, or banoffy) is an English pastry-based dessert made from bananas, cream, toffee from boiled condensed milk (or dulce de leche), either on a pastry base or one made from crumbled biscuits and butter. Some versions of the recipe also include chocolate and/or coffee."-Wiki
My parents are dead. I have no siblings, cousins , aunts or uncles or grandparents. So I volunteer on the holidays and make my own family for the day. That family is called the human race. Empower yourself.
Gold Star for Karl, thank you for helping the human race.
Come to my house in Tennessee. We are having -
Appetizers:
Pimento stuffed celery
Black & Green olives
Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
Meal:
Cornish hens
Wild Rice Salad
Stuffing
Green Beans
Rolls
Mashed Potatoes
Cranberry Apple Casserole
Desserts:
Pumpkin Crunch
Spiced Cranberry Bundt Cake
Bananas Foster Parfaits
You are welcome to bring whatever is you favorite family dish and the story that goes with it.
This year I am giving thanks for:
Having a bunch of people coming, stealing our land, raping our woman, destroying our culture, o yes! I am very Thankful
That funny, still crying .it funny that it OK for Indians to kill,rape,and steal.as long it a Indian on Indians crime. when white people do it a travesty.
crawl out from your tent and read a book you fool. people get conquered over and over and is a natural part of history. you're not the only 'people' who have been conquered and you weren't the last since then so STFU, read a book, accept progression, learn 'white people's' ways and advance yourself. Plenty of famous 'american indians' have been an integral part of the 'white society' and ways of life in every field of study and profession and you know what? They didn't become alcoholics, owns casinos and complain and cry.
A "Real" American would realize that people of today do not have a frickin time machine to travel back and change the past. Does not matter if you are Native American, African American Irish American Jewish American Japanese American...every group has had atorcities committed against them. If it bothers you so much, you ought to move to the woods and not indulge in all the modern infrastructures that empowered your life in this 21st century...I mean, apparently, you own a computer.....I know, thats so native isn't it? It is rather like the bankers crying about taxes when it is the taxes that allow bankers to make profits through the infrastructure we all pay for. That makes you an ignorant native american, as well as a bitter one.
Believe it or not, I get tired of my blackness sometimes because it comes with a wee bit of rigidity. I love the puzzle of learning about other's culture if even if I do come off clumsy. They appreciate the gesture and embarassment only lasts but so long.
Whites have no culture, they steal everything from other groups. The only thing that is original in White culture is Polka Music, and that sucks.
(Sarcasm mode on)Because, you know, every culture in the world is unique...except for white people. And, you know, we're all the same. Dutch? Italian? German? Irish? Nope, all white, and all bland. (Sarcasm mode off)
Wow you're a racist jerk. I'll stop it here cause I feel like I'm feeding a troll.
You are correct: The Romans and the Greeks brought no culture to human civilization what so ever, huh? Maybe you ought to get an education before you go opening your mouth you ignorant nigggwer
As can be seen in any Hollywood movie depicting a typical "white' thanksgiving it consists of turkey, mashed taters, candied yams, cranberries and pie for desert. All this article tells us that is that LZ led a sheltered life. Why he brought race into it at all is beyond me. He couldn't even get the stereotypes right.
What a 2 faced nation we have become; if a white writer wrote about his 1st Thanksgiving with a BLACK family he would be branded as a racist.
What's good for the gander is good for the Goose, when will this saying become true straight across the board?
People love to bring up these hypothetical situations without showing an example of something like that actually happening.
Nice article. I will be cooking for the fam and we will definitely be having the greens, mac & cheese, sweet potatoes and sweet potato pies, homemade rolls, turkey and ham, etc. It makes the house smell so good and everybody is happy. I have traveled all around the world and have enjoyed the different foods and tradition and it has all been a great experience.
We were so poor I did not know you had turkey for Thanksgiving until I was in high-school. We had Chicken or Squirrel and gravy. poke salad greens and fried potatoes. No special pie. . always cornbread and beans.
sounds good to me! Everything but the squirrel that is.
You had no turkey for thanksgiving! I am literally falling on the floor laughing! Thank you for making my day :)
don't listen to trollin mctrollerson above, he probably wasn't hugged enough as a child. your thanksgivings sound lovely. don't think i could ever eat squirrel, but at least you had family to celebrate with!
People really lack common sense and/or the ability to read correctly and comprehensively. I keep reading comments on how the author of this article is a "racist" simply because he mentions how he was taken aback at the differences he experienced at his first Thanksgiving away from his own black family. Now perhaps I am more well read then many of the individuals who post without historical hindsight, but I have read many accounts by Caucasians professing the same thing. Were they labeled racist? No, just people whose world-view had been altered. Is admitting this tantamount to racism? Not the last time I checked. And this word...racist. Wow. This word is perhaps the most mis-used word in our English language today. If we track the historical implications of the word Racist, then no, black people cannot be racist, because a racist would have to have political and or economic pull to limit the rights of an entire group of people. It so happens the majority of people in this country are White and have historically held much of the systematic power. It's pretty simple. Sure, if you go to Africa where the majority of the population would be black, then yes, as a white person you can be a victim of racism in that regards. Here, no black person can deny you an education,a job, healthy food options or make you the victim of rampant police brutality. It just isn't the reality. Yes black people can be prejudiced, bigots, close-minded, ignorant, etc, etc. but they, along with asians, latinos and native americans have not, do not, nor will they ever, at least in this country, have the political, cultural and soci-economic power to be "racist", i.e, deny basic rights to an ENTIRE group of people. White guilt has morphed into white frustration, so we are now at a point where even mentioning the word "white" sends Caucasians into a tizzy.
There is zero reason for the article to mention white or black as it has nothing to do with either. The article is about how he lived a sheltered life and again, that has nothing to do with being white or black. Being from New England I can say that both of the above Thanksgiving dinners are equally foreign to me. Regardless of the race, or in this case more accurately the culture and geographic region. Culture has nothing to do with race. Culture is a learned behavior, obviously race is not. The fact that a majority of people in a culture may be of a certain race is happenstance.
While I agree that race isn't the point of the article, I disagree that it has no place here. He was pointing out his reaction during that 1998 Thanksgiving was that white people must eat different foods than black people during the holiday. Years later he's grown as a person and is acknowledging he was wrong to initially react that way. That makes it more than a culture article, it becomes a lesson to everyone out there that you shouldn't judge based on race.
Thank-you, I could not have said it better, I'am sooooo.......tired of hearing who's white and who's black or yellow, etc...
It's so refreshing to read a comment that actually makes sense on here! Hats off to you, sir.
Thank you George, such a relief to read a reasonable comment on here. I think a lot of people clicked on the link to the article with their panties already in a bunch and read the whole thing looking for reasons to get ticked off. As a woman, can I never mention my gender and how it affects my life and worldview without being labeled sexist? So why is LZ racist? I have never once gotten that vibe from any of his articles.
Who the heck eats potato salad on Thanksgiving?
That's what I wanna know!
Exactly! I am as white bread as they come, and I can't imagine eating that on Turkey day! Potato salad is a summer dish – you should have mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving!
My cousin married into a bunch of Georgia crackers, they eat greens and sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving. I think the author is confusing "soul food" with Southern food.
My family would eat potato salad for Thanksgiving, deviled eggs too. Your comment is ridiculous.
I don't think it's a ridiculous comment. I've celebrated Thanksgiving with people of several different cultures and I've never seen potato salad served. I was surprised it was mentioned in the article. It's always been a hot potato side of some sort. Now deviled eggs.....are required! :-)
My family (a black family) ALWAYS has potato salad at Thanksgiving! In addition to mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. most black families, in my experience, do that.
That's what I was thinking! Potato salad is such and everyday kind of food. It's a great picnic food but not great on Thanksgiving.
I am just like the writer, amazed at a totally unexpected difference, I guess! It never would have occurred to me that people serve potato salad at Thanksgiving.
It's all about tradition. As far as the evolution of Southern (black and white) cultures, this time of year, the weather in the South is often very pleasant. When the average person's home is too small for large family dinners and the yard is large, it's easier to seat large groups of people outside under the shade of trees. T-day dinner is frequently served outside, picnic style, where potato salad fits right in.
You're missing the point. It's not about the potato salad. It's about people just getting together to sit and celebrate. If it was just onion soup and crusty bread it would still be Thanksgiving.
Looks to me as though some of you didn't read the entire article... The writer spoke of his own prejudices regarding food different from his culture not to label white's as 'doing Thanksgiving wrong' but to show his own lack of culture and world experience, which he of course later corrects by becoming more 'adventurous'. It's as if people have no reading comprehension skills, or they only read the article until they found something to get angry about and quit – only to come here to the comment section and run their ignorant mouths...
Jeez, it's really disturbing to read the tone of some of these comments, with accusations of "racist" (among other things) being thrown out. The title is certainly a tad provocative, but I'm sure that was Granderson's intent to get peoples' attention. But certainly once you read the story, you can easily see that it's a sweet and humorous essay about how different people celebrate a holiday in different ways, and that there's no ONE way, RIGHT or WRONG way to get together with family and friends to give thanks. However you do: with chitlin's and greens, or roast beef and green bean casserole; with sweet potato or pumpkin pie; with potato chips or tortilla chips and salsa, it's all about celebration, inclusion and acceptance, and that's what makes us all human despite our many differences.
As a white guy i think this article is kind of strange. I know its good to have dialogue about our differences but its not right to single certain groups out as doing things the right or the wrong way. No offense but white people invented Thanksgiving so we know how its done. Potato salad was meant to be mayonnaisey & watery. That's how the pilgrims did it that's how America does it. End of story. & I don't even know what collard greens are...
Now I know why my Southern man won't eat my Northern potatoe salad... it's watery... no salt, no pepper, no pickles, Thank God for the Southerner's and all the spice they add to our lives! Thanks to all who made my day brighter... Happy Thanksgiving!
That was Sarcasm, I hope.
The Pilgrims had mayonaisse?
Read the damn article.
Did no one here pass the SAT?
Did you even take the SAT? If so then you would know that you don't pass or fail and there are no grades.
You beat me to that response, you think fast.
He was caught on that one!
Calm down everyone... You all have nothing to complain about ... that is, until you see your brother-in-law, nieces & nephews snarf down a bowl of boiled homemade noodles with ketchup. (Now- that's nasty!) The holiday is about fellowship, laughing, cards, football, playing with the kids, making memories & bitching about the neighbors. GET A GRIP.
I thought this article was going to be a refreshing look at race differences, which is not necessarily only something to deny exists or blame others of harboring. Then I read the comments. Nope, I was right after all. Most human beings and their little minds are just simply pathetic. Nothing short of several hundred thousand years of evolution is going to help.
Just reading the comments below make me wish that some of these stupid people be sterilized! There should be no way that they are allowed to pass down their DNA.
The problem with the DNA cess pool , is there is no lifeguard on duty to take out these rejects (yet).
It was called eugenics, and it was tried. The mentally and physically disabled, promiscuous women, ethnic groups like the Roma were sterilized. During the early 1900s there were even congresses about it. It continued through to the '70s, although the massive sterilization had stopped by then.
As with any program, who decides what DNA is valid? The folks in power. How would *you* fare under the current regime?
Whoa whoa whoa, okay... How is this a white thanksgiving? I don't remember Blacks hosting the first Thanksgiving, sounds like a Thanksless giving, "No greens? No thanks!" Auther should have kept their racist mouth shut.
In his defense, greens ARE delicious!
Billy, it's spelled "author" and should be "his racist mouth". I'm curious as to how you chose to read this particular article.
For an arrogant jackaxx who complains about language your compound sentence has emphasis in all the wrong places. "It" is singular not plural – see if you can figure out why your sentence makes less sense than you.
If the black guy had walked in and they were cooking greens and chitlins and other food he would then have complained that he was being singled out and condescended to by being fed his "black" thanksgiving. Grandyman didn't want to to write an observational story, he wanted to juxtapose his "colorful" and "rich" southern black ass meals to what "white people" share. I don't recall there being a whole bunch of chitlins or blacks at first Thanksgiving. Thankful for that.
A lot of these "black" foods originate in the South and are also "white" foods enjoyed by many White Southerners. I think you also find a lot of diversity from family to family. For many Polish-American families, it wouldn't be thanksgiving without a kielbasa and sauerkraut side dish. For some other families it might be English Cauliflower and Cheese or Irish Colcannon. These things are thankfully finding their use becoming more common as the generations pass. Around 1970 in college, a fellow Polish American had brought a lot of Pierogies for lunch and asked a bunch of us if we wanted some. I knew them and started eating them cold, but they were so unknown in general back then that other friends passed and were asking us what Pierogies are (in case you still don't know: dough rolled like a big ravioli often with cheese and mashed potatoes inside that's boiled or fried). It used to be they were rarely known and if you didn't want to make them yourself, you went to Polish-American Catholic churches on Sunday to buy them at fundraisers. Now they're a commonly cooked item from the frozen food isle. When I was in college, salsa was virtually unknown to most and Indian food even less so. Little by little the foods of all ethnic/racial groups are becoming known to all.
The Mick is so right. Learning and enjoying ethnic/cultural differences is not unique to Thanksgiving. I can still remember the great time we had with a Chinese family in Taiwan. Our son was teaching English and two of his students (brother and sister) had discovered that their teacher's parents (us) were visiting Taipei. The food was utterly different than American style Chinese. We did a lot of discovering of food and much more important, how to appreciate each other. We've had many of those experiences in various places in the world and come away every time richer from the experience.
Wow some people have a very low level of reading comprehension! The author was in college spending his first thanksgiving away from home with his boyfriends family, YES he would be alittle naive, bc HE WAS IN COLLEGE spending HIS FIRST THANKSGIVING away from home! Folks, he is admitting that at the time he didn't know much about 'the world" and now that he has traveled and gained experience he can fully APPRECIATE the differences! Hopefully this summary will suffice for the people that are indignant over absolutly NOTHING!
Well the second I read "white" I read "I'm racist"
Well I think you just figured out your problem with the article. Key words like "white" trigger anger, guilt and raises your hackles... Yup! that sounds like a personal problem.
Great summary, Reading! Unfortunately it seems like a lot of people clicked on the article because the title got them a little mad...and then read through the beginning of the article. Were officially offended, and then stopped reading it before they got to the part where he explains how his perspective has changed.
The author just had his first NON-SOUTHERN Thanksgiving.... not his first white Thanksgiving. He seems bit too narrow-sighted to see that though.
Exactly, the author needs to learn the difference between race, culture and ethnicity. Around here you wouldn't dare serve potato salad on turkey day. Does that make me not white?
Call me naive... but who eats potatoe salad in the winter??? LOL
But, Mcneal...that WAS his point. That it's NOT about race.
In the title and several times in the article he mentions and points out the differences between "white" and "black" thanksgivings. Here is the problem, he threw them in there just go get people to read the article to find out what he was going on about. The old bait and switch with a controversial title.
Contrary to what many people think, you will find food traditions crossing cultures in the Old South more than anywhere in the country. In my white family Greens were a regular dish and usually served at Thanksgiving. We usually had two potato salads; one mustard, the other mayonnaise and both with paprika on top. We had sweet potato pie rather than pumpkin because fresh sweet potato were plentiful. On Sundays during the Summer months we always had fried chicken followed by watermelon for desert which was never allowed to be eaten in the house. The watermelon was cut and served on old newspapers by grandpa on a wooden table in the back yard.
He was dating a white person. How racist could he be? It is a growing up story. It sux I will be old when the race thing is behind and below America. A wealthy person somewhere who has never worked a day in their life is happy as a clam races keep fighting. If they didn't people might get pissed off and start getting pissed off in the right direction.
This article is utter rubbish. The differences have everything to do with geography and nationality and little to do with race. As a white I can tell you that there was nothing mentioned in this article that would be considered a traditional New England turkey day dinner. And even in New England you will start to see influences depending on Italian, Polish, etc. Culture is not equal to race. Here's a clue, Hebrew is not a race, Japanese is not a race, Mexican is not a race, etc etc etc ...
I grew up in the south, but I truly hate greens of any type, unless spinich is considerad a green. Oh yeah, I'm white if that matters.
I so remember my first Thanksgiving with Martians. Having grown up on Venus, some things were hard to take. Like why put lialdgmnarth on ever dish? What ever happen to old fashioned kjahfhgayrtg sauce?
As a white woman married to a black man for over 20 years, I can attest to holiday feast diversity. The author of this story could have written his article a lot more professionally. It reads like it's from the pages of Jet magazine. They're always talking about "crazy white folks," or "white folks do the darndest things." No joke.
When I first was married, I was surprised that my husband's family had baked mac and cheese at every big dinner. My white family had never had that at gatherings. It was delicious though and now I make the dish myself at every holiday! It's a shame that some people are so shallow minded when it comes to food. I delight it trying new things and try to incorporate them into my family's weekly menu. It really breaks up the mundane, and who knows....you might find something you like.
Good Grief people... The article is not racist! It's called cultuaral diversity... embrace it! I, being from the North, had never seen a mashed potatoe until I married and moved to the South. I'm sure some Northerner's eat mashed potatoes, but I never had. One of the best foods on the planet is Wilted Lettuce Salad... (bacon grease, vinegar, sugar). Southern, I believe... and killer good. This poor Yankee girl suffers every time I eat it but it is SO worth it!
Mama, if you've only had that salad using lettuce you must try it with spinach! It tastes so much better to me.
@Ally... I'll be adding that next Saturday... can't wait!
Growing up in So. MN ... the host family would provide the place settings drinks & meat, the families closest to the host family would provide the hot sides, the further away the cold dishes and breads... Lefse, cranberry chutney, krumkake, crudites, cheese balls and crackers, deer sausage and cheeses, smoked wild-game turkey, slow-roasted ham, sweet potato casserole w/ marshmallows, cornbread stuffing, chestnut bread dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, jello mold, waldorf salad, pumpkin pie, apple pie, cherry pie, cheesecake, large jugs of wine in white and red, everyone bringing a platter of their favorite bars & cookies. We all prayed together ate then played card games like cribbage, rummy, nuts, and sometimes charades... So much love and patience and acceptance even if just for the day...If all of you posting would have been at grandma's house and wanted to bicker about such inconsequential things... you'd find yourself hugging each other by the end of the day even if it was just a truce.
I remember my first Thanksgiving with black people... It was definitely the most awkward holiday I have ever had. I was like does everything have do be battered and deep fried? Why did everything have chili powder on it? Do I have t dredge everything in hot sauce? Where was the stuffing, pumpkin pie, and bourbon? I loved her but not enough to go without a Thanksgiving that I consider normal... So I dumped her called off the engagement and returned the ring.
There is certainly a culture shock when it comes to meals and ethinic mixing. When you break bread with another family , you are in the inner sanctum of that family's being. When I spent my first Christmas in Ireland, not with my own, it was so so different. but like this story said, it only opens your horizons, widens your world. This Article was a Great Story How ever, dumping somebody you sad you loved over TG is only Joke on your part or you had no real love for your soon to be significant other.
dUH!!??! My whole story was a joke it should have been obvious to you. I was just poking fun at his story. tool
Wow...most black people don't batter and deep fry anymore for Thanksgiving. We read the health books just like you do. Was your experience with black people in the last two decades?? By the way, many people have potato salad on Thanksgiving.
This article had me laughing out loud...because I've been there. My first Thanksgiving with my now-husband's family was a shocker for me. While I didn't expect greens and "chitlins," I didn't expect cold cuts and potato chips either. But everyone is different and has different traditions. We don't go there for Thanksgiving anymore, but I'm glad I had the experience.
Sheesh! This was a simple article about food of the holidays. Not, a diatribe about race, sexual leanings or political stuff. Best parts I liked from the author were:
...But it wasn’t until I left my comfort zone and broke bread in someone else’s that I realized I was book smart, street wise but a little worldly dumb.
...I’m not going to pretend as if I didn’t miss a lot of the smells and tastes of the Thanksgivings I was accustomed to. But I will say that if it wasn’t for that day, I might not be the adventurous eater that I am now. More importantly, it would have taken me a lot longer to understand the difference between accepting our differences and celebrating them.
Every week in this world, there are holidays people spend constant hours and days planning for. Get use to it, enjoy our diffences and post recipes!
Wow really now I fully understand the premise of the story having mixed relatives
But really If I as a white man were to have the exact same story published I would definitely be labeled a racists and have the almighty Rev Jackson picketing outside of my front door demanding my dismissal at the very least
Without being racist, I think LZ has done no good to any of us. He has merely displayed his own lack of civility and inability to try eating something different. Every ethnicity has it's own ways of preparing things and a wise person strives to enjoy everything. Regardless of whether LZ was writing "tongue in cheek", I found his entire article ignorant and abusive. he should be censored and prevented from writing any similar claptrap for public consumption. CNN, where are your editing rights when needed?
"... 2009 winner of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation award " typical of Minority groups these days, you can poke fun at any group they want, but if this article was written by a straight white man about blacks the net would be aghast! Listen, either everyone lightens up and we can poke fun at everyone, or no one can .... you can have it both ways Mr. Anti-Defamation award winner!
It's clear to me that you, and the other two who replied to your comment, didn't really get the point of the article. The overall point was that things like this should NOT be about race and that's a lesson he learned. How to appreciate the culture and life of others. There was nothing racist about what he said. If you took some offense than maybe you need to step outside of YOUR comfort zone, and stop being so angry that you can't say all the rude things that come to your mind without fear of being called a racist!
"I grew up in a household that if a particular aunt or uncle didn’t make their signature dish for the Thanksgiving festivities, the rest of us spent the rest of the day trying to figure out who they were mad at."
Classic!!
I laughed at that!! How true was that line. I guess the differences between whites and blacks just keep getting slimmer and slimmer. I love reading Mr. Granderson's columns. Another good one.
I grew up in the northeast and have lived in places like Miami, Mississippi and New England. Everywhere I've lived food is a staple of the culture and it is fascinating to learn other people's traditions. I make black beans and rice, Cuban pork, empanadas and tres leches. I also make black-eyed peas and greens for New Year's. My son loves catfish. My husband's family is from China and Sunday brunch is now often dim sum. When my mom first moved to Mississippi with me we went out for Thanksgiving dinner and she freaked out that the dressing was made of cornbread and the pie was sweet potato instead of pumpkin. She never adjusted to the food being "wrong". Embrace the opportunity to try new things and broaden your experience.
I've got you all beat. My story is not black and white but North and South. My family (North) made everything from scratch the day of thanksgiving, so when you walked in the house you smelled the turkey, etc. My southern halfs thanksgiving consisted of all the food being made 3 1/2 hours away a week before and driven up the day before thanksgiving. When it was time to eat a tupperware was opened (cold) and set on the table, a can of green beans opened, and maybe a hash brown casserole. What ever didn't get eaten was carried from relatives house to relatives house the remainder of the weekend. I must say I would rather eat up North.
I thought it was just my ex-in-laws who did that (southern)!!
This sounds more like a northern/southern difference than a black /white difference. My SO who is from the south eats greens and sweet potato pie. While I am from the north and don't. My potato salad is not smooth. Why do we always assume it is a difference between black and white? Why can't we find the real cause of the differences between people? It's just too easy to blame color in this country.
" And when I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school." And that's exactly what the author is saying. :-)
Absolutely!!! I loved this! My experience was a Southern/Polish one!
Another great article LZ...love your work. This made me laugh out loud.......Ally sumed it up well.....enough said !
So is the author of this article suggesting that white people don’t put the heart and soul into their cooking? How shallow is this guy? Why was he open about dating a white girl but not able to embrace her differences? BTW collard greens SUCK! -
No, he's actually saying that this experience opened his eyes to traditions that were different than the ones he grew up with. And that it was a wonderful experience.
Not enough bacon grease. That's what makes them good.
Jen, he was dating a white GUY.
It appears that Jen's reading comprehension skills are lacking!!
Jen, did you actually read the article? Please go back to grade school before you try to stick your 2 cents anywhere....idiot!
Jen dear...........the author is gay. He was honored by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. While reading comprehension was not a focus in your high school / college studies, perhaps you should be a bit more careful with your opinions. it is obvious that he was writing from his own experiences and offered a comparison. Nicely written and pretty easy to follow......then again there is that whole reading comprehension thing..........
I've never like the traditional thanksgiving of Turkey, and stuffing. My husband is the cook and we usually make egg rolls. We're white without a hint of Asian blood. Our kids love it and we have a system where our daughter rolls and our son supervisors.
Another racist black; yes, I know – blacks aren't racist or bigoted or biased, are they? BS
Pretty clear this person has no idea what Thanksgiving is all about. Maybe racism is the only word this person has in their vocabulary as she 'begins' college. This is pretty late in life to know there are people out there who have lives different than yours. I really feel sorry for this guy and would like to have a status report one year after they get married, if they get married.
"she" ???? what article are you reading ????
RocketJL...let's just hope they CAN get married :-)
Aside from a rather inflammatory title designed to get pepole to read the article; there is nothing racist about it. Unless you think discovering new and different traditions and enjoying them is wrong....
He is also gay...so a black gay racist?!
I don't think this guy is racis .but I had a Mexican Gay Racist neighbor once. It can happen.
Daniel, that is so not true. Black people are not racist. It is the white once that let us black believe that they are our 'friends' / GF or BF and thereafter talk the greatest nonsense behind our back. I know!!! Black people are very nice people giving a lot or showing kindness without excepting many. At a point when it doesn't suit you white once any longer you cheat your way out of whatever the relation was to be.
I must add, I don't know whose loss it is: white or black.
I'm pretty sure racism isn't confined to any particular race. Nor is ignorance, obviously.
My husband is Puerto Rican and I ove our Thanksgivings full of foods from my childhood in Virginia and his on the island!
I thought this piece was sort of fun. I had a similar experience at work yesterday, listening to some black ladies talking about their holiday dishes. They plan on making greens, and chitlins, and using lots of hot sauce. It made me smile to think that there are people in this country who celebrate the holiday with something besides my mom's wiggly cranberry sauce and dried-out turkey.
I enjoyed the article and why get offended? I'm a white guy and haven't ever had Thanksgiving with a black family but I am sure I'd enjoy it and all the different foods to try. We live in the USA folks, there are dozens of different cultures that all have their own traditions. Embrace the diversity, don't hate it!!
First, I'd like to say that I enjoyed the article and how the author talked about how this dinner helped him to see past some of his preconcieved ideas and broaden his perspectives, but I'd like to say, and I know he made very brief mention of this, that there are white people that cook they way he is decribing as black. Maybe it's a southern thing, but growing up, and still to this day, my family and I make our potato salad just the way he described – chunky and with plenty of paprika on top. My family grew and cooked all kinds of greens too. And as for hot sauce, that's a staple in our kitchen. Most of the other people I know where I live, white or black, cook like this.
To all of you crying about the article:
All I see is a bunch of people (most likely white) who are mad that someone of a different race dared to write an article calling their holiday traditions "strange". Well, guess what; your traditions are strange to some people. If you were to celebrate Thanksgiving with a family from China, I'm positive that you would find something in there to call weird. Stop acting so hurt that someone was willing to stand up & point out certain racial differences. He didn't perpetuate any myths, he didn't insult them, he just wrote honestly about a case of holiday culture shock in a mature manner. It's a shame some people on here aren't able to do likewise.
Thanksgiving in China? When exactly did they adopt that Holiday?
Thanksgiving with a family FROM china.
Reading is fundamental.
I am from India and have never been to an American (black/white/brown/southern/northern) Thanksgiving dinner. I welcome my American friends to join us for dinner on Thanksgiving although please be aware that there'll be no turkey or beans or any of the items listed in the articles/comments. What you will find is friends sitting on a table, chatting, laughing and enjoying time together irrespective of the culture they belong to on a nice holiday in Florida. And there'll be beer, wine, margaritas ...lots of it.
Most of the whites on here are not offended about the observations of the author ... pick on the white traditions, thats fine, we are just getting sick and tired of the double standard in this country. A White person could not write this article about dinner with a black family without the NAACP and Al Sharpton denouncing them as racist bigots! As light-hearted as the author intended the article, it serves to underscore how minorities can speak their mind whenever they feel like it, but if whites do it they are somehow evil .... Its a tedious time to be white.
What is there to get angry about reading this article? It's about traditions with your family and the fact that the food is all part of it. I don't get mad when my yankee co-worker brings her dressing to the work dinner and it's all chunky and not smooth. I'm a white southern girl and turnip greens are served at any big family meal. I have to agree, potatoe salad is suposed to be yellow, not smooth and should have paprika on top. I like pumpkin pie over sweet potato...sweet potatoes need to be candied with brown sugar, pecans and marshmellow. Buttermilk, pecan, lemon, chocolate and pumpkin pies are neccessities at my family Thanksgiving. Yum!
Gee, sorry I didnt serve fried chicken and watermelon with Kool-aid or Boon's to wash it down.
Way to stay classy with the racist stereotypes. It never fails. And in a minute he/she will say she's not racist.
I come from an Italian home and every Holiday we had some sort of pasta or something with tomato sauce on it.
Gnocchi is the favorite.
I come from a strictly Italian-American background and for the first 8 or 9 years of my life just assumed that the Pilgrims had ravioli as the first course before turkey. Didn't everyone?
I will admit that the title caught my attention and I was expecting this to be a rude artical about how white people cook. On reading this I realized it was nothing about race it was about FOOD. I grew up on "soul food" also known as southern cooking. I still cook it for my own family to this day. My Thanksgiving table will have collards with ham hock in it, potato salad which is yellow in color not white, topped with eggs and paprika, sweet potato casserole, chicken and pastry, fried corn bread and many other foods that I'm sure half of you have never heard of. I will also be serving sweet ice tea with my meal. The author was telling a story about the culture difference in all people not just black and white. If I had gone to this same house I would have been thinking the same thing, though I would have been the rude white girl asking where these items were and probably would have offered to go get it and make it for them. I would bet most of you that find this article to be racist are not from the south and if you are, you were never served nor have eaten a true southern meal. In my house food and family go together. The women are all in the kitchen talking, laughing and cooking. We teach our daughters how to fix the same dishes so when they have families of their own they also can prepare the same meals that generations before them have served. I took the point of this article to be when people are removed from their comfort zone it is hard to mentally handle the changes. And this person learned a huge life lesson about their self and opened their eyes to the world around them.
Amen sister!
I'm a northern white boy, and I think I'm supposed to say, "Well bless your heart, Darlin'." at this point.
Same here. I was in my 20's before I realized that some people think of greens, fried chicken, black-eyed peas, etc as "black". I grew up eating them along with my whole (lily white) family. I thought this was a fun article about finding out that other people do things differently at holidays and it works out OK.
I didn't even know there were differences in "white" food and "black" food. I guess my parents failed the white race by raising me with black friends, black neighbors and black food. Good for them. Another reason mine are the best parents in the world.
holy yum!!! oooooooohhhhh girl!!! pass the greens and i have dibs on a big ol' chunk o' hamhock!!! what a feast! :) :) :)
I come from a racially mixed background (black/Cherokee mother) (black/Scottish father) & food is a lot of fun at our house. My mother cooks the southern way with enough food at Thanksgiving to feed a battalion, even if there are only going to be 6-8 people at the table. I loved this article because it made me laugh at my own family and all of our missed backgrounds. Yes potato salad at my house is chunky yellow, with paprika on top, sweet potato pie (no pumpkin) & sweet tea.
can i come over for dinner?
@j, I would LOVE for you to come over and have a meal with me!
If this article isn't about race, but rather food, perhaps he shouldn't have brought race into it. Perhaps the title should have been "My first traditional Thanksgiving dinner," or my first "Northern Thanksgiving Dinner," etc.
I have cooked the meal for my large family for quite a few years, and this boys and girls is perfection Northern Yankee-style:
Wine, cheese and crudite platter luring them in on time and keeping them the heck out of my way in the kitchen.
Wine, turkey, stuffing, gravy, yams topped with toasted marshmellows, corn pudding, green bean casserole, rice/broccoli/cheese casserole, cranberry sauce still in can shape, black olives, apple cider served icy cold.
Wine, and anything goes for dessert, I am partial to cheesecake, red velvet cupcakes (yes, Southern!) and blueberry pie ala mode. Regular guests included an Asian family, the mom gets really mad because she brings a platter of homemade spring rolls for part of the dinner and everyone gobbles them down as appetizers unless she hides them. Did I mention wine? And Trivial Pursuit for those up to it afterwards.
And I totally agree after seeing a video on how chitlins are made, you gotta really love your family to make them for them. Brutal.
Good grief, I think some people here clicked on the article *hoping* it would make them mad. Funny too how most of the angry comments I'm reading seem to be coming from males. I live with someone like that...so eager to feel trampled upon, disenfranchised, whining that they don't get special treatment anymore... Sorry white boys, you actually have to get along with and hear about people different from you now. They're everywhere, and they aren't going away.
I don't know where the anger is coming from, it must be the "No-bama's"
"Sorry white boys, you actually have to get along with and hear about people different from you now"
Funny, considering blacks cant even get along with themselves and end up killing each other in the process.
Hey maybe they will kill you by accident cause you are STUPID :-)
LOL doubtful...any nig that tries to kill me will have a .44 Magnum round through their head
Wow Nig, so tough through the internet. I'd bet you're probably some scrawny internet geek living in mommy's basement who gets trampled on in real life and so feels he has to act like a real bad@$$ through the net. Try to get out more, maybe meet a girl (if you even like them). You've probably never even seen a gun other than in your computer games.
Daayuuum! You are so right!
I had thanksgiving with a black family once....all that was there was popeyes fried chicken, watermelon and kool aid
Ah ..........ignorant uneducated Meh the name is Nig Lover. I do not have to be black to love black people and southern cooking. I do not have to black to see you are a fool. A suker is still a sukah by any other name IDIOT!!!
And, you felt right at home, didn't you "passer"? LOL
you know, hopefully, they wrote this article to get people chatting about their family traditions. obviously, it didn't work for some of you. maybe instead of writing or saying hateful, hurtful things in public, it's better to keep it to yourself so only you and god know how ugly you can be.
lol your "god" can lick my taint
Isn't that sweet. You are trying to shock people with your posts. That's adorable. Just like you were an adult.
Did you mother go out shopping and forget to log off the computer?
I am sooo shocked at your shocking posts. You are truly a shocking person. Now go help you mother with the groceries.
One time I had dinner with black people and the food was really good.
Agreed.
wow, some of the people on here need to take a breath and calm down. the fact is, all of us are different whether it is our race, our religion or location, whatever. embrace the differences and learn from them. i was married to a man from south jersey and i learned to eat cheese steaks with the best bread ever and he learned to eat greens and chicken fried steak. i work for a jewish company, i have black friends and hispanic friends and indian friends and they are all different about some things. hell, i'm from east texas and i get teased all the time about the way i say things. lighten up
People who have a problem with this article are just narrow minded and would serve themselves better if they became citizens of te world like this woman. We all grow up in cocoons of our culture, if we're fortunate enough like the writer we get outside of that cocoon and realize that most people are not that different. This happened to me when I joined the military and had to live with different people from different cultures. The people who have a problem with herpoint which they obviously fdon;t get are always looking for issues to attribute to racism. Fortunatelty they seem to be outnumbered in these post.
CNN is always stroking the race thing.
They would never print a headline that says "My first Thanksgiving with black people."
Everyday CNN has so many stories about race, racists, and white people who are racists.
CNN has a fetish for racism. Whether it's Granderson, Soledad O'Brien, or Sanchez, they can't report on anything other than race. This network is so racist.
It's because CNN is headquartered in Atlanta. Go figure...
more racist trash.
I wait for white history month. or my kwaanza with black people.
sick.
I read the article and care not what the message is. We live in a worl d in which judging a book by it's cover is a neccesary skill to filter through to what interests us. CNN should be ashamed. Imagine the uproar when a national media syndicate publishes nexts weeks trivial article "Christmas With Black People."
Its differences when a black person writes it, but it would be racism at CNN if a white person wrote this. CNN is race baiting again.
Most people here have completely misread and misunderstood Granderson's essay. He is writing about his own perceived sense of being sheltered from other people's habits and social and cultural norms on a major holiday, and admitting that to us. Why ANY one would misinterpret his essay is baffling to me. He is not racist. He is pointing out that HE had preconceived ideas about Thanksgiving meals, and was learning by visiting his partner's home for that meal that he was very clueless about what other people traditionally prepared. He saw that as a learning experience. Those of you who are accusing him of racism are wrong to do so. He is being very open and honest about how different we are, and accepting that his own expectations were, in many ways, a huge shift in his own experiences as a person. Why the insults to him? Many of you will apparently never be able to laugh at your own biases as he does about his own. He has a sense of humor at his own expense, which is a great way to communicate, and I am so sad that so many of you don't understand that.
That doesn't matter one bit what his intentions for the article were. There is no denying that, if this were a white columnist reporting on a "black" whatever, there would be hell to pay, no matter what the article was about.
You're an idiot and your response proves it! There have been a million and one articles about whites and their experiences with blacks. If you are that damn concerned, write an article yourself. This is one man talking about his experience. How is it race baiting? I actually appreciate that he shares the fact that he was not as well versed in other cultures as he thought he was and that this was a good experience for him. The PROBLEM WITH WHITE PEOPLE is that they assume that they are culturally diverse but never take an active step to prove that theory. Many of YOU ARE NOT. Im so sick of white people crying the race card claiming blacks are playing the race card. GET OVER YOURSELVES!
There have been a million and one articles about whites and their experiences with blacks"
Please cite these "million and one" articles, please.
Give it up, Chuck. Seriously. Give it up.
This person is a writer? This article was so poorly written. The content was also lacking.. race/food aside.. he begins with this great story full of misunderstandings & cultural differences.. and then says, "The potato salad – while still naked in my eyes – was pretty good. So was the pumpkin pie." Way to sum it up. Forget the food & fam.. where is journalism to be grateful for??!
Also.. sounds like his bf's family just can't cook very well. Naked potato salad?! Unacceptable.. for any race.
It's called a personal essay, not journalism.
People...this is not about racism! This is about the comfort one feels with one's family Thanksgiving traditions....and new cultural experiences...which by the way is a good thing!
I had a neighbor for Thanksgiving last year. She had never had Thanksgiving with an African American family and was simply mesmorized by "all the different foods that I have never heard of or even thought of tasting." She could not get over the greens, sweet potato pie, fried corn, rutabagas, etc, etc, etc . We laughed together and she said...wow what a feast! My experience was the opposite experience of this CNN author. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the differences of other cultures. Let's embrace our differences and enjoy Life!!!!
Halleluiah Victoria! Well said.
Seriously? People are in a snit over this article? Most of you missed the whole point...its simply about dirfferences, not about race or ethnicity. Get over yourselves and lighten-up, you bunch of old curmudgeons.
Yea I would miss the greens too! A lot of people I know in the great white north do not eat or have a taste for "Soul Food", Its southern food in reality. Man do I miss my aunts collards with hot chow chow and turnips! Now collards, turnip greens, mustard greens or Kale prepared is not entirely embraced by Northeastern white folk but down in NC GA SC ... all white folk eat that food especially at Thanksgiving. Cut me a big slice of Sweet potato pie...
You can pull up at our table any time for Thanksgiving!! You would fit right in! (Southern black girl from NC)
Mmmm...Chow Chow!! Now I have to go look up a recipe! I forgot all about Chow Chow!! (Puerto Rican girl in NM...raised by white people in TX)
I bet is was your mom, grandmother or who ever else cooked "your family food". It is a lot of work that goes into making big meal and should be appreciated no matter what one's eats. Also, you did not consider your boyfriends family's feelings. What if they read this article? They might feel that they did something wrong, not meeting your ideal views. Not a good way to start things off to becoming a family.
If they did read it, I hope they can read better than you. You missed his point entirely.
I am offended by this article in so many ways. Shame on you CNN.
7 billion people on the planet and guess how many actually give a rip?
Thanks for the article you racist SOB!
Daaayuuum, and a very good morning to you too.
LOL!
read the article again nick....stop being so myopic..
Uhh. You want him to read it AGAIN? Plus, he'll have to look up what myopic means. That's probably too much work for him.
This eating holiday has become the center of business sell offs. Everyone turns into miss or mr do gooder and becomes oh please, thank you, what a sham. Go out and look, then view the same peoople a few days later and those same people would be completely different. Spending time with family is good, you can do this anytime of year.
From your post, it appears the Grinch may have some competition – how about a side of whine with your bitterness?
Is it race or ethnic? I don't know many other white people who'll have lasagna as part of their Thanksgiving spread but, on our table it's a must for my Italian grandmother. My other grandmother, British born, hasn't hosted Thanksgiving since I was a child but, what I remember best from her table is Trifle pudding and boiled carrots.
Also, I hate green bean casserole, sweet potato pie is evil because of it's resemblance to the glory that is pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes are best left in a baking dish slathered in brown sugar and marshmallows, and the biggest part of Thanksgiving is all the wine it takes to put up with all of your family's crap for the day.
well said
I also despise green bean casserole. Why ruin perfectly good vegetables? Give me some freshly steamed to the peak of perfection neon-green green beans with a little pat of butter on them any day over that casserole slop.
Agreed, and with a hint of bacon.
Oh give me a break. This person's experience doesn't depend nearly as much on race as it does on personal family preference for serving certain foods at Thanksgiving. I have been invited to have Thanksgiving at many family and friends' homes all over this country, and not ONE of them served the same menu as my own family (ever had mexican turkey and tamales for thanksgiving? Don't knock it till you try it!). What's the matter with just eating food that – while it may not be what you are used to – just plain TASTES GOOD and stop being hung up on the skin color of the person who made it??
As someone who loves apple pie with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese on top, cornbread dressing, sausage with biscuits and gravy, collard greens, good BBQ, and anything with sauerkraut (a serious nod to my German heritage), I say a resounding "FEH!" to the concept that race and good food have anything to do with one another.
Why does it always have to be a race thing? This is why we can never move on.
Actually, considering my Thanksgiving customs (since, I'm from where the Pilgrims are) are the originals, wouldn't it be yours that are quite off?
Suzie,
I apologize for those farts that ruinded yoiur wedding. I hope you can forgive me. It's just those people at Taco Bell with their "May I take your order?" and "How can I help you?" I just got all beand up. I'm sorry. – Dad
Sir, I admire your courage in attempting to set things right with your daughter. Not sure this is the place to do it. You are an American hero. I'm going to have a slice of apple pie right now!
My goodness you need to go back to school to brush up on comprehension, if you are making this article out to be a "my thanksgiving not yours is the real one". Go back to school, or I can have my 2nd grader read you the article an explain the key points.
Brian
"Actually, considering my Thanksgiving customs (since, I'm from where the Pilgrims are) are the originals, wouldn't it be yours that are quite off?"
Pilgrims...originals? You brag about being of a lot who stole and murdered on this land we now call USA?? I guess that is what you meant in "original". You're on the wrong topic.
We aren't "white" any more than LZ is "colored". The non-bigoted term is "Caucasian".
white is fine with me.
Caucasian refers to peoples from the Caucas mountain region (between modern day Europe and Russia). Anglo might be more of what you mean as it is peoples from the Engle river region (middle European region).
I prefer people just call me white in stead of Caucasian or Anglo. It's perfectly acceptable.
Im white but prefer Native American since I was born here in the States.
I don't see how anyone could get racism from this. If anything I see someone who experienced something new and learned from it. He also pointed out that everyone's idea of normal is different and different is good!
THANK YOU.
I love Thanksgiving. It is truly a beautiful holiday for various reasons, from food to joy and laughter, to the giving and thanks. I hope everybody has an enjoyable a Thanksgiving this year, because I believe this is day that Americans have an obligation to have fun and stop stressing. It is truly my favorite holiday!
Clearly Mr. Granderson is over-generalizing due to race. To get this out of the way, I am not a Caucasian or an African-american. Firstly, not all African-Americans eat soul food and not all Caucasians eat the meal that he has described in the article. As previously stated by many of my fellow commenters, these Thanksgiving meals are solely based on regional differences, not racial differences. The meal that Mr. Granderson and his family typically eats is embedded throughout the South, and is not confined to one race or ethnicity group. The meal that his partner's family generally eats is generally eaten in other parts of the U.S., like the North or Mid-West. On a different note, I would like to state that Mr. Granderson's experience was truly enlightening, as I have only lived a short life (I am still in my younger teen years), but still have a lot of cultural experiences to go and food is a common theme of a culture, truly depicting the non-biased view of society. I have found this article a little unpleasant, but still very enjoyable and enlightening. I hope to be able to become accustomed to other foods and cultures and to travel the world to truly experience the world. Thanks Mr. Granderson for sharing your experience and thank you CNN for posting something about Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday.
I absolutely can not believe this was allowed to be posted! This is the most racist posting I have seen here in a long time and is incredibly shameful.
If this were a straight white guy posting this racist rant, then we would have Al Sharpton marching on CNN headquarters and getting advertisers to pull there spots with the network.
My thoughts exactally!
His article admits that the meal was a turning point for him and after that he realized that soul food is not about race, but the love people have for the food. He also said that later on he realized that many blacks don't cook soul food, and people of other races including whites do. Its an actual story of how people go from thinking narrowly because of how they've been brought up to thinking broadly. Are you people shouting racism being deliberately stupid? You are an embarrassment to white people.
the article is only racist if you're racist. I found it humorous and entertaining.
Thank you for sharing your personal journey., It can be shocking & even painful to feel that you aren't as open/tolerant/unbigoted as you thought, but you handled it very well, & even turned it into a "teaching moment". Would that even half the cretisn commenting here could do even half as well.
Many are missing the main point. We need to buy the father of the home a strong drink. Not only is his son gay, but gay and doing a black man. Wow, could it be any worse for that poor man?
HA!
No collards for Thanksgiving, that would have been my que to dismiss myself from the table. That is almost as bad as having Thanksgiving from a cook with high blood pressure. AWW the ultimate disappointment. Although the greens beans sounded like they were on point.
A good story, but I think the "Food Channel" needs to decide on how this "soul" food came into existence! Then have a TG dinner cooking contest BETWEEN these two families!
I read this article and thoroughly enjoyed it!! It has always been my belief that everyone brings something from their specific culture to their thanksgiving table. In my house it is collard greens and sweet potato pie!! The point in the article is that different does not mean not as good, just different that what the writer was accustomed to..
I'm glad the writer wrote this....because I certainly enjoyed reading it and will bring it up during Thanksgiving dinner next week!!
Ms. Wright, I totally agree with your comment. However, I never thought I would refer to myself as a boy, since I am actually an old man.
I have been reading LZ Granderson’s columns for some time and usually agree with what he has to say. When I saw the title to this particular article, I thought, “What the . . .,” but then I saw the name of the writer. That is when I knew that I would enjoy his post. Even though we have never met, I feel like LZ Granderson and I are old friends. I am very sorry that so many people thought this was a racist article, but I did enjoy many comments on the cultural diversity with which people in this country celebrate Thanksgiving. Just one correction to some comments, the first Thanksgiving was not in Plymouth, but in Jamestown, Virginia. The reason I know is that my family was there.
This Thanksgiving I will be fixing a traditional Southern meal (much the same as soul food) for my sister and me. Mr. Granderson if you would like to join us please let me know and I will fix collard green. That is something that I do not usually do, so a little warning would be in order.
I can totally sympathize with the author of this article. Where I grew up we always had "southern" type foods, fresh off of the farm for Thanksgiving. They were prepared simply, but deliciously, and all of the food was local. Then I moved up north for college. To my dismay, my boyfriend's family did not cook food like my family. It was mostly from a can, not super flavorful and little effort was put into preparing dishes. It is a little heartbreaking but I think it makes you appreciate where you came from much more.
I liked the Article, and I understand what he is trying to say. After reading many of the posts I can see that many of you missed the point.
Thanks, LZ your story reminded me of my first Holiday away from home.
WOW !!! I read through about 20 of these comments and scrolled straight to the bottom. I'm sorry, but it seems that ever since Obama got elected everybody is getting butt hurt over the stupidest things. Race is always the topic of conversation, and no one can say anything good or bad without it turning into a 7 day segment on the nightly news. This article is completely and totally benign, and just says what most of us may be thinking at times when we are thrust into a new situation and have closed minds in terms of the cultures and habits of other people besides our own. Different doesn't mean not as good, and that's all she was trying to say. My family is very ethnically diverse, and i laughed when she talked about the green bean casserole, one of my sister in laws signature dishes, and she happens to be Dominican and Puerto Rican . Our Thanksgiving table consists of traditional southern dishes, puertorican and cuban dishes, and everything in between. For someone that grew up eating the same things year after year, I enjoy having some variety on my table now. I just cant believe how something so innocent could spark such heated debate. Its really not that serious...
Maybe you should have read the whole thing before you commented. Your comment does not accurately respond to this post at all. There was no debate, and the author explains how this event helped. The title may be a little misleading, but the overall point was about understanding differences, trying new things, how the experience opened her eyes, and how grateful she was for the experience. So i'll say to you, since Obama has been in office, TOO MANY people have rushed to judgement over simple things without knowing the facts. Next time read and dont scroll through. With that kind of mind set, Im assuming you're a Tea Party supporter. Fight anything without knowing the facts, and blame Obama when you can. (for the record, Obama had nothing to do with this article! smh)
You hit the nail right on it's head. If you talk about toilet the "pinheads", (as Bill O'Reilly would say), come out of the woodworks throwing in ethnic rhetoric. Yet, yell the loudest how African Americans raise the issue at any opportunity. Insane.
Seems like people miss the main point. He flat out admits being Book Smart, Street wise and WORLD DUMB. He is talking about his limited perspectives and how this particular thanksgiving opened that up for him. Sure, many of the Caucasian people of the south eat the same dishes as their African American neighbors, but maybe he did not think about it.
Either way, seems like people are splitting hairs over details, when the main point of the article is a nice one to think about.
News flash....I'm white and I've grown up eating all of the so called "soul food". I think southern food is a more approprate term. Not sure why everyone thinks only black people eat this type of food.
How are you going to tell a people what to call the dishes THEY prepare? If you eat the same thing they eat, then you're eating "soul food". You eat Chinese food, right? Do you go into a Chinese restaurant and ask them ehy do they call it Chinese food because you eat it too? Ridiculous.
I agree with you Curtis, while you might be a little all over the place, I think we should get along more, and I think that money should be easier to get for people who need it. I think people who are starving and are hurting in this country (alot now) should not have to struggle so hard just to put food on the table. I think very wealthy people who can afford it should donate money so starving people can eat, and homeless people have a place to sleep at night. More shelters, soup kitchens could only help, and families that do have homes but cant afford food, should have an easier way to get that food. I think we can all agree with Curtis on that.
It's rare when I enjoy one of Mr. Grandersons articles but he wrote a thoughtful column here. I'm white, married, and conservative but contrary to what peoples perceptions about people of my "ilk" I would welcome a gay black man into our home and my wife and I would treat them with respect and dignity and serve them a fine dinner for Thanksgiving and wouldn't give it a second thought. People need to embrace differences and learn acceptance. Maybe that doesn't make me a true conservative and it's true that all of my views are not but it does offer some level of proof that some people will treat people with respect and hospitality regardless of their political/sexual orientation/skin color because there are good people everywhere and really folks, that is what is most important. A Good Heart! Think about it!
I'm laughing my ass off... As a white gay man that lived in a few gettos - I would be soooo offended if I didn't think you were serious. There is a really cool grocery store in North Omaha who's food selection was so forign to me... Actually the entire store was a cultural experience. One entire isle of the grocery store was dedicated to black baby Jesus Dolls and velvet paintings... I went to a local resturant and the fat black woman behind the counter didn't give me silver-ware becuase I didn't look right in her mind. As a good homo, I taught her a lesson and loved going there - she really made some good sole food... She probably spit on my plate - I didn't see it. I also came to enjoy the diversity of the plate as well as the people. Kudos for a good article.... (oh and everyone knew you were gay... nice way to come out though).
if this article was called My first dinner with black people" the NAACP would have already had it removed. But alas im white and its okay to point that out but dont point out black people....thats racist and insensitive. Thats America though. We have to do what the minority says.
**Pulls out violin and starts playing **
Somebody please hand this person a hanky?
LOL - I'm afraid to think what that hanky might look like.
Well you must have missed all of the commentary that Bill O'Reilly had to say the first time he experienced a soul food restaurant with Al Sharpton. Lighten up.
Why don't you try and see what happens. But, make sure the spirit of your article is written in the same way LZ Granderson written his/hers.
I call bullcrap.
Black people stopped eating "soul food" back in 1992 with the advent of hyper-consumerism and the widespread fast foodism.
nice try.
SirLancelot – Would you mind listing the specific "soul food" that everyone allegedly gave up in 1992? I know there will be fresh collard greens (cooked with bacon) on my Thanksgiving table.
WTH?
People People!
We are all of us racist.
Let us no longer argue about who among us are more racist than whom else.
Let us instead channel all our combined racism into a strong force of nationism for
nuking the frig out of China and Iran.
Ok?
I find it funny that what I will assume are white folks getting all sensitive. Its so funny because I don't think you all really understand how different our worlds are. It doesn't make one better but the fact of the matter is... I'm was confused at age 8 when I went to Jewish girls bday party and they served Apple Pie. I had never seen an apple pie before this moment. We had apple cobbler once in a blue moon but my dessert dictionary consisted of sweet potato pie, sock it too me cake, red velvet cake, pound cake, etc. For bdays Grandma always made a poundcake with homemake icing..... I have non black friends who have never tasted greens and swear up and down its the same as Kale.....I love the article and how LZ tells us at the end that this experience opened his eyes. Great way to start the article and get your point across. I've been around the world but there is nothing like a Holiday where American Black Women are in the kitchen.....Just Facts
You obviously did not read Karen's comments... um, I think she's Black, and did not like the article. And you're implying that only Black women cook on Thanksgiving with your comment. You may not mean it that way, but you are missing the point of the criticism of the article. White southern folks cook the same food. It's southern cultural menu that is shared by southern folks of any race ...Just facts.
This article is so tiresome. While I applaud your attempt to expand your limited views of Causasians, your ability to realize that there is more than one culture for Black people is still in its infancy. My family is Caribbean and we never cook greens or any other soul food, but we certainly put our hearts in our cooking. Painting all black peole with one brush just smacks of your limited and self-centered American naval-gazing. And it reinforces White America's erroneous view that all Black people have the same values, music, culture and religion and have the same ignorant viewpoints.
The majority of black folks in the United States are descended from slaves (i.e. those who toiled on plantations in the United States)–and do tend to prepare festive fare (i.e. holiday food) in very similar ways...Just FYI...
Did you stop reading as soon as he said "Where's the greens?"
Because your criticisms are directly addressed towards the end of the article. "And when I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school."
The article itself is a bit trite but at least make sure your criticisms are valid before you comment.
Thank goodness I'm a white woman who was raised to not care about a person's color/race/ethjnicity. And thank goodness, I was also raised to not judge all Caribbeans by one Caribbean's 'hide behind the monitor and be omnipotent and snarky' comment. Jeepers...
Karen, you are wearing that stereotypical cape of having the desire to differ yourself in the eyes of Whites from the "bad" Blacks in America. If Whites use a "broad brush" to paint "all Blacks" it is not because of this article. They have brains, don't they?If you place such a high importance of what Whites think of you as a Black person, I suggest you rethink who is the true high Being in this universe.
Hey LZ, collards for Thanksgiving are OK as long as they have been touched by frost, but you really need them (with ham & blackeyed peas) on New Year's Day. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from all cultures & food heritages!!
Aren't black-eyed peas good luck on New Year's Day...or something?
I definitely don't see this article as rasist...just kinda obvious. That's great that he's welcome to embracing the differences among different cultures, but really, he didn't realize other families ate different food? For example, I had never heard of green bean casserole until college, people thought it was weird that my family had mac and cheese for thanksgiving, and we completely defied tradition by having ice cream for dessert instead of pie. OMG! Can I get paid to write an article about it?
*racist.
This article describes a southerner going to a north of the Mason Dixon line dinner. Not a "white" thanksgiving. The author is totally off base assuming race. The use of blaming the color of skin for a dinner menu is inflammatory, even if she does have a positive outcome in the experience. The author could have pointed out cultural differences without bring up a hot button issue. Where I grew up (NJ), I don't think you could even BUY collard greens when I was a kid. Never had them until I was an adult. Besides, I have white friends who are southern who grew up eating collard greens and sweet potato pie. Oh, and not all whites have potato salad for Thanksgiving – geez, the huge mound of mashed potatoes is enough. Cultural and simple geographical differences, not skin color, change the menu of Thanksgiving.
LoL @ you for assuming the writer was a 'she' for having a boyfriend. Read more carefully next time before you wall of text us. Have a nice day!
true, read the article, not the authors' name... my bad. Not meant to offend. Thanks for pointing it out on the wall.
Yes, but I think he is the girl in this deal......
I don't care if the OP is male or female. He or she is way off base to assume that only black people eat certain foods. I am as white as they come. But the family that was described in this could have been mine. We have our greens, cornbread, and all that was mentioned on the holidays. If someone doesn't make a certain dish, uh oh! somebody is in the dog house!!
The meal mentioned did sound more like a Southern meal than a black/white meal.
Where did the author of this article state that ALL Blacks cook like his/her family and ALL Whites cook the way the White family he /she were visiting cook?
I am from East Texas and I think that you must have eaten with the wrong "white" person. We have greens, sweet potato pie, corn bread along with potato salad and green bean casserole and homemade stuffing. I think maybe someone was lazy that day.
Stuffing...LOL why dont you check with your black friends and find out the translation. I love how non black folk get all sensitive when facts are stated. Its a cute article and as a black professional I chuckled when I saw the title because I know exactly what he is talking about. Its the same when a white person finds out that a black woman wearing a weave ...that... that isn't her real hair.. Culture Shock...same for us Thanksgiving without Greens and Paprika.....
Even the southerners are forced to admit that General Lee was one-quarter chinaman, when faced with the facts.
we put paprika on our potato salad. I thought that's what everyone does? shoot last year my mother accidently used the hot paprika and it was SPICY! we always have very unconventional holiday dinners. This year is going to be pumpkin/turkey chilli. Some old recipe that my dad found. One year we had Indian food.
As a white, southern dude, I'd rather spend Thanksgiving at LZ's family's home, too! Living in north Texas now, I miss good old, Deep South cooking.
Good write up, LZ.
Dood, you too would be welcome at my Thanksgiving table! A southern feast for sure! (Black southern belle from NC)
And this is racist – how? I don't get it – I sense warm appreciation of a different culture from the author. Reminds me of a Thanksgiving story my husband tells. Probably his favorite Thanksgiving ever. He was new to Chicago and didn't know anyone. A co-worker kindly invited him to his house for dinner. He took the train to a black neighborhood on the south side and had to walk to their house through some rough parts, not sure of where he was going. When he got to the door and knocked, the man who answered had an apprehensive look on his face. There is a long history of racism in Chicago, so this man had every reason to think that a strange white guy showing up at his door couldn't be good. He relaxed as soon as he realized my husband had been invited, and the family warmly welcomed their guest. Now, my husband hates all of the traditional Thanksgiving food, but if he is a guest at someone's house, he will eat every bit of food put in front of him, even if it kills him. He couldn't place the strong aroma wafting through the house – until the food was put before him. The family grinned and watched him expectantly as he took his first bites of chitlins. He said there was no amount of hot sauce in the entire world that could have covered up the taste, so he did his best to swallow it whole without ever letting it touch teeth or tongue. But the expression on his face was unmistakable, and the family got a great laugh as he ate all that was on his plate. They assured him that it was an aquired taste. But he has never forgotten that Thanksgiving and that family and how they welcomed a stranger into their home on that cold, snowy evening – and how they delighted in his misery!
It's because some people are too dumb to understand the difference between 'racial' and 'racist'.
well when he said he walked in and didn't smell them cooking unless he was 8 hours early he doesn't have a clue. the fact there was no hot sauce proves he was up north and he is really clueless and doesn't get out much. But then he doesn't understand why women were put on this earth and that proves my point!
Dear Lou50,
Open your mind, or shut your mouth. Those are your options.
Sincerely,
The Rest of Humanity
Wow! The comments on this article are quite fascinating to say the least. Personally I think the article was well stated and I don't have a prejudice bone in my body. I think it simply comes down to people not wanting to open up and look at the full picture. We have all traveled or would like to travel around the world and interact with different cultures. If I had the opportunity to celebrate any holiday with someone from a different cultural background than my own, I would count it as a privilege.....and yes I would blog about the experience. I think that's where we as people fall short, taking things out of context and not being open to reading/hearing about others experience without making RACE being the underlying issue. I wish EVERYONE a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!
My family is mostly of Mexican descent, but we have many relatives who are of various ethnic and socio-cultural backgrounds, so our Thanksgivings are always quite eclectic and full of all kinds of surprises. One year someone even brought 2 dozen Jack In The Box tacos! It was pretty hilarious, but hey - they were a hit with the kids. LOL!
I don't know why, but that reminded me of the fact that my mom would stuff her giant purse with a bunch of McDonald's cheeseburgers to sneak in to the movies.
It sounds like your family is blessed with diversity and sharing! Happy Thanksgiving!
Sounds to me like you were supposed to make the greens, and everyone was probably wondering who you were unhappy at that you didn't!
That is, you came from a family where many people had a signature dish which your family had embraced as "required" for Thanksgiving, and if that person didn't make it, everyone went without. So where was your own signature dish and why didn't you bring it with you?
I know, right? Who shows up to Thanksgiving empty-handed and complains about the food?
You'd be surprised.
I remember the culture shock of Christmas in North Dakota, with lefse and lutefisk. I was a newlywed and anxious to please my Norwegian ma-in-law, but this was just too much! I am half Spanish and white–just more of a gag factor than I could take at 18 years old!
Lefse with butter and sugar? I can do without the lutefisk...unless it's drowned in butter.
Would someone please pass the pigs feet and Micky's?
turnip greens, mac n cheese, my mother's oyster dressing
I think any time a person is fortunate enough to share a meal with ANYONE who is kind to them, they have been blessed.
I JUST farted after reading the article . Sorry guys !
Kind of ironic don't you think that some of you on this blog say that blacks are the first ones to throw out the racism card HOWEVER, race was negatively brought up FIRST by some of the white commenters. SHOCKING!!! And before some of you want to say, "oh well the blacks have black universities, black history month, black this and black that, lets get the FACTS straight, what happened prior to those things being implemented to MAKE us have to do those things? Could it be WHITE ONLY universities, or WHITE ONLY clubs, or how about how the inventions and contributions of white people were taught all year long but the contributions of blacks were ignored as if they didn't exist! When in reality, this country was built on the backs and contributions of black inventors! Forget the ipad, where would we all be without the contributions of blacks WHEN they contributed it, not waiting another 100 years for a white to invent it. So please spare us the melo-drama about how we're the ones that always throw the race card and how we're the ones that make it hard on ourselves because it's gotten really old and it's really pathetic! Some of you don't have the courage to walk a day in the shoes of a black person and if you did, it would probably blow your mind to see and experience FIRST HAND what we as a people have to go through. That was to all of those that took the article completely out of context and couldn't wait to get on here and sound off about something that the artice said absolutely nothing about! Now those of you that I'm referring to can excuse yourselves from your computers, put your sheets back on your heads, and go to your meetings covered in the safety of darkness, like the cowards you are! To everyone else, have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!!!
you know, that last sentence sounded a little passive-aggressive to me. I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong.
i am sorry but i do not like to be referred to as "white people" i am a PERSON just like everyone else
Ummm... The main plot device is based on race in this article. What are we supposed to respond to? He obviously knew what he was trying to achieve from the beginning? He was trying to point out his own prejudices but I think he is making the whole thing up. We, as Americans, all races, know what the "typical" American Thanksgiving basically consists of. If he didn't, he was just dumb. lol.
oh no, don't call him "white person"! That's racist! Gee people, stop taking everything so dang personally. I am not talking about the original poster. But seriously, if the most racist thing against white people that we can come up with is this stupid article about Thanksgiving food, then we officially have no problems. Get over it WHITE PEOPLE. Yeah, I said it.
It doesn't have to be different cultures for you to find differences in Thanksgiving fare. My in-laws and my family have totally different takes on Thanksgiving. Some of which are good and some of which you have to have grown up eating it to like it. That is why I consider my husband and I as having different family cultures (which applies to more than food). We each have different ways of handling the same type of events.
Going home for Thanksgiving means going out to eat and paying for my older lazy sisters to have a free meal. They wouldn't cook anything if you begged. So instead I have my own nice traditional Thanksgiving dinner with my own family. Even though we were raised in the same house – totally different takes on the holiday.
What's more racist then celebrating a holiday that was ment to cover up the horrible genocide that the Europeans brought upon the Native Americans in the 1600's?
LOL. Good point.
um no actually, Thanksgiving was just an end of harvest feast. Like they have all over the world since the dawn of time. It has nothing to do with Native American relations.
Nivlag – THIS is a good point. Not that other one.
Ay yi yi... where do these people even come from?
(Rhetorical; please don't answer, I don't really care.)
WOW.....I am not sure how you made it out of elementary school without learning that THANKSGIVING has EVERYTHING to do with relations between Native Americans and Pilgrims.....I urge you to read up on it...
What is a "native american" anyway? you think what we call "native americans " today didn't take the land from someone else at some point? Hellooooo! This is how the world works. You take what you can from who you can. And America would have been better off if we let them keep "their" land? Just like the descendants of slaves would have been better off if their ancestors were never brought over from africa? Get real.
What does any of this have to do with the injuns? THey got what they wanted, nice reservations to live on with their own kind, ownership of a bunch of casinos, and lots of booze. Life is good. .
Someday those European and Asian chefs will be as good as all those famous African chefs... someday. LOL.
Thanksgiving is different from family to family regardless of race. I think you're being disingenuous with the innocent ignorance you portray in this story. If you grew up in America I'm sure you had quite a variety of different foods before that day. If you ever went to a grocery store or watched TV during the holidays you knew what to expect. Or maybe you were just an idiot back then too. haha.
yeah I have to agree....there is no way he made it to adulthood without being aware that Americans in general eat turkey, stuffing, mashed, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie on TG. It's in every movie, commercial, mag ad, etc. He's full of tish.
Why is everyone so negative about a fun little article?? It is not racist to talk about race!
Well, I guess we will be labeled as well according to some of the previous comments but I agree with you completely Jeff. It was far too easy to complain about this article without really hearing or understanding what it was about. It made complete sense to me.
We are all missing the most important thing here:
The Terrorists hate us because of Thanksgiving and Want to Kill us because of Thanksgiving.
That and that black people call it "Thangs-giving" not "Thanksgiving".
I find this whole article disturbing and RACIST , REVERSE racism, and I am not even white. Lets stop patRoniziNg one another. PERIOD.
but you're not black either, right?
It's true! black people call it "Thangs-Giving"! Listen carefully!
Two different holidays celebrated on the same day! Secrets are being revealed.
Wow. Pure, unvarnished, absolute trolling.
I think you can say the same thing going from where I was born, Pennsylvania, to where I live now in Texas. The meal I cook is different then from what I grew up on. Cornbread dressing now as opposed to bread dressing. Deviled eggs (not sure why) and sometimes, a fried turkey. I think it's based on tradition and what part of the country you live in. I bet you in Hawaii vs. Alaska its differnent. as well.
Good Evening,
I have a superior intellect and an extremely comparatively high IQ. Recenlt I had the (mis)fortune of attending a THanksgiving dinner with a family of average IQ.
Needless to say it was a rather boring time, the conversation was as dull as a pair of kindergarten scissors, and I felt like strangling my fellow guests.
But I did learn one thing: If you get over your boredom and learn to manipulate these intellectually inferior people, you can have a grand old time.
Cheers,
Logan
Wow!
Pompous arrogant azz much?
I'll bet they didn't even serve greens!
I'd trade anyone's Thanksgiving dinner, black or white for the awful Christmas eve dinner I have to endure every year at my partner's mother's home. Everything is from the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog, and it all tastes like crap. Give me greens, potato salad without paprika, sweet potato pie, anything but the over priced B.S. from Neiman Marcus.
You poor thing... got two words for you: HONEYBAKED HAM. Either that or fake a sickness and order turkey dinner with all the trimmings from your local grocery store.
First time I ate food at a white person's house I was 10 I think and my friend's mom gave me a mushroom cream soup. I almost vomit. Coming from Haiti I had never had mushrooms before, never even saw one. My friend could see I was struggling and that seemed to amuse him a lot. He kept telling me I could stop eating if I didn't like it. Believe me I wanted to but his mom was sitting with us at the table and she loved me so much, I did not want her to feel insulted so I ate it all. As soon as I put down my spoon, she screamed at her son: "I told you he would eat it all. I know my Steve. Come here, let me give you a big kiss, she said as she turned to me. Now let's go in Jack's room and give you something he loves."
Turned out she had a bet with her son that I would finish my bowl. See, because he hated her mushroom soup he thought I would hate it too. What he didn't know, insulting a mom's cooking is something black kids just never do. He learned the hard way by losing his Falcon (star wars han solo's ship). The kid was a brother to me, it was hard to see him beg and I would have been fine with his Blue GI Joe truck but she insisted on the Falcon and you know us black kids and our moms... we can't say no to them :)
Ahh... greens. Every time I have had them, they weren't that good and just can't understand what all the fuss is about. First time I tried them, I was 12... of course at that age, anything that wasn't slathered in cheese was esentially "dog food". I will keep giving them a whirl though... one of these days I am bound to find someone who is a wiz at making greens.
Still... there are plenty of white people that make greens on Thanksgiving here in the South including many other things slathered in fat back, criscoed ham bone, bacon greasy goodness (thank GAWD Thanksgiving only comes around once a year). I guess it simply depends on who you are chowing down with. That said... I hope Mom takes it easy on the super sized tub of butter she has reserved for Thursday next week. UG!
Try malt vinegar on your greens. It accentuates the taste without adding lots of fat.
I don't agree with this author all of the time but this a great article. I'll admit I am a white guy (and not ashamed of it or guilty from it, thank you). One thing that we have lost in all of the racial/racist arguments is the ability for one group to have a bit of fun with another's culture. If I showed up to a black family's Thanksgiving and they had 'collards' on the stove, they would probably laugh at my reaction and I'd probably laugh at theirs and I'd try some 'collards'. (I haven't a clue what 'collards' are...) In other words, we would enjoy each others company. The problem is is we bring up a 'difference' between white and black, then it's a racial comment. It's unfortunate that we all can't relish the similarities and differences in cultures and actually appreciate it.
This was a great article, but can only be appreciated if you have experienced it from both sides....remember A Christmas Story when they had Chinese Christmas?
I want to do that soooooooo much....but can't get the rest of the (boring) family on board!!
But I have spent Christmas in Hawaii...and we didn't eat turkey or lamb or roast beef!! Best Christmas I have ever had!
I'm white, and I didn't think this article was racist! I found it fascinating. I am sure somewhere in the back of my mind I "knew" that different people/cultures/races had different ideas of what was eaten for Thanksgiving, but this article really put it into perspective for me. I am from Texas, and our traditional Thanksgiving meal includes (but not limited too!): turkey, dressing- the homemade kind, not boxed, fresh cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, corn casserole, broccoli casserole, rolls from scratch, sweet potato casserole, salad, and of course, desserts beyond belief. Pies, cake, fudge, breads, etc.
followed by massive diarrhea and/or constipation...sorry just had to say it. joking. lol.
I haven't had home made dressing since my Grandmother passed away almost 20 years ago. I am TOTALLY coming over to your HOUSE!!!!!!
do you guys eat everything in casserole form? It's sort of like having to puree everything for babies. You guys must need everything cut up into bite sied pieces and thrown in a big pile
my first thanksgiving dinner with black people was healthy kfc and mcdonnald's...soul food they called it. i say it wasn't like my mom's thanksgiving dinner, but heck it was food, so we thanked god and i never thought of writing a strange article about it called "my first thanksgiving dinner with black people", which i'm sure many would find offense, since not all black people eat the same things. this is why the author of this article is ignorant and foolish.
You kind of missed the author's point! He's showing how he may have been prejudice when going in to his partner's family home and only after he was exposed to a different cultural experience, he realizes, "hey, it's not bad at all". It's this ability to be open minded that allows our society to progress. Don't be so negative.
Well-said. Thank you!
What a great story about tolerance and growth.
Lol, wonder what a thanksgiving dinner would be like with "black people" in south africa for the imbecile that wrote this pointlessly racist article. I can tell you one thing, I bet a dinner with white people from the south, east, north, or of European decent like polish, italian, greek, spanish, would all look a little different. You can't just label them all into one category of "having dinner with white people" was such as such....lol what a truly ignorant article. The guy that wrote this is right up there with soladad obrian etc for me in terms of racism. Why does CNN pay these people to stir up resist feelings.
Clearly you didn't read or severely misread the article in question.
Then some many of us must have made the same mistake!? Because I and many others read it the same way.
I have had Thanksgiving with my family, friends family(white and black), an on a cruise ship outside the U.S. White, Black, Blue or Green everyone has different food traditions for the holidays. No one food type is labeled under a person's skin color. But that is just what this OP has done. That is the problem people seem to have with this. The OP has labeled certain food to certain racist.
Amen brother. And let me say that if anyone here is as tired of this CNN racism day in and day out as we are,
then join us in switching the channel to a channel like FOX news that at least has the decency to present a more careful and studied approach to these sensitive issues.
Vote with your clickers everybody!
"You can't just label them all into one category of "having dinner with white people" was such as such.."
That's EXACTLY what he says in the article. It's him relating a day in his life where he learned a different way to celebrate Thanksgiving. And realizing it had nothing to do with race.
You do realize Thanksgiving is a North American holiday and therefore they don't celebrate it in South Africa or Europe you daft moron. And you call someone else racist? You are a moron.
I just think that your all crazy . and that guy is going to hell and let me say obama needs to go there to
OOOOOH look at you getting that political, racist comment in there! How clever you must feel!
That is really a close-minded comment that is totally uncalled for.
This is the DUMBEST article I have ever read. In fact, I fould it to be SO dumb, that I had to comment to let you know. I mean honestly. "Dinner with white people"? How is that even relavent...journalism these days...
I'm not touching the tone of this piece, instead I'll just point out that Mr.Granderson needs to hire an editor.
It makes me wonder how one manages to land a job writing for CNN with work like that?
Affirmative action.
probably 100% true, unfortunately.
I had some black folks for Thanksgiving once...they were a little stringy and not terribly tasty. Fava beans helped
I had Thanksgiving with black people once... I was in the service. It was nice and they were very polite.
This passes for journalism only because this guy is gay.
Where's the column about a white man having dinner with black people?!
This reminds me of some of the more recent accounts of what the first days of the start European Colonialism in Africa were like.
The European Whites would invite the African families for dinner and tea, and the African families would turn their noses up and complain about the food.
So the Europeans would take them out back after dinner and shoot them in the head.
I'm white and I'd give my left nut to have Tgvg dinner with a black family instead of my dysfunctional "family".
aww, don't be so hard on yourself.
I'll never forget when I finally convinced my husband that eggs rice and mahi mahi with soy sauce was really for breakfast.
He loves it now...
First time I ate food at a white person's house I was 10 I think and my friend's mom gave me a mushroom cream soup. I almost vomit. Coming from Haiti I had never had mushrooms before, never even saw one. My friend could see I was struggling and that seemed to amuse him a lot. He kept telling me I could stop eating if I didn't like it. Believe me I wanted to but his mom was sitting with us at the table and she loved me so much, I did not want her to feel insulted so I ate it all. As soon as I put down my spoon, she screamed at her son: "I told you he would eat it all. I know my Steve. Come here, let me give you a big kiss, she said as she turned to me. Now let's go in Jack's room and give you something he loves."
Turned out she had a bet with her son that I would finish my bowl. See, because he hated her mushroom soup he thought I would hate it too. What he didn't know, insulting a mom's cooking is something black kids just never do. He learned the hard way by losing his Falcon (star wars han solo's ship). The kid was a brother to me, it was hard to see him beg and I would have been fine with his Blue GI Joe truck but she insisted on the Falcon and you know us black kids and our moms... we can't say no to them :)
I like Black people. I think they're Awesome!
I wonder how much CNN would pay me to write about My First Christmas with Chinese People. It will be based on the end of A Christmas Story, and will include reference to the leg lamp and Little Orphan Annie.
I'm looking forward to reading it.
The white person is the male – the visitor was a female. They were at his (white) parents house.
actually I think they were both male. The writer was named journalist of the year by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.
whoa Marquette, got any reading comprehension skills up in there? It's a gay couple–the man writing is black
Oh i'm sorry for being so snarky, I didn't realize this was supposed to be a heartwarming tale of a day in the life of another culture, it was not written that way so I became confused.
I wasn't sure, as I read the beginning of this piece, that I was going to like it, but my interest in other cultures' experiences and perceptions urged me to read on. As it turns out I really enjoyed the article.
I am a transplanted yankee to the south, and my first Thanksgivings here I encountered foods and traditions I wasn't familiar with and missed some I was used to at our home Thanksgiving meals. Bottom line, just as Mr. Granderson concluded, the food, no matter what it is, familiar or not, traditional or not (we once had a Mexican buffet Thanksgiving) is made with LOVE.
Cultural differences can be uncomfortable, especially for the less experienced or less adventurous of us. I choose to celebrate and appreciate those differences.
i hears them whites has a different kinda pie? but no weeds from out back to eat and whats this here indoors pulmbing thing all about?
I had to comment and share this article! Having been in an interracial marriage, I have had this experience! I remember many of the same thoughts! Great article!
This article is more proof that race and racial differences cannot be discussed...
The comments are amazing...
"If I wrote an article about My First Thanksgiving with Blacks it'd be considered racist"
BS, the only people that would call it racist are the same type of ignorant knuckleheads calling this article racist...
And for as much as some people hate it when black folks pull the race card, it appears they really don't mind yanking it out themselves...
I would like to hear white folks funny stories of their initial introduction to another person's culture or lifestyle presented in a manner such as this that echoes a message of tolerance and broadening of cultural viewpoints (you know, something positive)...
Most times those stories are indeed funny and eye-opening...
Amen Dave! Just like there are black colleges; black magazines; black clubs, groups, organizations. But that's okay. But if whites were to organize something just for whites – the blacks would be all over it and suing. Andy Rooney had a segment on this many years ago. It was classic. I was so glad 60 minutes ran it – because many networks would not have.
Whoosh! That's the sound of Dave's comment going completely over your head. Your ignorance is absolutely astounding!
wow Marquette, I replied to one of your other comments regarding your reading comprehension–now I have to second my own statement. You really have absolutely no understanding of anything that you read. Try sticking to TV.
What a racist article! We prefer to be called Caucasian!
That's so weird cause we really hate African American. Who decided that for us by the way? Probably a bunch of racists white people disguised as black leaders.
i bet his family had lobster, rib-eye, crab, shrimp, and all the fixings... all paid for with food stamps.
Do you hate us because we are black?
Yes
Mustard – The Tito Jackson of greens. Hilarious
I have been lucky enough to have thanksgiving with black and white families (Mixed cultures as well) and the one observation I have is as long as the cook can cook good, the food seems to follow the pattern of being good and tasty regardless of culture or race.... I'm still rooting for sweet potato pie...Oh man my aunt could make sweet potato pie with no strings with a moist yet flaky pie crust that would dissolve almost upon mouth contact...that pie has won awards..My goodness..RIP Momma your cooking was legendary...I have never been at the dinner table where there was less talking because people were too busy stuffing their mouths..Lots of knives and fork noise but little talking until right around the second plate....Great Days!!
I thought this was a wonderful article. I didn't think it was racist at all. I sensed that he went to his friend's house for Thanksgiving with an idea of what a meal should be based on his experience. I sensed that he came away with the idea that his meal with the white family was different, not necessarily better or worst, just different and prepared with the same love as his family. He did enjoy the meal!
My first Thanksgiving meal with black folks was as a call center tech with a large group of co-workers on the eve of Thanksgiving. I had never had good tasting greens before because my grandmothers version was just awful (sorry grandma). The atmosphere was amazing (including the first time hearing a group of black women cackling like hens about baby pictures, gossip, etc.) as many of my co-workers were passionate about their dishes and what they considered staples like red velvet cake were unknown to me. I tried a lot of new dishes that year and it opened my eyes to hot sauces other that Tabasco, plantains, black eyed peas, hot chicken wings and oxtails. It was really cool and I continue to seek out the unfamiliar be it people, culture or food. Thank you for this article and sharing the experience.
On behalf of white people with a brain, I thank you, Smitty, for 'getting' the article.
...white or black, who serves potato salad at Thanksgiving?
Pretty much the same folks that serve TURKEY...
Not entirely true, Smitty. I've celebrated Thanksgiving where turkey was the main dish served (in several different cultures) and I've never seen potato salad. It's always mashed potatos and gravy or some form of sweet potato casserole.
You're right! No one serves potato salad on Thanksgiving!
Not this white girl. We save that for summer barbeques!!
Cajuns serve potato salad at Thanksgiving. We also serve rice dressing (aka dirty rice for those not from here) made with chicken gizzards and livers, not just ground beef, turkey, green bean casserole, ham, sweet potato casserole, oyster dressing, corn bread, pecan pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pralines, and a lot of coffee.
I enjoy chitterlings with tea and crumpets.
This guy used soul food from movies and magazines.
He forgot:
Pigs Feet
Ox Tail
Carp
Cecil, carp? lol Don't you mean Buffalo fish aka carp?
very popular in the south amongst AA.
Haha yea he forgot to mention that is was wierd not having his "Big Momma" at the strange white party
My First Thanksgiving With Black People
I arrived a little early, and knocked on the door, but no one answered. I opened the one hinge hanging door, and stepped in. I smelled something that I've never smelled before. It was a rotten turkey that had been left out for awhile. I called out, but no one answered. Then, out of amazement, I discovered it. It was a visitors pass to the County Jail. I went there, and spent Thanksgiving in lockup.
The end
i want to stand and applaud this! so true!
Given that Vegastax clearly made up this story to illustrate some kind of point (that he's a racist? I'm not sure), and that you yourself have never experienced this kind of event either, I wonder how you can declare it true? Are you really this much of a bigot, or are you just playing at one because you think it's funny?
I don't even get what you are applauding about, or what is "so true". That all black people spend TG in jail? Or that they have rotten turkey carcasses in jail?
Please someone correct me if I'm wrong...I thought this article was about him going into thanksgiving with racial stereotypes and by the end of the day, tearing down those racial stereotypes. so wouldn 't that make this an antiracial article? Why so many comments about how this is a racist article? I'm so confused!!!
Because black people are racists. Always have been and always will be.
And we are all sick and tired of it and not going to take it anymore. Especially us Chinese.
Chinese you are not. Do not insult us.
I thought it was funny that he writes about a black man/himself going to Thanksgiving and the first thing he does is "smell for collards". That is delightfully racist and odd comment from gay black man sicne the AA community is not exactly known for being openly accepting of gays. Probably why he was at his partners partents house. This about the gay white guy that coes to the AA familiy Thanksgiving BBQ. LOOK OUT!!!
I disagree, Cecil. He automatically "smelled for collards" because his family cooked them at every Thanksgiving he'd ever attended. I automatically smell for my mom's wonderful turkey gravy...because we always have it in my family. That's not racist. It's what he grew up with.
but doesn't he imply he was wrong to think that way by the end of the article? read the whole thing...I'm not sure if you have seen it or not, but if you watch only the first half of American History X, I'm sure you would believe its the racist movie ever made. However, if you watch the whole movie, you will see it's message is to bring races together. Not apart. That is what I feel is going on here, people aren't taking the whole article into context before commenting!!!
Steve, you made the smartest comment of them all! It's good to know there is one less ignorant person in this racist world.
You're not confused, Steve. You got the point. The rest of the mouth-breathing idiots responding here are what is confusing.
Why is it everyone feels that every article on CNN has to be something profound. I learned more about most of you epople by reading your comments than I did about the author by reading his article. Put down your righteous idignation and snide comments for 5 seconds, for petes sake. Happy Holidays.
Tom,...Who da Hell is Pete ?
Sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie but I'll never know because I won't eat the filthy Mutha-Fukkkka... ~Jules Winnfield
Its called race-baiting, and you ALL fell for it!
He writes these sort of articles with quasi-racist headlines for traffic (ratings), nothing more.
It's not Thanksgiving without that canned jellied cranberry sauce, dumped into a bowl so that it still held the can shape, complete with the little can rib marks. That and putting olives on your fingers.
LOL...here I was, getting all in a knot, reading all these horrible comments and you mention can-formed cranberry sauce and putting olives on your fingers as Thanksgiving traditions!! All I could think of was Yes! That's my family! Brought back memories...thanks :)
This is ridiculous. Eddie Murphy already did an expose on the shocking secret lives of white people. Way to plagarize, dude.
So you were surprized to learn that the whites didnt' have to eat chitlins and greens, or other by-products of higher priced food items?
But I am betting you would be able to quickly detail difference in pay whites rec'd for almost any year since slavery was banned?
What did you think they spent that money on? They spent it on the hams, while the poorer blacks had to eat the intestines and hocks. They spent it on green beans, not black-eyed peas.
Both our races have traditions based on our economical realities.
The story would have been better had you focused on the way you all felt dealing with their son dating a black man, and that now you all laugh about that special time of giving thanks.
So all white people in the South were fabulously wealthy, owned slaves, and never had to go with lower quality cuts of meat because they were rich?
Get real, brah. You and the guy who wrote this article are sheltered, ignorant people.
I"m white (technically, I've done the research and I'm not as white as my family likes to claim) and I grew up eating chicken gizzards (fried and in gumbo) and beef tongue, among other parts that you claim white people don't eat. Sorry, but we do. And in fact, some of the pieces that most would consider cast away parts that only poor people would eat are some of the the tastiest cuts of meat ever. Seriously, beef tongue is one of the best roasts you'll ever eat. And if you wanna blame it on me growing up poor, I actually grew up middle class.
One of the most offensive junk articles ever read. Granderson, don't quite your day job.
totally agree. completely racist article. Granderson, this was complete and utter idiocy. what gives you the right to to talk about this...how because you finally went to "white" thanksgiving that you are so much better for it and they didn't have the things the "blacks" had. maybe you should have focused on your relationship in this one, but instead you were the racist one....nice going, i highly doubt i will ever read anymore of the trash you write, along with several others who think the same. please find a different job doing something else...
My first Thanksgiving with the Blacks...we played dice, smoked a blizz on the corner with Lil Ray Ray and sipped on some purple drank. Good ol family memories...
No dice, we in da house. You know Bebe don't like that. Let's play some bid whist so I can run a Boston on yoazz.
LMAO Exactly. I dont even believe this guy... I come from a diverse area and its like he just watched Barber Shop 1 and 2 before writing this... I mean really why would you expect everyones thanksgiving to be exactly the same. Could he have possibly thought of more stereotyped writing? This is like a paper written for a school teacher about something you dont know anything about but have read or watched a movie about and now have had your "eyes opened"... I dont think he was trying to be racist, and i dont think he learned anything he didnt already know
There was a movie about this. It is called "Soul Food" and was released in 1997.
wow.....this is CNN right? World wide news coverage..........and "Thanksgiving with white people"? Ok, look......I understand CNN is an organization that flat out loves liberals and their causes…..fine. This is third grade material and CNN is posting it because the guy who wrote is a black guy…..if a white guy, Asian guy wrote this…..he would have been laughed at. But CNN with its progressive thinking (puke) accepts lower standards if you’re a minority. Now, that’s super except it insults the rest of us who come here for “real” news that is written for adults. This kind of thinking leads to police forces being forced to lower their standards so they can have some blacks on the force (I feel safer already)…….or any profession that lowers its standards to accommodate the dumb agenda that because of some “social injustices” (code for give blacks free stuff because their great great grandpa was a slave) have occurred in the past we are putting unqualified people in roles they do not deserve. If you progressives really want to help black America, hold them to the same standards as the rest of us. I know plenty of blacks that understand the importance of an education and show it……lowering standards just says it’s ok to not try hard in school if your black……and that’s just dumb. :o)
Duane,
If you think people of color have things so easy in this country, how about changing places with one for a year or so?
My first Thanksgiving with black people. Collard Greens and hot sauce, I thought to myself, "what do these people eat? It's Thanksgiving right? Us White people don't have those things..."
That's not racist or anything right?
Aw boi, we crack open this 40 ounce and play some bid whist, you will be a brotha from anotha mutha in no time.
Funny, now if I were to write an article and call it My First Thanksgiving with Black People, I would have the NAACP, Jesse Jackson and God only knows who else jumping all down my throat for being racist. So love the double standard!
Just curious, did you even read the article?
Yes I did, thanks for asking.
In this instance, and I am African American, I am inclined to agree with you.
It's OK to be racist if you're gay.
A bit of an over-reaction, don't you think? Write that article with the same meaning as this one and find out.
This article is actually relating his previously narrow view of Thanksgiving, so if you read it, you didn't comprehend it. This is an article about becoming -more- open-minded, not the other way around. If a white person wrote an article about their first Thanksgiving with black people, and reached a similar conclusion, then no.. it wouldn't be very racist. Actually, it might even be more inspiring, because someone who is in the majority is taking their time to enjoy a more unconventional Thanksgiving.
It's actually more racist that you think black people will think you are racist because of writing an article on the flip side. Do you think they can't reason?
Who cares what the NAACP or Jesse Jackson would call you...
Just because the media (which isn't controlled by black folks) sticks a camera in their face and say they represent the black community don't mean it's true...
Why don't you ask the average black person what JJ or the NAACP means to them...
I'm sure they have good intentions but they haven't represented me or my viewpoint as a black male ever...
I'm sure you'd get similar responses from any black person you asked...
Greens and sweet potato pie are pretty standard on any southern Thanksgiving table- But nobody eats Chitlins, definately not this fraud LZ Granderson! And the article was sad and misinformed, It's really not a "Black" thing or a "White" thing, but is dependant on where in the country you celebrate the holiday.
Isn't that what he talks about towards the end of the article?
" And when I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school."
Yes. That's exactly what he's saying.
Actually Chittlins are a european favourite from time immemorial that the Africans appropriated.
Wiki it.
I think LZ is confusing "black" with "southern". Where I grew up in Georgia, it didn't matter what race you were, the dishes the writer missed would be on the table. That includes greens, mustard(yellow) potato salad, pumpkin AND sweet potato pie, hot sauce, dressing etc, etc. The writer is mis-informed at best that race had anything to do with missing dishes. Both I and my son-in-law and his family would think it odd not to have these. Guess what. One of us is white and one of us is black. But, we love the same foods at Thanksgiving. Location, Location, Location.
All of these socially inept liberals trying feign cultural awareness. In reality this article is simply reverse racism supported by ignorant pretenders trying to appear magically enlightend. Get real people!
This person works at CNN? This actually read like something a 5th grader would write. Obviously people of different cultures have their differences. Stop wasting precious internet space with pointless crap like this.
How absolutely stupid of an article. I would assume you are in an interracial relationship because you don't see race, yet you live in such an insulated world that you thought African American "traditions" were somehow universal? I am African American. I don't always cook greens at Thanksgiving, nor as a visitor to someone's home would I expect things to be the way I am accustomed to.
Mr. ArtInChicago is exactly correct.
For a person who styles himself a sophisticated, "citizen of the world," to expect that Thanksgiving Dinner would be exactly the same in every household is just silly. Even among households which stay close to the "traditional menu," there is considerable variation. Some of that is regional. Some of it is ethnic. Some of it is just family-specific tradition or practice. How could a "ciitzen of the world" not expect this? It is a very narrow-minded, nieve person, not a "citizen of the world," who expects that everyone cooks exactly like his mother did.
The first time I saw that disgusting concoction of canned string beans with canned cream of mushroom soup and crunchy canned onion rings on top I thought I would vomit. It looked like a mountain of dead worms. I don't care what color you are, that particular dish has got to go!
Hang on a second, I have my politically correct agendas confused. How can a gay black guy celebrate Thanksgiving if the holiday itself is considered racist. Didn't those bad WHITE English people come to America and exploit all those innocent indigenous people by taking their land and their cornbread recipes? What are we celebrating here other than oppression and imperialism? You PC morons better make up your minds! Now I'm off to un-celebrate Christmas and the 4th of July.
i'm sure that white mom is just thrilled to hear you insinuating that she did not cook with "love and care" and that you despised her meal so many years later.
Maybe the writer of this article has a deep seeded hatred for white people because they dont serve greens and fried chicken for Thanksgiving.
@mike collins & Getoveryourself
Did you not read this whole article ?? The whole part where he realizes it was also made with love and learns a lot about life and other cultures?
Learn to read!
OMG you idiots!! Off my planet! Try reading the article with the intent it was written in! He learns many things that first year..and it is not racist you morons! He is celebrating the differences between cultures and finds out it is all about the LOVE!
Try reading thisgs fully before you come and start blasting. Idiots!
talk about reading into an article! you people are the ones drawing conclusions.
He NEVER said she cooked with love and care, he said "as I traveled the world..." meaning he eventually learned people other than blacks put their hearts and souls into cooking but he never equated this white guy's family prepared meal with love for him.
Sure, he called the gathering "pivotal", "pretty good" and that it made him a more "adventurous eater" but would it have killed him to come full circle and say matter of factually that she (or he) cooked in the same way as his own mother did?
If you read the article, you would see this paragraph:
"But as I’ve grown and had the chance to travel and become a citizen of the world, I realize that there’s a whole lot of people who are not black putting their whole heart and soul into their cooking. And it is good and it is delicious and it is full with a lot of love."
Reading this article makes me glad that I laughed when Fuzzy Zoeller joked about what Tiger Woods might request after he won the Masters. "I guess fried chicken and watermelon. I think that's what they eat." Hilarious! Anyone who was offended by what Fuzzy said and not offended by this article I have one word for you. Hypocrite!
alright i guess ill lighten things up a little here...My parents told me a story way back when I was about 3. We were at Micky D's for lunch and for the first time ever I saw an African American. He was a little boy about my age. I asked him "What color is your skin?" He says, "brown".... then he asks "what color is yours?"....i said with up-most assurance "Peach"
I see you're making a living as a comedian
Love it! My children's racist great-grandmother asked my children once if there were any black kids in their class... my son looked at her with utter confusion and just said: "Nope, but there are caramel ones." That shut her up.
Yet another black man trying to make money off of racism
every single one of the stories this waste of oxygen posts is just that. If it isn't racial in nature, it's him pounding his butt (i'd say chest but he's gay... he pounds butts) about how the world is intolerant. He is a hypocrite. He basically preaches bigotry and masks it as a "man on a mission to eradicate intolerance". all he does is take up space.
Moe: read the paragraph below from what this "waste of space" wrote. he did what you seem like you may never do. you, moe, are whats wrong with humanity. not the gays, not the , its you. the ignorant who wont seek change cause it would be admitting they are wrong. the insecure masses cant stand being wrong.
""Looking back, that Thanksgiving Day was one of the most pivotal moments in my life. I had worked so hard to get into college and earn a scholarship, and yet I really didn’t know anything about people outside of my own experiences. Sure, I took classes and learned about people who weren’t black. I had been roommates with and worked with people who weren’t black. I was even dating someone who wasn’t black. But it wasn’t until I left my comfort zone and broke bread in someone else’s that I realized I was book smart, street wise but a little worldly dumb."
Um, some gay men prefer to have their butts pounded. Just thought I would point out you were not thorough with your insult.
I stopped reading when I saw, "I was in an interracial relationship."
Says a lot about you
you do understand how primitive and barbaric your comment looks right? The world is evolving, my friend. Keep up or you are going to get left behind.
ehh, I vote for leaving em behind.
were the words too big for you to understand?
...that says a lot about you. Serious question...Do you hate us because we are black?
I dont have a problem with interracial relationships just with blacks trying to breed into other cultures. Science and statistics has proven that blacks are stupider and more prone to violence. People are just too PC to look at the facts without questioning whether or not the person relaying the facts is racist.
wow...a "yes" would have sufficed...your parents must be proud of the little klansman they raised
"Stupider"???? ahaha! Now who's the moron? I believe you meant to say "more stupid".
"My first Thanksgiving with white people" - It'll definitely be different. We dont serve Kentucky Fried Chicken / Church's Chicken nor do we serve Kool-Aid / Colt 45.
Enjoy!
For the record im a white kid. You are an assshole
your kindergarten teacher lets you get away with swearing, white kid? better learn to spell if you're going to attempt to try to use such big words, kid. If you aren't smart enough to understand why this was written, white kid, you should go back to pre-school. obviously, white kid, kindergarten is too advanced for you. run along white kid... you're going to miss your nappy time.
right on, @ohplease! apparently the moderators agree with us too
LMAO!! The kid spelled it that way on purpose to get it past the filter...LOL Moe you show your ingorance at every turn.
No 40 ounces?!?!?!?! Oh the humanity!!!!!
Don't knock Church's!! I had my first experience this past year.....and it was definitely a religious one. If they had Church's in the northeast, I'd have it on my table! :)
I still have a hard time with the lack of sweet potato soufflé, pecan pie, chicken and dumplings, cream corn and greens at the Thanksgiving dinners in New York. The dishes you grow up on make a pretty big imprint on you and it is one of things that really does strike you as odd when you experience the holiday in a different setting and different culture. I can totally relate.
Just a thought – and I'm not trying to be snarky here – how about creating a Thanksgiving dinner with all the things you remember so fondly and invite several of your New York friends to enjoy it with you? That would satisfy your cravings, and intriduce your friends to something new.
He's from the south. What you are proposing is logical. Thought is something southerners are not familiar with.
These foods are a regional thing, not a racial thing. But hey, thanks for letting me know what all white people eat on Thanksgiving.
What a terrible article.
I agree. I grew up in Florida and greens, cornbread, beans/rice were a constant staple as unique items such as swamp cabbage, crawdads, kidney-bean salad and ambrosia. We also ate pork chops and burgers that had oatmeal/onion blended in.
Florida? Had to have been the Panhandle. Culturally, that's not really Florida. It's South Alabam & South Geee-orgia.
i feel like i got a totally different message from this article than 95% of the commenters. its not about food that black people eat. its not about white people food. its about one day, if you put yourself out there, you may realize that your way of thinking isnt the only way. people are differnt and thats not always a bad thing.
i wasnt big on gay marraige until i had gay friends. i stopped being so self consumed when i let myself care more about others. LZ is making a point that seems to be lost on most here.
Did you read the article? The whole point is that it's NOT about being white or black, etc.
Yes, I did read the article. And you are allowed your opinion, but I stand by my statement.
You obviously didn't read the end of the article where he says, "When I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school." Read the whole article before saying something negative.
This wasn't about what ALL white people eat on Thanksgiving. It was about ONE black man's experience at ONE white family's home on ONE Thanksgiving, and his honest reaction to the event.
Wonderful article! I grew up in a mixed household – Mom is 100% Chamorro (from Guam) and Dad is a born-and-bred Italian/Lithuanian New Yorker. Plus, both are healthy-eating fanatics, so we always had some ecclectic "soul food" items with our Thanksgiving feast. I imagine my husband's shock at seeing lumpia (ground beef and veggie eggrolls) at his first Thanksgiving with us was as much of a shock as green bean casserole (made from all canned and processed ingredients) was to me when I sat down to the holiday dinner with his all-Caucasian family for the first time. But we've grown to enjoy both families' beloved dishes – so much so that, now that we are raising a family of our own, we incorporate as many of them as our table will fit. The process of learning, sharing and handing down our families' food traditions has been a wonderful journey – it's nice to hear that others have had a similar experience!
Love the article. Takes me back to my first thanksgiving with my husband's family...we are the same race but different parts of the country. Amazing the what one thinks is right/wrong is not...it is just different.
i guess granderson is gay. No big deal but the white kids mom and dad must have thought "my son likes black meat! and farting chocolate milk!"
LOL! disgusting but laughed my ass off nonetheless!!!
Great article!!! I am part of an mixed family (but I guess we all are in one way or another) regardless, I just got off the phone with my sister-in-law, and we were laughing our tails off about the different traditions/idiosyncracies/prejustices we have about food. I come from a large Italian family and we take our food very, very seriously, it's hard core soul food, don't tell me any different, soul food knows no color, only soul, but I love the combinations of traditions. Yes, there will be hot sauce on teh table, yes there will be greens, and yes, I'll be bringing the pumpkin pie (but also having a slice or two of the sweet potatoe!!) Now, smooth potatoe salad, that's just wrong, I don't care the color of anyone's skin!!
Wow, so many comments on such a short article. I really liked the article, it showed that yes we are different, and yes we can still come together and enjoy other peoples traditions. That's what this country is about!!!
I'm not going to say that I think this artcle is racist by any means, but do you think any journalistic corporation would ever let a white person write about what it is like living as a white person among blacks??? I didnt think so.
LMBO!!! I am a white woman and had a very similar experience when I went home to celebrate a major holiday with my African American wife's family. It was culture shock, even though I considered myself to be very well-rounded at the time. How I will always cherish that memory! I don't see this article as racist at all. It is wonderful to see cultures combine and how experiences can grow us as a person. Thank you for making me laugh today!
of course you don't see it as racist since only black guys will have you.
Talk about a racist...
Um, Mike...if you had read my comment you would know that I'm married to a WOMAN. The point of this article is that if we allow ourselves to see past RACE and emerse ourselves in another culture and tradition, we are richer for the experience. Open your eyes and mind and let a little of that biggoted ignorance go by the wayside.
i dont think shes into guys if she went to her wife's african american family.
We only have turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies, cranberries, and a bunch of other stuff. I guess my mom doesn't love me because she doesn't make any greens or chitlins. Stupid article and stupid responses. "Black people cook with love!" I don't doubt it but it's a stupid comment. Just sayin.
Hi, I'm dirt poor and usually I don't have enough money to eat anything at all on thanksgiving.
Well, recently I had the chance to sit and eat thanksgiving dinner with one of the wealthiest families in America.
There was so much delicious food and they even asked me before the event what I would like to see served
on the Thanksgiving table. Lambchops being my favorite food I requested it and lo-and-behold there they appeared.
3 different versions of lambchops all garnished and with all the trimmings.
Suffice it to say it was of the most pleasurable evenings of my entire miserable existence. The conversation was absolutely magnificent and we laughed and laughed until we could laugh no more.
Best day of my life.
Thanks.
So poor you cant buy food, but you have a computer an internet connection.
We doubt your story...
Just so happens that the mentioned family also presented me with the gift of an AcerOne mini-laptop at said Thanksgiving dinner, as a parting gift, thank you very much.
here is an idea, get off the computer and start looking for a better job or work... and if you can't ND oil fields are offering some good jobs. If you are working hard then hats off to you, but if your not then quit trolling
You didn't ask me if I'm physically fit to work.
You didn't even ask me if there is a good reason why I'm unable to work.
Geez....I had a way better time with the wealthiest family in America than I'm having here with you guys...
Go figure.
No stuffing?! That's just criminal.
I completely agree. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Here in sunny South Florida you get a different kick of things for Thanksgiving due to the intermingling of cultures. Mojo turkey, turnip greens, fried plantains and maybe a mango cobbler.
That sounds good, Any room for me?
I bet you the next Thanksgiving he came with a pan a greens! Lesson learned. I always bring my favorite dishes to get togethers. It feels familiar and is fun to share.
White americans are so predictable. They are natural racists.
Very funny! Everything you said LZ about soul food is soo true! When African Americans cook, we put love and care into our food! To cook chitlins, you have to love the people you are cooking for because you couldn't do it otherwise. There are some dishes for Thanksgiving that are staples and you don't mess with. Thanksgiving just doesn't feel the same without them. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Sure, because ONLY "african americans" as a whole cook with love while everyone else cooks with anger and resentment. That white mother probably spit in the potato salad knowing her gay white son was bringing home a black boy for Thanksgiving.
Jesus get over yourself oprah.
Oh look DAvid Duke is here. Deal with it boy. You are racist cowards. Oprah has given three white's careers. Look at how sensitive they get .
Agreed. Black people have a habit of making Racism worse, yet they'll cry the race card any chance they get :(
Obviously you didn't read the artice at all except to see that it was a black person telling of his experience at their white significant others home for Thanksgiving. The author said it DIDN'T MATTER what type of food they served as long as it was made with love, which he said it was. Maybe if you weren't so quick to throw out the "race card" and could actually read the story with the understanding of a 3rd grader, you might have gotten that!
your BF was not from the south,obviously. in lake city we ate collards, ambrosia, ham ,turkey, oyster cornbread stuffing, southern food, not racial food
Hmm. When will some people get off of the "I'm black and I'm gay" train... Get over yourself.
Great article, LZ, glad to see one expanding their world. My family is international (white, black, southern, yankee, asian and latin), so our Thanksgiving is a feast for the senses, and a damn fine party with people I love (most of 'em, anyway).
Love your work, soldier on!
Why is this form of racism tolerated? Way to go, CNN.
We had black people for Thanksgiving one year when I was a kid.
The meat was very tough and dry.
I don't think mom cooked it right and I almost broke a tooth on some buckshot.
ew.
This guy is a racist idiot. Hey Granderson go hang out with Roland and quit grandstanding. Just because you get paid to blog doesn't mean you should.
Hi I'm filthy rich. Recently, i had the chance to escape my own comfort zone and sit with some poor folk for their
thanksgiving. Well, turns out they didn't have enough money for food, so we didn't actually eat anything, and everybody was in such a bad mood ( i guess from being hungry, since that put myself in an equally bad mood) that they started arguing and fist fighting.
Suffice it to say it was not much fun at all. So I guess the point is that this author's article does generalize to all situations.
Sorry.
LZ...I have officially read you for the last time. Always hoping to find some sliver of intellect or at the very least a valid opinion. It's clear that you don't qualify. Please find another outlet for your personal narrow-mindedness.
Read the end of the article... it's not racist at all. Granderson is illustrating the cultural differences that exist in our great country and he is just using this story as an example. He explains that at the bottom. Btw, I'm white and I really enjoy Granderson's articles. They are insightful and interesting. You might think so, too, if you allowed yourself to view the world from different perspectives.
I prefer "Italian-American". I mean, I wasn't actually born in Italy, but I figure that doesn't matter right? No such thing as American! I find the term white racist!
@exphdk You're right! I'm actually German-Swedish (American). The term "white people" is kind of derogatory, but what can you do? I'm a bit envious of people who have "culture" since my family decided to all but forget theirs :/ I guess that's why a lot of my friend (and most of my boyfriends) have different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. I'm drawn to people who are different from me because they have something I don't.
This article rubbed me the wrong way. I don't see the point in making something about race when it really doesn't have to be. I've been to plenty of 'white' Thanksgivings and I've never seen potato salad there. If there had been potato salad there would have been paprika on it. And I know plenty of people who put have hot sauce on their table every night. No two families celebrate Thanksgiving in the same way or with the same food. The differences in Thanksgiving dinner are more about family traditions and preferences and culture than they are about race. And the more you dwell on the differences between two races the more distance you put between them. This article would have been a lot better had the author made it more than just a comparison between black and white.
This isn't just an article about black and white. Read the end of the article. I think it's more of a cultural piece giving ONE example of the different ways in which people across America the Great celebrate Thanksgiving. The author is black, so that's the perspective he is writing from. He is just giving insight into what his family usually eats for Thanksgiving. Put the idea of race aside for a minute and read the whole thing.
For those of you who this this article is racist.... read the WHOLE article before making that judgement.
I happen to be white (not that it matters), and I enjoy Granderson's articles. He is usually right on and very insightful. It is good to view things from a different perspective, and I don't necessarily mean from the perspective of a different race. Some people commenting on this article ought to give it a try!
I was raised on "Soul Food", sweet potato pie, collards, fish roe and eggs for breakfast. We picked butter beans and snap peas and tomatoes to can for the winter. Corn pones were the side bread of choice for every meal. Thank you LZ for your word artistry. Oh did I mention I am white? Well mostly, my grandmother was Cherokee.......
Uhh....we prefer to be called Caucasian thank you......
Speak for yourself!
Well I wasn't speaking for you sp ics or knee grows was I.....
i agree <<<< : )
I don't. The word Caucasian is derived from the Caucus mountain range in Russia. I don't have a lick of Russian in me. Just call me white, thanks. I don't need a fancy word.
Btw, my mother's 'white' (lol) thanksgiving:
Roast turkey
Homemade stuffing
Gravy from heaven
Homemade cranberry relish that you grind by hand (no processer or canned stuff, pls)
Ambrosia salad for the wee people
Green salad
Green beans with bacon
Mashed potatoes
Relish trays with pickles/olives
Rolls
Pumpkin pie with whipped cream
Every darn thing from scratch. Takes days to pull off.
Btw, my aunt makes a seriously dangerous sausage stuffing and her wild blueberry pie could make you cry. Yup, a pie crust with lard. Melts in your mouth. Serve it warm with ice cream.
Do not ask for the calorie content of all of these items.
Amen to that and pass me the pie pls.
I'd like to dangerously stuff my sausage in her blueberry pie
It is so nice to see you celebrating your increased cholesterol, clogged arteries, and other self-polluting activities.
The menu is almost identical to mine; the items are also made from scratch. And I'm Chinese.
While I was in college my parents moved out of state and it didn't make much sense to drive 12 hours or get a plane ticket for Thanksgiving when I'd be doing the same thing for Christmas a month later. So, I started spending Thanksgivings with different friends and their families. I've had cheese enchiladas and margaritas, fried turkeys, an array of pies with different flavored whipped creams, potlucks, a New England country club spread of lobsters, oysters and game but they all have one thing in common: family. They may not have been my blood relatives, but at every Thanksgiving I was welcomed as a new family member. There was always laughter. There was always warmth. There was always soul.
Wow. Pure, unvarnished, absolute racism. Yes, black people are allowed to be racist, but whites are not. CNN, you really crossed a line here. Stop publishing condescending racist drivel.
I don't think you read the article right... read the whole thing, then read Nicole's comment above yours. (btw, I'm white, just in case you would ignore my suggestion if you thought I was black, because you sound awfully racist yourself.)
I don't see where racism enters the picture (I say this as a white male). The article is about someone stepping outside of his worldview–one of those "growth experiences" that makes us view others a little differently and makes us better for it.
I also found it very relateable. My wife is from the Netherlands, and her family mvoed to the US in the not distant past. The first Thanksgiving I had with them was a HUGE shock–they threw steaks on the grill (thanksgiving is an american holiday).
What???!!! Did we read the same article??
@jennifergeldard Yes, but apparently you didn't read the whole article. Try reading to the end. You wouldn't have missed the part where he says, "When I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school."
oops, sorry Jennifer... my bad if you were replying to Steve. I thought you were replying to me. I would delete my first reply to you if I could.
please don't mix my responses with this steve. I'm in total disagreement with him.
I am a white guy. I grew up as a child with a black nanny/housekeeper named Vina Mae. My first memory in life was looking up from my stroller and seeing Vina Mae. Vina Mae saved me as a baby when she saw that I had fallen into the pool and was drowning and alerted my mother. Vina Mae taught me how to make the world's best macaroni and cheese. Vina Mae was a wonderful woman who I hope to see again in Heaven. I loved her like a second mom and she taught me what soul food was. Even when she cooked for our family she put her heart and soul into it. She lived into her 90's and is now with God. Thank you Vina Mae. You are one of the finest people I know.
The Help is real. Oh, barf.
LZ, can I say that I don't remember the first thanksgiving I had with black people or white people (I'm Hispanic), because I don't bother focusing much on people's race.
That said, it is always very interesting to get a glimpse into another family's traditions. I know I'm still adjusting to some of the different traditions of my in-laws. :-)
Loved it! Had just thought this morning that I will never be a "real" New Mexican (yes. New Mexico. One of the 50 states.) because some of the New Mexican recipes I was looking at drew a "you've got to be kidding" reaction from me - even though I know better, having eaten,and cooked, New Mexican-style myself. I promise I will open my mind - and my mouth - to try some of the dishes I've thus far avoided. Thanks, LZ!
My first thanksgiving with RED people. They were naked. "Put some clothes on, you heathens" I said. "And stop your constant sniffling and coughing!"
The food was pretty good, actually. I always did like venison and fresh chestnuts. I'm going to assume that because I enjoyed their food, they'll forgive me of racism and genocide.
my first seance with wiccans
My first Thanksgiving with Smurfs.
Smurf berries. Eveyrwhere F^%ing Smurf berries.
The End.
whered be'd the watermelon white boyz?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but greens are freaking nasty. We had creamed spinach for Thanksgiving and it blows greens straight out of the water. I have never, ever, in my life seen potato salad on a Thanksgiving table. MASHED POTATOES PEOPLE! So this white person's typical thanksgiving ... Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Creamed Spinach, green beans, sweet potatoes, warm dinner rolls, assorted pies, etc. I will admit being at my best friend's house for Thanksgiving and they also served baked ziti, guess it's an Italian thing.
For their sake, I hope you don't either.
Vile. Just vile.
Happy Thanksgiving.
She's right, having a white history month would be racist. Dont whites have enough stuff already? I mean practically every white person is rich and every black man is poor. Dont whites have enough? Having a white month or holiday would be so racist and would be a racist insult to all black people everywhere. Only black people deserve there own month
pee-pee on YOU Shauwan, u r a racist schtank-bag
What an asinine comment! Practically every white person is rich? You win the most ignorant comment of the day award.
Shauwan, you're an idiot to think that every white person is rich and every black person is poor. You arent BORN rich..you work your ass off to become rich... and every race has the same opportunities here...you just have to work hard to climb up the corporate ladder. Go back to school!
"most white people are rich". If you think that is true then you are completely ignorant of reality. Sure more % black people are in poverty than white people. But saying almost every white person is rich is absolutely dumb. Blatantly untrue.
As for only black people deserve their own month? What a stupid concept. How about native Americans? You're right, they only endured massive genocide and plagues of disease from Europe just to be forcibly evicted from their homelands at gunpoint. But you're absolutely right. Not worthy of consideration.
You are so ignorant and in need of a history lesson. You need to know one of the reasons we have a Black History Month is because our country, "Land of the Free" use to endorse slavery. Also, until the 60's, which is not that long ago, Blacks could not vote. Many people including whites died just so that Blacks could be treated as equals. Thus the Civial Rights Act of 1964 was established. If only we could take away the Freedom of Speech so ignorant comments could not be posted such as this article generated. If you can read and finished the article then you would know it was about letting go of your preconceived thinking and embrace life with an open mind.
Seriously? wow. I wish my white check showed up every month like some people think it does.
How can any race, non-white, say that we all need equality, MINUS white folk. No White Month, no White college association, etc. If we want to on the same playing field, we need to support each other. this is class, not race. as long as we are fighting in the comment section of Black vs White turkey day spread, we will never focus on helping each other out as humans and becoming better, more loving, more supportive.
Black. White. yellow...
come on folks...
Try reading the comment with sarcasm. That is the way it should be read. Morons.
Of course part of the issue is what is a "White" person. How may different cultures are "White". Just like "Black" is not just one culture. In my "White" household we have Jewish and Buddhist. Those that eat Turkey and Vegans. Those of Russian, German, Swiss, Polish and Chinese descent. (OK that last one isn't exactly white). But at times we have had other "white" cultures at our table ... Mormon, Catholic, Protestant, Shinto, and Muslim religions. Folks of Irish, Scottish, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Bask, Norwegian, Philippine and Swedish decent. So what exactly is "White" anyway? I agree that one should open ones "food" horizons ... just a one opens ones cultural horizons ... but they way this is written feels very raciest to me. We eat "greens" and marrying into a family where donkey is considered a delicacy was a bit of a shock. If she wanted those things ... she should have brought them herself ... and shared a little culture in the reverse direction.
You should #Occupy a classroom.
After reading a handful of remarks, both for and against this article, I can't help but laugh at us. The comments prove how primitive we are. Anyone with sight can see a difference in skin color. We recognize it, right? Unfortunately, a lot of us were raised to react hatefully toward the differences.
Please parents, don't do this to your children. Don't you see that the conflict is holding us back? Don't you want something more for your descendants than generations of self-hatred and limitations?
By the way, I love LZ because he is an excellent writer. He has a unique perspective on things, shares it in a manner that makes people think and encourages dialogue.
I have no problem with dark people ever since the hispanics took over our country.
At least we have no one to blame but ourselves with the darkies.
These Pedros snuck in here overnight and took the place over.
Next, my first Christmas with Jewish People......
Been thee done that wish I had a tee shirt. Worked at a Jewish synagogue and nursery school once season. We had a Hannah Harry (Secret Santa) for the staff. lots of fun. Learned alot. Maybe you should try it.
So, my husband and I are vegetarian, so we don't have turkey. My family has turkey, but his family always made some ethnically-themed meal. We had Ethiopian dishes one year, and Mexican another year. It isn't about the food – it's about coming together and cooking and feasting.
Already into my draft of "Christmas with the N*egros"!
I think I'll do one on New Years with the Chinks....
Please refrain from posting if all you have to contribute are nasty,vile and needless remarks. Thank you.
Why is this guy still allowed to write on this site? Nothing he has to say is even remotely interesting. We get it, you're black and gay. Now shut up.
Right on brother!!
If that is all you "get" out of the article then I don't know why you even bother reading.
Laquinsha?? Sounds to me like someone close to you has already spent Thanksgiving with black people.
Hahahaha, Hilarious saywhat!! Good way to deal with racist comments... humor! :-)
You lost us at – "aint eating no grass." Can we press one for English or are we just stuck with this dribble?
pretty sure its drivel.
I think you mean drivel. Athough we do dribble pretty good too.
If you're part of the NBA right now, you aren't dribbling at all.
L.Z. Granderson never fails to underwhelm. Once again, another love letter to himself soaked in moronic epiphanies and queries. I'm sure there's a Famous Footwear that's a man down. Give someone else a chance to say something L.Z., maybe it'll be remotely relevant to someone beside yourself.
Black people tend to see everything based on color...you would think that after the country elected it's first black president we could just see each other simply as Americans. I don't see that happening...ever. We have hyphenated Americans, we have the Latin Grammpy Awards, Miss Black America...all things that divide us. Until we can get past skin color we will always be fighting one another.
I rarely reply to these; however I often read the comments and I has to remark on this one. Jon I could not agree more. The more we seperate ourselves in the name of cultural freedom, the further apart we drift as "Americans" drop the hyphen and just like collards because they taste good, not because your ethnicly programmed to.
There's nothing wrong with celebrating your culture. Not everybody wants to be assimilated. And please stop acting like race is this pesky little thing that only exists in the minds of minorities. If I had a dime for every "non-racist" white guy who just can't put their finger on why they don't like Barack Obama, or willingly dislike him based solely on misinformation, I'd be able to bail out Europe. Our differences are fun and interesting. It's when we discriminate and alienate based on them that we have problems. Latin Grammys? Really? Ever heard of the Country Music Awards? Ever heard of an Irish festival? You sound ignorant.
...and I get moderated for calling you racist
If you spend your free time looking for "reverse racism," you're probably a racist. The term doesn't even make sense unless you're implying "forward" racism only happens to black people. Think about what racism is and what it means and stop throwing the word around every time you want to feign indignation at a minority in a better position than you. And don't be stupid: read the whole piece before you write your angry rant. The guy is talking about celebrating our differences as opposed to avoiding or being repulsed by them. Is this the best article I've ever read? No. Everybody knows white people have drastically different cooking styles from blacks. Well, except LZ in 1998. But it's a mildly humorous, cutesy little piece about having a new experience and I'll leave it at that
You would never publish an article about a white man's first "whatever" dinner with black people. This is racist and stupid!
I completely agree!!
I supposed everyone missed that this was supposed to be a modern Norman Rockwellish slice of life piece. However, while greens and paprika sound lovely, I'm drawing the line at chitlins. ; )
This article assumes that ALL black people cook the same kinds of food, and that there isn't any diversity within our own culture. I would invite LZ to come to my Jamaican family Thanksgiving meal, or attend one of my Haitian friend’s festivities and note that when he sat down to eat, he’d be having the same experience. We ALL don’t do “soul food” for dinner, and it’s surprising that he had to become a “citizen of the world” to figure that out. Narrow-mindedness is just that.
If you read the full article you would notice that he DOES mention that not all black people cook soul food. It's his description of getting out of that narrow-mindedness through food. You don't have to have a knee-jerk reaction to every article.
"And when I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school."
He does say that not all black people do what his family does. Read more carefully before you get all upset.
And how long did it take him to realize that? 25 years? I'm glad he's come around, but it exposes the ignorance that exists within a person's own culture.
This guy can't catch a break, he writes interesting articles that I always enjoy reading, and yet he is consistantly ripped into like coyotes on road kill. I never see anything offensive in his articles, they are always thought provoking. I remember one where he criticized how parents where allowing their young daughters to dress over-maturely, and he was accused of being a pervert! Really now. I have to say I would have enjoyed the descriptive of the dinner more if he had gone into the details of their son bringing home a rasta dude boyfriend, as a more modern update to the Guess Who's Coming To Dinner movie of the 60's. But sorry, potato salad is for picnics, at least here in the Northeast!
Gingergirl: Enjoyed your remarks as much as I enjoyed the article itself.
If only this were true! My husband's family, firmly in the North East, serve coleslaw and potato salad at holiday meals. A Jello Mold for every table, too. I'm also from the NE and I've never understood it.
I totally understand 'soul food'....I grew up in East Tennessee eating home made biscuits and gravy every morning...that plus country ham and molasses from the 'family farm'....I'm almost a vegetarian!! Never eat meat, except fish..Shop with care at Whole Foods...but when I am anywhere near a Cracker Barrel,I lose my 'moral high ground' and order their country breakfast and let it take me back to my mountain home filled with love and aroma and biscuits and gravy!!
Can you imagine an article on Fox News with the title:
"My first Thanksgiving with black people"
The ensuing uproar would be palpable..
How would readers feel if the article was called "My first thanksgiving with Black People?"
Eh, it just seems like the author is saying only white people eat a certain way, when a lot of these food preferences are regional.
He's actually saying it IS all about cultures. You just have to read the whole article.
Yeah, but then we'd have to read the WHOLE ARTICLE.....
I was a little skeptical about the article at first but I love the fact that the author wrote what so many people think and experience but never say aloud! Traditions are different from culture to culture and after you have grown up in one culture, to experience the way another culture celebrates is different and sometimes a little shocking. It amazes me how no one can mention race without automatically assuming the person is racist. Celebrate differences!!
Great article!
For those of you who didn't like the article, I don't think it's as much about race as it is about CULTURE. I moved across the country after high school, and although I initially made mostly white friends the first few years, I quickly learned that America is a HUGE country with a wide variety of cultures and traditions. That's what makes America so great, our differences. Our acceptance of different traditions and values is what makes us (or could make us) strong.
This article made me smile because I live with my African American boyfriend who grew up in the south. I am meeting his family for the first time when they come over for Thanksgiving next week. I am really excited, but he told me that his mom will be doing the cooking, probably because he wants to have the dishes he grew up with. Fine by me. This will be a great opportunity for me to learn about his family's traditions.
I agree that it seems to be an article more about culture than race itself. I grew up in the mid-west and have now been in Massachusetts for 11 years. The people, the sayings (packie, wicked), the towns-all different despite the color of skin.
It absolutely is about different cultures! I grew up in California and my husband grew up in Texas. During my first holiday meal with his family, I inquired about a vegetable that I didn't recognize. I was floored when I learned it was cabbage. I had eaten cabbage regularly growing up but ours was steamed and very green while theirs was boiled and yellowish looking. We're both black.
lol Great story! I wish everyone would read your comment.
Great article. I remember the first time we had black people at our Thanksgiving table. It was post Katrina and I had helped in the shelter here in Franklin Tennessee (upscale white community). I decided I would make thanksgiving dinner for a single mom and her children and another man I met through the shelter and kept in touch with. Now they were the heart of New Orleans and came from generations of NOLA. I knew that my stuffing, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and gravy were not what they were used to. I got the hot sauce out and made chicken smothered in hot sauce, I made cornbread dressing with the "gross" parts of the turkey chopped up in it. I put hot sauce on the table. I regret now that I didn't make any greens and we don't eat port so there was no pork tail or chittlins or anything else that they were accustomed to. But we had a great meal, they were very gracious and saw that I did the best I could with my limited knowledge of their traditions. It was our first big meal together but it has surely not been our last. I have helped the young mom birth two children, she even lived with us for a time, we took her her families first Christmas tree, with all the trimmings and presents for everyone. We always kept hot sauce and jalapenos in our home for her and I learned how to make jumbalaya, gumbo. She learned how to make Swiss Chicken. We became a family. I still speak to her now that she is back in NOLA. I love her as a sister and her children as if they were my own. We are very different, we raise our children differently, eat different foods, speak differently, have had different experiences in our lives (you would be brought to your knees in tears if you heard the stories of her life and especially her stories of the horrors of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina) We have had disagreements, some of them quite intense. But we love each other and have a bond that cannot be broken. I was forged in spite of the things that society says should keep us apart. It is unbreakable and forever and we would both do anything to protect the other and our families. And the majority of these bonds were forged over conversations, laughter and learning over the meals we created together.
Bless you! America needs more people like your family, people willing to adapt and go out of their way to accept another person. And by "person", I mean anyone, black, white, brown, a different religion, or just simply someone who prefers their potatoes mashed with the skin on... or off!
My boyfriend is from LA (he is black) and I am from Oregon (I'm white). Our idea of a "traditional" Thanksgiving couldn't be more different, but that's one of the reasons why I love him and can't wait to have his family over to share their recipes.
I now realize how the U.S.A. went wrong..This is why we need MORE EDUCATION and not less..I mean people can't even read anymore....WTH is wrong with you people saying he is racist? He is speaking about the very SUBJECT. And telling you idiots that it is a "GOOD" thing he opened up his mind and accepted people for who they are...not what we "Know" of them to be....Even giving you a story to highlight the differences in our backgrounds.....something he didn't know as he was growing up.....Goodness....Are a people really this stupid in america?
Essence, I tried to point that out earlier too. Unfortunately it seems that many people stopped reading the article after the story of his INITIAL reaction to seeing different types of food for Thanksgiving. Many didn't read the end, where he clearly says it's not about white and black. It's sad how many people just didn't get the message of the article.
Oh my goodness, the Tito Jackson of greens- I will never look at mustard greens the same way every again. Thanks for the laughs and thanks for the article.
This issue is not strictly a racial/cultural thing. I think going to *anyone* else's house for Thanksgiving is going to bring surprises and inevitably disappointment because every family does it a little differently and we grow up expecting it to be a certain way. You could be two white people in a relationship and going to your SO's family's for Thanksgiving is going to expose some things that just aren't right by your expectations.
I totally agree. This will be the first time spending Thanksgiving with my husband's family and I am a little anxious. It will be totally different from how I grew up spending my holidays and we are from the same ethnic background
Firstly, my first Thanksgiving was probably served at my Aunt Mary's in Maryland by her fabulous black cook, Hattie. My second and third ones were, because by then I was living there. One thing my white family would never ever have for Thanksgiving would be the picnic food, potato salad. They would serve mashed potatoes and if Hattie had anything to do with it, they would not have come with gravy on them. Gravy would have been for the dressing and turkey. Everything about Hattie's cooking was (I can now see) French and highly refined. She had Tidewater sensibility, and she served things like deviled crab and peeled grape pie. The back porch was for shucking peas. I remember this a lot better than Thanksgiving because of a return visit as a ten year old. One thing she could do is get me to try new dishes. But greens? Probably not. In those days I hated stringy spinach-like stuff, although peas and beans were fine. The beans were cooked with bacon of course.
That's who laid the best table, the only table, at my aunt's house.
And heavy paprika on anything in sight? That is something I learned from my husband, a Hungarian. You do not just use it for decoration, you lay it on like another vegetable or something.
and i wonder what awards you've won... or any accomplishment for that matter. posting some non-witticism declaring your bigotry is hardly noteworthy.
try reading the whole article you clown
oh? I'm sorry, did not realize this was the award winners section...pardon moi o' sir gallahad of the pillowbiter
Why are so many focussing on race. This was 1998 gay was even less accepted then. Who cares the guy was black what about the poor family having their son bringing a guy to dinner. The question shouldn't have been "what no collorded greans" should of been "who is packing the fudge".
Obviously LZ's family is more evolved than you. Why do you care so much about other families? Why attack them for their unconditional love of their kid? At least they didn't kick him out of the house on Thanksgiving day like you'd surely have done.
The real question "Rob" is why hate-filled people like you still exist.
When the day comes that a white person can write a similar story about black people then that will be the day that race is no longer an issue in America.
EXACTLY ! Which is why if your suggested article was written, the NAACP, Sharpton, ACLU would be all over it crying their usual mantra. Oh, but if it comes from the "other" perspective it is considered differently – it is "enlightening" "thought provoking". "challenging"... Bu lls hit – it is proof that b's will never let this card go.
Thank you..my exact thoughts.
Such a fantastic story! And though I've not had a jarring, cross-cultural experience at the Thanksgiving table, I related with missing the familiar smells and sounds of a family meal.
This will be my second Thanksgiving eating gluten free. The first was a shock to my senses. How could I make anything that was remotely like what I was used to? It awakened me to the deep connection between eating and who we are. It is a personal, daily act that feeds us both physically and spiritually. If you want to upset people, mess with their food!
My first gluten-free Thanksgiving opened my mind to the ways in which we can connect deeply around the table even when there have been great changes in our lives – an empty chair because a loved one is gone, a seat filled because of new additions, change in traditions, or change in lifestyle. It may be food that we are gathered around, but what we are celebrating is thankfulness, life and love.
Damn, LZ. Only you would take a topic like Thanksgiving and make it about the plight of the black man.
It's like black people are from a different planet. What? you mean not everyone puts paprika in potatoes? Why aren't these white folks cooking like my family? White food is bland and lacking soul.
Maybe it's true, the SAT's are culturally biased, the blacks are completely clueless about the world around them.
LZ: "But as I’ve grown and had the chance to travel and become a citizen of the world, I realize that there’s a whole lot of people who are not black putting their whole heart and soul into their cooking".
@DeeNYC, I think you may have a disability in the area of reading comprehension. He was explaining the importance of keeping an open mind, something that you obviously do not have
I'm sitting here steaming because my (harmless, carefully written, in-compliance-with-the-rules) posts keep getting pulled for review, and then I saw your post. Made me laugh. And you are so, so right, MIT.
I helps to laugh at these things. It lowers the blood pressure.
This wasn't about the "plight of the black man." It was about a cross-cultural experience, one that he was unprepared for. I've had similar experiences as a white man going into black homes. Frankly, I've had similar experiences going into some white homes.
i am amazed and ashamed at the comments rolling around on here. it seems to me that the only ones yelling the race card are the ones who will blatantly show their own racial bias in the same post. i'm white, from the midwest and i'm the one who brings the soul food to my family gatherings. this is about experiencing something new and different from what you're accustomed to. i've seen articles and shows about white people experiencing a culturally black event and i don't recall this kind of hoopla. is it so horrible to be reminded that you're white and different? no and that is the whole point. we are different but that shouldn't separate us. go on Granderson!!
I appreciate your post and your open mind!
That relationship went a long way if he made it to the dinner table for Thanksgiving. I wonder if her Dad was there, that must have been interesting. Race is still the taboo subject in America – sad.
Her?
Apparently some people (plenty on this message board) don't really pay attention to the article.
You do realize, there wasn't a 'her Dad' in this situation right? Both were men.
Wow, read the article.....he is gay. If I was this boys father I would start with a beatdown for packing my boys fudge.
You really are amazingly ignorant, especially for a white guy.
I thought this was beautiful. Open mind, open heart.
For everyone saying that an article entitled "My First Thanksgiving with Black People", written like this article, would be racist sounds stupid! If you are not black please do not comment on what offends black people. If a non-black person wrote this article to exploit their previous stereotypes and show how their worldview and thought process changed for the better, bring it on! I am sure that it will be just as informative and even more humorous than this article! Read the ENTIRE article! How could you think the inverse of this would be deemed racist??
LZ's boyfriend's family must have been a pretty tolerant bunch, no matter what the hell they served for Thanksgiving dinner, BTW...
Yea, I know! To have to put up with all that crappy food they must have to be very tolerant!
lol how true
This was and is one of the worst articles ever and crosses the line of racism. Since he is a "journalist" he can hide behind the First Amendment. "My First White Thanksgiving' ???? are you freakin kidding me ? This is as offensive as writing "My First Lesbian Thanksgiving – There was flannel everywhere" or "My First Gay Thanksgiving – Everything decorated so nice", or "My First Latino..(no wait...) My First Mexican Thanksgiving.....". Food differs between families, towns, and even geographic areas. Whining that the food was not up to par with what you are used to is very short sighted. To call it a "White" Thanksgiving outs you for the racist you are. Sir take off your black colored sun glasses....Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks for our good lives, freedom, people who sacrifice their lives for us, and another day above ground. My mom just died which means no more of the Thanksgivings that I remember. I am not going to whine about it, I am going to see where I can help others have a happy Thanksgiving. You sir should be ashamed...you are a racist and you make me sick.
Oh, get a life, man. It was a great little personal history story. It was not racist, it was HUMAN. You must be too politically correct to enjoy life. Sorry, dude.
Totally agree Ben....not sure why everyone is so crazy...it was a great read.
Did you actually read the article? It is the least racist thing I've ever read. He went to a white families house for Thanksgiving for the first time. What was he suppose to title it? They ate different food than he was use to. This is about his experience about realizing how closed mined he was and how he made the change. Racist??? His boyfriend was white...how was this racist?
Idiot!
Terrific read, and thanks for sharing your 1st white Thanksgiving!!! Since we are now empty-nesters and share the kids with the other set of parents on Thanksgiving, I've gotten to enjoy having some peace and quiet on Thanksgiving Day. Sometimes we dine with friends and sometimes we go to one of the lovely hotel buffets around town (and I love it when when I see some large family at the buffet with Grandma who says "Oh, this is so nice, not to have to cook all day!!!"). Thanksgiving means to give thanks...so whether you knock yourself out cooking and cleaning for a week or just have a peanut butter sandwich, be thankful.
To analyze if this title and content seems a bit racist, I switch positions. What if the title and content was "my first thanksgiving with black people", then for sure I would feel uncomfortable with it. So yes I think this is irresponsible journalism.
So what Johnsmith said isn't racist????
I'm really amazed that there are those out there who think this article is RACIST because he talks of eating "soul food' and missing the kitchen smells from his childhood. There are all sorts of olfactory clues I miss from my childhood, I would hate for people to think I was racist if I mentioned them. That's just crazy!!!
Not racist at all. He was just pointing out that he never had Thanksgiving dinner cooked by non black people. All cultures and colors have different foods and different ways of preparing it. Isn't this the reason some go out to a Thai restaurant...does that make us racists? My first dinner with a black family was a culinary delight of which I had not yet had the pleasure of experiencing. We had catfish stew with cornbread. Not the cornbread my mother makes either. This had bacon and cheese in it with a bit of spice. Oh man I wish I had some right now. Diversity has to start somewhere and maybe it should start in the 1st grade in schools. How about teaching diversity instead of sex education because you can learn about sex education in the home, on the internet, on tv or at the movies.
This article comes off in bad taste. I'm sure it was intended to show the differences between how Thanksgiving is celebrated, however I feel it has a racist undertone.
The racism is in your heart, not the article.
No, Steve is correct.
Sami, you are correct.
Transplant from the North down South and I have spent time at holidays with surrogate families.. Latino, Black and even Po Dunk white trash, each have their own take in what their family does and the food????? WOW.. all I can say is when you go into something with preconceptions you fail yourself from learning.
I enjoyed the article. It sounds like a lot of the people complaining here either didn't read the piece fully or suffer from a reading comprehension deficit. LZ is both funny and self-deprecating ("My sphere was not very large, my worldview limited.") Stop using this story as a lame excuse to jump on your defensive white-folk soapboxes (and I say that as a white man).
Ooooh he's funny and self-deprecating. I guess that means all opinions to his character are invalid.
The ones that are biased because he is a gay, black man are! There is no other reason for criticizing this piece.
Kyle, I don't think you really know enough about his character to form a valid opinion (or are you and LZ personal friends?)
I am white and live in the midwest, my parents came from the South. We will be having corn bread dressing and turnip greens, at my house for thanksgiving, It is regional cuisine not a Black or white thing.
So that was one of the most pointless things I have ever read. White food, black food...How about food and thankful we have it cause were all AMERICAN and our colour shouldnt matter...but sadly it always does.
You have a boring mind.
Funny. If you clip out all of LZ's single sentence paragraphs, it's like article cliff-notes:
-Why was it white?
-Why was it smooth?
-And where was the red stuff that goes on top?
-It was 1998, and I was having my first Thanksgiving dinner with white people.
-I mean, it was Thanksgiving.
-I was willing to do anything for love. But I wasn’t ready to do that.
-Give up greens, and dressing and sweet potato pie.
-I wasn’t ready to give up Thanksgiving.
-The potato salad – while still naked in my eyes – was pretty good. So was the pumpkin pie.
-And for that, I am forever thankful.
The end.
Dumb article. How can you be that old and having gone through college and not know what type foods whites generally eat on Thanksgiving? Has he never watched tv or picked up a magazine displaying Thanksgiving dishes? He is either very naive or just stupid.
No, the real issue here is: who the HELL eats potato salad on Thanksgiving? What is this, a July picnic?? Maybe she means mashed potatoes?
2 things. 1. The article was written by a gay man, not a woman. 2. Lots of people, particularly in the black community, eat potato salad at large family gatherings. Every family has their own "special" dishes. My family always makes cauliflower with cheese sauce on Thanksgiving, even though it's not a "traditional" Thanksgiving food.
Lot's of people make potato salad on thanksgiving..I think it's for people who don't want mash potato or are not a big fan of them..I cannot recall my Aunt ever making mashed potato for thanks giving but usually potato salad and macaroni salad..Man I am getting hungry just thinking about it..So remember..It's a choice that lots of people indulge in and as long as the food is cooked with love and happiness it will be good on any occasion...
Until I was about 26, I had no idea what went on in black homes or black churches, despite having seen plenty of TV shows displaying black families. Sweet potato pie vs. Pumpkin pie. Different types of potato salads. Up until my late 20's, I had heard of "collard greens" but had no idea what they actually where. If you've lived your life as a part of a single culture (not necessarily race, but culture) it's not surprising you might not know about how the "other half" live. I probably would feel out of place at a Thanksgiving in Alabama or Mississippi as well, white or black.
I have been lucky enough to have thanksgiving with black and white families and the one observation I have is as long as the cook can cook good, the food seems to follow the pattern of being good ans tasty regardless of culture or race....
It's obvious that you are racist, but your point makes no sense...are you trying to illustrate the lack of intelligence of racist people?
This is what I get for naively deciding to read this guy. What blatant and uncouth racism trotted out as intellectual depth. Dude! You need to get over yourself. Go eat whatever you want and leave the narcissistic blather on the bathroom wall where it belongs. Sheesh! What a doorknob.
Do you know how to read? He was explaining the importance of cultural tolerance! If you are offended by being called "white", you have serious issues.
If you think simply talking about racial difference or perceptions is "racist" then you need to do some homework. A lot of homework.
What? No mention of macaroni and cheese??
Kudos for being normal and not all hung up – and saying what you think and telling it like it is. I wish the rest of the world was like that.
Soul food is just southern food. Whites and blacks eat it down south. Only in the north is it soul food.
AMEN!!! In the south, "soul food" is simply known as "food".
What is wrong with you people? This article is not about race! It is about being open minded and accepting things outside of your comfort zone. Life is more enjoyable when you experience new things.
it is VERY racist. had it been written by a white person about "the blacks" it would've been smeared labels of racism. I CALL DOUBLE STANDARD.
.....and what do you mean by "you people"?
Are you kiddin? This article is all about race. If not the headline would have read "My First Thanksgiving With My Boyfriends Family." If a white person had written this with the headline claiming it was his first Thanksgiving with a black family that person would have been fired in 5 minutes.
Agree. I feel bad for people who cannot experience things out of their comfort zone, because they miss so much.
I used to like his articles but now that I've realized he's a gay black man.......it doesn't CHANGE A THING. what is wrong with people?
"Whaddo you mean 'you people'?"
Ed Zachary.
My question, is the author still with that boyfriend?
Who would have thought that after an educated black man who happens to be gay writes an article on his experience of eating Thanksgiving with a white family, that a bunch of racist bigots would come out of the woodwork and post on here. I would say I'm surprised that you can even read, but then I'd be lying because after readin a lot of your posts, it's obvious that you didn't read the whole article or were not able to actually understand what was being said. I think the hills are calling you back people...
I don't think it's a "white thing" it's a southern thing. I'm white and from the south and I can't imagine Thanksgiving without greens.
ummmm...why is it ok to say 'my first thanksgiving with white people'? if I talked about my first dinner with 'black people'; I would be branded a racist; which I am not. I am sick and tired of REVERSE racism. if you hate something so much; stop practicing it yourself. Aren't we all Americans? White, Black, Yellow, Red? Brown? WHY does race or color have to be brought up?
9 zillion posts on this! Wow! - I love the article. Well written. Sound message for learning to open up to other cultures, norms, ways of life. - Sad to read (No, I didn't read all 9 zillion posts.) so many negative, biased and ignorant posts. Good to see though that most readers actually understood the message. - Great article.
Love it. Reminds me of my first Thanksgiving in an African American household – where I nearly got slapped for thinking the sweet potato pie was pumpkin pie, and the greens were so hot they blew my head off. But despite my awkwardness (& lack of formal invite....I had tagged along with a friend), everyone was very warm and welcoming and the food was delicious.
I think that Mr. Granderson took a "Southern" thing and turned it into a "Black" thing. Paprika on potato salad and greens on Thanksgiving (or any other large gathering for that matter) are Southern, not just "Black." The article could have just as easily been about culture issues in general, but he had to make it racial. Articles like this do not help cross any racial divides. It just makes his line much clearer for all to see.
He did note that since the time of this particular thanksgiving he has come to know that not all blacks serve greens etc. perhaps the issue is not with the author but with your lack of reading comprehension.
if he was white you wouldn't say that.
I do not know any black people. I am truly thankful for this.
I'm sure they are too.
Oh please; lighten up people! Those offended and posting about racism – clearly you didn't read past the first paragraph (or you simply have too much time on your hands and extra aggression to boot). LZ clearly states he was wrong about it being a 'black/white thing'; this is simply a sweet, funny story told about a long ago day that helped mold him into being an even better person. Thanks for sharing LZ; Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
WHAT? If I wrote a story of my first Thanksgiving with black people I would be crucified as a racist. Reverse racism is still racism, but we tread lightly when referring to black on white racism.
I don't think you would. At least not from most black people. It would probably be funny. We all need to get over the political correctness, lighten up and laugh at ourselves sometimes. At his height, comedian Dave Chappelle did this very well with all races.
To me thanksgiving is about being with the people you love. Your family and your friends without that eating the best meal and best prepared food in the world would be a sad day for me IMO. I remember one day when I was younger we had thanksgiving but only with some friends and none of us was much for cooking. So we had boston market and a good time I still remember it as one of my better thanksgiving with many of my good friends in one place. Now everyone is off living with there wives and kids. It is doubtful we will ever all get together like that again.
I am surprised about most of the comments about racism. I am white and conservative but I do not see any race baiting in this article. I could have written the same article about one Thanksgiving where I went to my girlfriends parents and we did not have potatoes, stuffing or rolls. I always had these items for thanksgiving. To me Thanksgiving always had turkey, rolls, potatoes, stuffing, family and football. I was at a loss as to why some of the standard things were missing. As I got older, I realized that every culture had different traditions. Just because my tradition was the one that is propagated by almost every movie, TV show and media outlet does not mean that it should be the only one. I wish I was mature enough at the time of this stuffingless Thanksgiving to be able to embrace someone's traditions.
My best friend and I are both white and grew up about 5 miles away from each other. We were sophomores in college discussing our Thanksgiving plans. I was speechless when she told me that she had never had turkey on Thanksgiving. They are of Italian heritage and they have homemade lasagna. She did not know what a rutabaga was. There is so much cultural diversity every where.
this article is informative..I've never had thanksgiving with black people or white people. As an African, our thanksgiving has lamb and not turkey. We know american traditions, but our traditions are different. Just because I look like a black person, I still dont know what colored greens taste like, or what chitlins even are! to google i go...
Keep your racism to yourself. Why do you feel that you are superior when it is obvious that you lack intellect? This is an article about breaking down walls and embracing tolerance, and you muck it up with ignorance and hatred.
I sure HOPE and PRAY that all white folks, dont think that ALL Black people THINK like Mr LZ Granderson. Theres nothing like stirring up More CRAP, to get racial division started because of his insecurities. Honestly !
I am white and I actually don't find anything at all offensive about this article. I have actually been there before and what he describes is pretty funny because its true. It's true ESPECIALLY for holiday meals that we have been attending since birth and are more a part of our identity than we give credit. I think most of the people having issues here are just ignorant white folk who found the smallest little reason to pull the race-card. Kinda pathetic really.
I didn't come away thinking anything of the sort. I'm somewhat amazed that a piece on cultural differences about food would provoke this kind of response, not only from you, but even from commentators on other boards!!
Agreed, though I am far from amazed by the ignorance of some of the commentary. Racists come in all colors, especially in America.
This article and the comments above show us that families have their favorite dishes. I'm a white woman from Chicago and have NEVER had potato salad for Thanksgiving. We eat rutabagas, not turnips (still root veggies) and sage dressing with giblet gravy. Yes, we eat pumpkin pie not sweet potato or mince pie. These dishes can be regional, ethnic or personal preferences. Lighten up everyone!
Stereotypes are old school.
Please, step into the 21st century and get over superficial differences.
It is really funny reading all of these posts that laugh about how ignorant the author is. Ya know you are almost ALL this ignorant, you just don't know it because you haven't stepped far enough outside of your comfort zone. I am also ignorant of other people and culture, just not as ignorant as the average poster here. Why? Because I am a white-boy from North Idaho (and it doesn't get much whiter than that), but for a time I was a white-boy in Mesa, AZ with a live-in Mexican girl friend for 3 years eating Tamales on Christmas and Menudo for New Years AND there were all kinds of things to put Hot Sauce on (which is weird for white people).
So grow up people and realize that unless you can think back to a specific time where you were eating Tamales for Christmas or Chitlins for Thanksgiving or whatever it was and IT PUSHED YOU PAST YOUR COMFORT ZONE and freaked you out just a little, then you MORE IGNORANT than the author!
"you are" that is
My first black thanksgiving, the food was oversalted over greased, not a single fresh vegetable or sugar free beverge to be seen, oh how enriching the experience was. I shall write an article. Stupid article, waste of time, racist. The idea that you walked into your host's hosue and thought "where's the okra?" shows that your're an ungrateful selfish scoudrel.
Nice headline.... White people aren't offended by the term "White People", but for the double standards of racism....
BTW – you might want to be a little more open to other types of people then your own, familiar types.
I prefer being called a "pink-skin", but that's just the Trekkie in me.
Why do say we want to be free of racism, then we classify ourselves into unique groups like White, Black, African American or Euro American or whatever. We were born in America so at most this is what we should be "classified" as.
You can love your ancestry / family culture all you want, but after everything is said and done for now and into the future we are all just "American" and more importantly we are all "human" with our own unique yet common wants / likes / dislikes / God / problems.
I remember my first thanksgiving with white pople. They said we were going to eat at 4pm and grace was said at 3:58pm. Black people... We say we are going to eat at 2pm, we did not say grace until 5:30pm.
LOL! White folks playing the race card. I am white and come from a deep South family, we have greens on Sunday occasionally but they are mostly a New Years celebration food, along black eyed peas, etc. COLLARD greens are my favorite and I don't eat mustard or turnip greens, to bitter even with sugar added.
I see no racism in this article, I loved it. He admitted he was sort sighted on the white culture. "But it wasn’t until I left my comfort zone and broke bread in someone else’s that I realized I was book smart, street wise but a little worldly dumb"
Thanks for a great article and overlook the whiners. They figure it's bad enough you are black, but you are gay and that offends their white superiority.
Well said!
What a lovely article. It reminded me of the first time I was invited to eat at a home in Sarajevo. Stepping outside our comfort zone makes us grow and become more tolerant and kind. I think we can tell who has world experience and who is small minded.
Pass the burek!
Thank you for your comments. We also have regional differences. Soul Food is not limited to African-Americans. I think some of the readers too this too personal. The article could have been switched to any ethniciity and been equally funny. This article talked about his experience outside of his comfort zone. We all could use a healthy dose of diversity training or dinner with someone outside of your race to realize although we are different we can still learn each other and laugh at our shortcomings.
I do apologize for my typing above. I haven't used a real keyboard in months! Blame iPad.
Did we even read the same article? I think you completely missed what it was about. That's unfortunate.
First time I had thanksgiving with black people, my mom got mad because I didn't eat any of her cooking. I ate my friends moms grub and went back for seconds and for some things...thirds...I think I was put on the silent treatment for a week! LOL
Granderson and I usually agree on next to nothing in politics. He's a terrific writer though, and I always enjoy reading his point of view. This one made me smile.
My first black thanksgiving, the food was oversalted over greased, not a single fresh vegetable or sugar free beverge to be seen, oh how enriching the experience was. I shall write an article. Stupid article, waste of time, racist. The idea that you walked into your host's hosue and thought "where's the okra?" shows that your're an ungrateful selfish rascal.
Since when does skin color matter when it comes to food? When will we ever get past this nonsense and just act as one people – different experiences and views but act as one people. Why does there always need to be a dividing line..?
Did you read the article? Your comment was the exact point the article was trying to make. I am white and my wife is black. The two Thanksgiving meals he discribed is exactly what I see at my parents house and my wife's parents house. Spot on. Towards the end he makes the statement that at one point he met white people who knew how to cook soulfood and blacks that didn't. The ending point of this article was that while there may be some cutural differences there does not need to be a dividing line. We can enjoy each others cultures just the same. Reread it and I think you will read it differently the 2nd time.
I missed the racism a lot of folks seem to have read. But as a New Englander, I have to ask who has potato salad on Thanksgiving? Learned something new!
I missed the racism part too. I was also thinking, "who eats potato salad?" Talk about different traditions.
Your family's "black" Thanksgiving doesn't sound strange to me. I'm a white woman from the South and everyone you mentioned sounds both familiar and delicious. The only thing I will fuss at you about is calling mustard greens the "Tito Jackson" of the greens family! Are you kidding me? Mustard greens are so versatile. You can pair them with anything – fried chicken, anything. Pass me a plate of fried catfish, fries, hushpuppies, hot sauce for the fish, and mustard greens and I will weep with gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving!
How is this article racist? He is simply making the point that he needs to expand his "comfort zone" while learning to "celebrate differences".
All the people making negative comments are the real racists. You all continue to find issues with race rather than solutions.
Disgusting
Hear, hear!
What is it you don't see, Jake? When I get together with my friends and business contacts of other races, I don't have a thought of "having to expand my comfort zone." I don't have any thoughts of them being different from me in any way. Ditto with my gay friends (I'm straight). They are just people, like me. They have families that may have different traditions than my family does, but that's true of all of us. My spouse is of the same race as I am, but comes from a much lower socioeconomic class. Believe me, his family holiday celebrations are much different from my family's. I don't look at them as some foreign creatures (well, maybe my mother in law...). Granderson is a racist, pure and simple. I find his writing puerile and repugnant.
I never trust anyone who user faux-liberal phrases like "celebrate differences" (too chichi for words).
this is the worst article i've ever seen LZ do. i normally don't like his articles, and this one just confirms why. just because white people don't cook greens and sweet potato pie, etc etc for Thanksgiving means that we don't put love and compassion into our food? my Thanksgivings always have "signature" dishes from different family members, too. and if someone from the outside came to our Thanksgiving and saw what we eat, they might think it was odd. but it doesn't mean it wasn't made with passion and "soul." for claiming to be so cultured and worldly, LZ really doesn't know what he is talking about. he is egotistical and arrogant. "soul food" has no racial barriers. every culture has its own traditions, and just because they don't match your traditions doesn't make it unworthy.
this article is biased and stereotypical like most of his articles always are. i don't know why this guy still has a job at CNN.
if you had actually read the article...oh, forget it; you're not worth the effort.
did you read to the end?
My first black thanksgiving, the food was oversalted over greased, not a single fresh vegetable or sugar free beverge to be seen, oh how enriching the experience was. I shall write an article. Stupid article, waste of time, racist. The idea that you walked into your host's hosue and thought "where's the okra?" shows that your're an ungrateful selfish miscreant.
Potato salad on Thanksgiving???????????Potato salad does not go with catfish!
people eat catfish on thanksgiving? and even if they did potato salad most certainly goes with catfish. potato salad or cole slaw. maybe even both!
I think calling this article offensive is over the top. LZ is grading other cultures against his own – which is the definition of ethnocentric. And... I think that makes for a less open-minded measure. So there is reason to critique, but bring it in a few notches people. It isn't THAT bad.
Did anyone actually read past the first third of the article? I also thought it was going to go down a sterotypical road, but it didnt. It is an article EMBRACING differences and being surprised by having your assumptions delightfully proven wrong. I entered into reading the article with an assumption...and I was delightfully proven wrong. I cant say that historically I have been a 100% fan of all of your articles, but I think you did a fine job with this one; excellent work! Happy Thanksgiving!
I am Mexican -American, and I had my first traditional "Anglo-American" Thanksgiving experience during college with my roommates's family. My first culture shock was gathering so early (around 2pm, I recall). Sorry, but that's Thankgiving lunch. In my family, Thanksgiving is always an evening affair – stretching late into the evening. Second shock was the food (very bland, no taste, limited variety, and of course, no Hispanic holiday foods like sweet and savory tamales, mole, or champurrado). Still, plenty of love, engaging conversation, and the most delightful company – which made for a grand Thanksgiving.
This writer didn't have Thanksgiving with white people, he had dinner with YANKEES. Come down to Georgia, Mr. Granderson and my white mammma will cook you the best greens, dressing, and sweet potatoes you've ever had!
Very true! I lived in Mississippi and I can vouch for the fact that just as many White folks cook soul food as Blacks down there. Damn I miss that food! LOL..
its so funny when people from the south use the work "yankees" i wonder how many confederate flags you own.
It was not meant as a term of derision. It's a term we in the south use to describe people that don't eat greens and dressing, don't have sweet tea in their restaurants, like major league baseball more than college football, and spend several months a year shoveling snow. Relax yankee.
Drake, you're the moron. Read what he said again, and if that doesn't work... have a friend explain what he meant to you.
LMAO, yeah because lynchings NEVER happened in the north, did they? Race riots NEVER happened in New York, Botson, Chicago , or Los Angeles. Never. You didn't major in History, did you?
Interesting artcle and interesting comments...
This article made me hungry. For Thanksgiving, our family usually has:
Turkey, Cornbread dressing, macaroni and cheese, greens, green beans, peas and carrots, salad, candied yams, garlicky mashed potatoes with gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce, sweet potato pudding, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie and pineapple upside down cake
Wow. A lot of foks just need to chill out here. Granderson was making a point about his own ignorance. I am profoundly white, make that European-American, and I didn't take the article as being racist at all.
I agree with a lot of the other posts. There is no way anyone could write "My first [experience] with black people" and it be considered acceptable or make the front page. I find this offensive.
My thoughts exactly! How quickly we'd be called "racist" if the tables were turned...
I'm a frequent critic of Granderson, because he ought to stick to what he has some expertise in. But more often than not, he's discussing things way outside his scope of expertise...and that's not what a formal CNN contributor ought to be doing. But this particular article is fine. He's relating a cultural experience he had. And, in my view, it's discussions like these that contribute to more positive race relations as understanding between races improves. For a change, Mr. Granderson, congrats on a good, on-target post.
To imply that white people do not cook greens for Thanksgiving is a disturbing generalization of our race.
I'm really offended by the blatant racism posed by this "opinion"!
Oh shut the fock up! White people do cook them, but lets face it a whoooooole lot more white people make the funny green bean casserole with the dried onions. I am white and I don't think I have ever had greens, but I have personally made a whole lot of funny green bean casserole.
Christ... Offended?? We American's are a piece of work sometimes.. It's a dumb article about 1 person's experience.. Read and move on.. No need for the "Occupy Thanksgiving" movement to start.
Hey Ken racist ignoramous, you're obviously illiterate maybe someone can read this quote from the article to you:
"And when I began to meet black people who didn't cook soul food and whites that did... well, let's just say some of the best lessons in life are not taught in school."
So if I say all black people eat greens and fried chicken, I would be wrong to sterotype right? Its this quiet separation technique that keeps ignorance and racism alive and well. Black and gay so we must accept the ignorance he is spreading. Afterall, he must know everything there is to know about black, white, gay and straight. By the way...I'm black, American, and proud!
My first Thanksgiving with black people happend when I was 18 stationd on the USS Midway and in the U.S Navy. I was at that magical part of life when a male is shaking of his boy hood ( mine spent in ruel Colorado) and becoming a man. I remeber being introduced to cajun hot sauce. 30 years later cajun hot sauce and cajun foods are and will remain very much a part of my familys American Italian Thanksgiving. Oh yea Great article
Enough with the meaningless race baiting articles LZ. No one cares and you should grow up already. There is all sorts of different people in this country. Get used to it! My family doesn't eat potato salad or collard greens on Thanksgiving!
Hah! Whats up with all the racist and gay bashing???? Its not racist....its just true. Im white. I had my first 'black' Thanksgiving a few years back. Hell, I didnt even know what collards were!!! Its culture shock. It just is...it isnt racist. This article is dead on as far as Im concerned.
i must admit. if everything was inverted. and it was "thankgiving with black people", it would be considered anti-black. should lz promote such nonsense?
I laughed out loud at LZ's observations having experienced them myself while in college in a northeastern state about 1000 miles away from my home. I am white, from the Deep South and I believe Thanksgiving without greens (I prefer collards) is not Thanksgiving. Stuffing, – What is stuffing, I asked. We call it dressing and it's made with cornbread, not white bread. I now serve "white" potato salad, with mayo not mustard the staple of Southern potato salad, but, I sprinkle paprika on it. Apparently only LZ can understand my surprize at the Thanksgiving meal I ate some 30 years ago when I had no money to go home for the holiday. I was thankful for the gracious friends who shared their traditions with me. I loved this article. I was not offended. Thanks for making me smile. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
how has LZ disparaged his partner's culture or heritage? pointing out the obvious differences between his upbringing and that of his partner makes white people uncomfortable? I think blacks and whites need to have more conversations like this, instead of the alternative. okay, you all stay over there, we'll stay over here. never sharing anything, be it food or thoughts how the hell do we all get to know one another better. I wouldn't care of a white writer described the horror he felt the first time he caught a wiff of chitlins(chitterlings YUCK). I think it would be funny to here a white person describe that kind of thing. I think everyone who is offended should take off your underwears, unroll them, then exhale.
As I walked in I was bombarded by the all the hot sauce on the table smelling the soul food on the counter. We ate "southern style" and then he read racist stories to me as I fell asleep. Can't wait til christmas when we get to paint Santa Claus black. HO HO HO
I think the greens and sweat potato pie issue is more a North/South thing for white people. It could have been worse, his fella's folks could have lived in Minnesota.
Don't like lefse eh? Or is it cause we actually have a white winter? hmmmm
How in the world does CNN allow you to post on their site? I went to Popeye's and all they had was fried chicken wahhhhhh you are an idiot.
I echo the response of this not being newsworthy. Sorry Granderson, but your writing is often pathetic. Just because one family couldn't cook your beloved soul food, does not say that all White people can't cook. I am brown skin and I know better.
So sick of these racist articles. I thought it would be an article of reflection, not just putting down cultures. we are multicultural society. CNN, hire some writers who know how to show unity.
Mr. Len is entirely correct.
CNN should be a force against racism, not a promoter of racial division and racism.
You two need to go back and read that article.
The only racists here are some of the posters. Both of you need to take remedial reading comp classes.
You have obviously never read any of his other articles. They are all based on colour and racism.
So his OTHER articles are based on – I don't care.
I'm commenting on their posts for this article and they missed the point.
Len – You're an idiot. That's absolutely not what the article was about, in fact it was quite the opposite. You don't like reading the articles here? Then please do us all a favor and stop coming. If anything, stop posting.
Wow, I can't wait to have a Thanksgiving dinner with black people so I can write an article about cornbread, watermelons, and kentucky fried turkey that gets featured on CNN. Cause you know, the colour of our skin is relevant when we celebrate the white invaders coming to North America, raping the natives, and taking their stuff.
Great article LZ, can't wait to see your next politically incorrect and offensive submission..
I have to agree with Jason. So many of us have to be so careful in choosing what we say that we don't offend anyone. Watch what we say, get the right context and even relay the message correclty depending on the demographic of who we are talking. Unfortunately, the ones that cry rascism so often are the ones that are most racist. What would happen if I had a story called, "The night I invited the black people over." or "There goes the neighborhood"
You clearly did not finish reading the article. This is not about singling out a race, this is a reflection of his once limited thought process and worldview.
I did read the article, and while not obviously racist and a good article about himself having an awakening to the differences between cultures and people He should of at least acknowledged that this was going to be slightly controversial or have made some type of disclaimer that he understood the under pinnings of this article are those of niaivete.
Too funny! I remember my first Thanksgiving with black folk (my husband's family). I tried everything except the chitlins, telling my (now) father-in-law that this farm girl kew exactly which party of the pig that is! My first holiday meal for his family and his nephew asked "who made the caucasian dressing?" I told him, "one guess!" We've blended our favorite dishes, traditions and families. It's a good thing!
How can so many posters reply with such negative comments? I mean really, come on. As a white, conservative male from TX I found this article humorous, well written even. LZ, keep up the good work. Who cares if you're gay, dating a white guy, whatever. I may not agree with your lifestyle, but who cares-it's yours. And to the rest of you who have nothing but bad things to say...Grow up. This is America.
Good point in your article. It wasn't just show how blacks put there soul into what we cook, or how white's have caseroles. It's a connection and intergration of cultures. Being open-minded to break bread with someone who is not just like you. Ignorance is bliss, but being open-minded is priceless.
Perfect response! I do not see how people can say this article is racist. It is clearly talking about the benefits of learning about other cultures and being open to other people.
By the way my name is Delilah also!!
You are right only black people have "soul" and only black people cook good food. All white people just eat casseroles.
Afterall everyone knows only black people enjoy greens and the color of you skin determines how much love and effort you put forth to create delicious meals.
Your ignorance is staggering. Racism is real but why cant we keep it out of food one seemingly universal thing everyone can enjoy?
oops misread your comment. Sorry for the attack!
Well said, and I totally agree with you. Learning about other people's lives teaches you that yeah, there are superficial differences. And then it teaches you that underneath, there aren't.
Granderson, let me be blunt. You will always have differences in the way food is being prepared, this shouldnt be much of a shocker. Hell families always compete over how a dish should be prepared, especially during Thanksgiving. The purpose of THANKSGIVING is to give THANKS. So next time you want your collared greens and sweet potato pie, tell them to save a plate.
"Mainstream black men"??...What the hell is that? Real backward thinking here Dave!
I wonder how many people actually stop and ponder about the background of Thanksgiving, how sick can any culture be honoring the genocide of the population of an entire continent by eating dishes supposedly symbolizing ingredients introduced by Native Americans, the very same people they killed off and stole the land from.
mmmmmmmmmm turkey, football, snoooooooooooooooze
How can you miss the point of Thanksgiving so completely?
See, the first Thanksgiving wasn't about genocide.
Sure that happened, but that wasn't the festival that day.
Your birthday isn't a celebration of all of the mistakes you made later (like the comment you wrote), it is a celebration that you were born.
Wow, I thought Thanksgiving was a good excuse for politicians to have a long weekend and watch the Detroit Lions lose a football game. Or is it just a celebration of a fall harvest? One that was done not only by the Native Americans – but the Europeans before they even landed here. There is a reason it lands in the fall – a celebration of the harvest period. Never knew it was a celebration of wiping out a nation – thanks for the update.
So what Native American food are you referencing? Greens? Potato salad (without Mayo I assume), Pop-overs, Cranberry sauce or TURKEY?
We start discussing the menu for Thanksgiving (for all holidays as a matter of fact) weeks in advance. The topic usually revolves around the desserts, how many and which ones we should eliminate. We tend to add and never take away. The meal has certain items that we only have on Thanksgiving, which gives it that special feeling. I usually do all the cooking, but this year, our son's boyfriend is joining us, and he and our son are great cooks. We are looking forward to new items added to our traditions. Maybe I also might not be cooking everything this year :)
Happy Thanksgiving
THIS is how racism gets perpetuated. Garbage. Oh wait, I'm black and gay I should be agreeing with this. I don't. Pull your head out and drop the racist BS, move on with your life. Oh,...and get rid of the braids, the 20th century called and wants them back.
Mr. Amazedatthisgarbage is entirely correct.
It's a shame that some people seem to want to celebrate and perpetuate racial divisions and racism in this country... and it often surprising just who they are. It is time for us all - as a nation - to put racial divisions and racism behind us and embrace a post-racial society.
ummm, what's racist about the article (no Im really not asking a question). You are silly like many other commentors. I appreciate him telling us that we all have stereotypes and if we open ourselves up we can learn more about those we stereotype. If you didn't grew up in a mult-cultural environmnet, you're not going to know things or be a little ignorant in your thoughts. But the author realized his ignorance, which is why i think the article was worth the read.
both of these are "He's", He is talking about going to His parents house. Could it be he is both racist & gay ? What is the world coming to ? LOL
Hmm, so all "white people" eat the same things and act the same way, gee sounds a lot like stereotyping to me or profiling that I hear so much about. If I said the same sentence, but put "black people" in it – I would be labeled a racist within 5 minutes. Can't have it both ways folks, oh but wait – you have been for a long time...
Truth is there are regional and ethnic tastes among "white people" just as there are for black, and all other shades in between – and they have impacted what people eat at all meals including Thanksgiving. There is no characteristic "white people" menu or orthodox ritual that white people are sworn to uphold or have their whiteness revoked.
What a racist
Well said
Mr. Miguel White is entirely correct.
Well-said, indeed.
Well said. I am going to T-Day at my dadf's in North Carolina, and will be eating amny of these "regional" food even though we are white.
LZ is so out of touch.
Great column on the importance of life's little lessons! Done with a wink and a sense of humor!
I'm thankful for my white person food with my thanksgiving. Not a big fan of greens or sweet potatoes, while green bean casserole, mashed potatoes with gravy and baked turkey are my favorite parts of the meal. I could go without the cranberry sauce though, nasty. I do enjoy some fried chicken but have never had it for thanksgiving. I would be open to a black person thanksgiving if I had the chance.
I would too, but I wouldn't write an article called MY FIRST THANKSGIVING WITH BLACK PEOPLE. Want to know why? It would be considered racist.
It would not be racist if you , like the author here, used the article as an opportunity to exploit your stereotypes and show how that experience broadened your worldview and thought process, it would actually be humorous, and yes I am black
You are more than welcome to come to my house dude! Collard greens, sweet potatoes and Chittlerlings! LOL! You will love it! :)
Now I know the America is populated by idiots with the minds of 5 year olds. The article was
excellent. If you saw racism in it you are take things literally like a 7 year old. No greens at
Thanksgiving? Must be a yankee dinner. But Im guessing the northerners have some good things.
too. But if it is better than mustard greens with some hot pepper sauce I must be really missing something.
It was TONGUE in CHEEK folks, He was making as much fun of himself as anyone else.
Go eat some cranberry sauce and chill.
Happy Thanksgiving America, my FAVORITE holiday
glad to know at least 2 people have some sense
This is to the people who is knocking the author of this article. At this time over a thousand people has commented on this article. If it was so terrible, why would so many of u take out this much time of your busy lives to read and comment on this. Granderson, keep writing because some CNN, writers only wish they could get a thousand responses on a subject like this
He gets 1,000 responses because his writing is annoying, obvious, racist, and one-sided. People like to combat that kind of mentality. He isn't getting 1,000 responses because people are TRULY interested in his opinion. He brings nothing new to the table and the fact he gets paid to do so simply astounds me.
Great article and I couldn't agree with you more Stephenpe!
I'm not going to take credit for this. It was a post I read above and I think you should all read it.
Hmm, so all "white people" eat the same things and act the same way, gee sounds a lot like stereotyping to me or profiling that I hear so much about. If I said the same sentence, but put "black people" in it – I would be labeled a racist within 5 minutes. Can't have it both ways folks, oh but wait – you have been for a long time...
Truth is there are regional and ethnic tastes among "white people" just as there are for black, and all other shades in between – and they have impacted what people eat at all meals including Thanksgiving. There is no characteristic "white people" menu or orthodox ritual that white people are sworn to uphold or have their whiteness revoked.
Was you in that movie called The HELP!
THANK YOU, Granderson, for your thoughtful and good-humored exploration of cultural uniqueness through the lens of your experience participating in a cultural tradition different from your own. I appreciate the ways in which you gave voice to how challenging it was for you to be confronted with the unfamiliar and the process you went through to make sense of that difference. You did an excellent job causing me – as a reader of color who is an interracial relationship with a white man – to critically analyze the ways in which we all take for granted that there is a “right way” of engaging in common cultural expressions, like the Thanksgiving holiday; that the “right way” is associated with and defined by a particular cultural experience; and that assuming there is a right way makes “other ways” “weird” or “different.” As a first-generation Filipino-American, my family struggled to feel welcome at our own Thanksgiving table, trying to bring to life a holiday foreign to our cultural experience with roast pig and noodles rather than turkey and mashed potatoes. Happy Thanksgiving!
I don't think the article is racist, I just think it's inane and horrifically written, like pretty much everything else he writes. It reads like a fourth grade essay. How did he get a forum? It's unbelievable to me.
I would love to pay the bills with my writing. Would be nice. Too bad I'm not black and gay and write about obvious and stereotypical things.
It seems like the only thing Granderson can write about is race, this one trick pony gets old after a while.
Mr. huskersrock1 is entirely correct.
I with that CNN would stop publishing polarizing, racially-dividing articles and become a force to unite us as a nation.
there was ecstasy and donughts for dinner and the prayer wnet extra long because they all held hands
My first thanksgiving with black people....... Black people would be up in arms if that was an article
Such a double standard for blacks people they can get away with racism and pick and choose what offends them
ridiculous
Wow, I can't wait to have a Thanksgiving dinner with black people so I can write an article about cornbread, watermelons, and kentucky fried turkey that gets featured on CNN. Cause you know, the colour of our skin is relevant when we celebrate the white invaders coming to North America, raping the natives, and taking their stuff.
Great article LZ, can't wait to see your next politically incorrect and offensive submission..
I'm originally from Europe, so first of all Thanksgiving doesn't mean much to me since we don't celebrate it the way Americans do. Secondly, I'm married to a fabulous black lady who is as ignorant to race or skin color as me (you guessed it – my skin color is much lighter). We embrace the varieties that life offers, so for Thanksgiving we might have a turkey and greens, or ham and stuffing, or – burgers with french fries, or even Sushi. Yes, you heard right, we like all kind of different foods, and as long as we can have a meal together (Thanksgiving or otherwise), we are happy. We won't have sweet potatos though as I never got used to the taste (same story with root beer or peanut butter), sorry fellow Americans.
I forgot, .....DooDoo braids are out BRU !
but they tickle his man's belly....
*urpp*
This is front page worthy? Wow, CNN,...just,.....WOW
Granderson is quite simply a racist
Mr. Straighttalk is correct.
And I am tired of racism... all racism... in all directions. It is time for everyone to allow the post-racial society to begin. But some people just don't seem to want to do that.
not when you're getting paid the big bucks
Hey StraightTalk I bet you are the kind of guy who speaks out of both sides of your mouth I am Glad that Mr. Ganderson talks so openly about race........ It's better than going behind closed doors and talk negativly about peoples of other races ......then in public laugh in their faces like i'm sure you do!
Not so, racism obviously exists, I get angry with people, not for their color but for their ridiculous actions, such as granderson's choice to write this article. Think twice before criticizing, I would venture to say however that you are not white and have been slighted, that is unfortunate
He mentioned that.
I am not a racist, nor do I enjoy reading articles that are tainted with racist undertones. If this were a white person writing this article, it would have NEVER made it on CNN..the person writing the article would be labelled a racist..and if it were published, that person would be fired from CNN. STOP bringing up race. It don't matter if your black or white. And...continuing to play the 'race' card only perpetuates negative feelings
It's not racist.
Mr. Goose is entirely correct.
It's time to stop writing about racial divisions, about what separates us, and start writing about what unites us as Americans. The Thanksgiving Holiday can be one of those things which unites us as Americans and it is a crying shame to read an article like this which just tries to polarize this holiday.
You are 100% correct sir.
Clicked on, curious to find out why every article this guy writes is all about race. Agree with your comment.
You guys are so Closed minded Mr Ganderson was trying to tell of a lesson he learned He didn't just stop short of his experience and say it was somthing he would never hope to experince again . It was a culture difference he experienced. I have had white frinds come to my sisters house for dinner who had similar experience as Mr. Gandersen Remeber what he wrote in his last paragraph:..... I will say that if it wasn’t for that day, I might not be the adventurous eater that I am now. More importantly, it would have taken me a lot longer to understand the difference between accepting our differences and celebrating them.
Sorry, but where I live in South GA/ North Florida most everyone eats "soul food". My daddy grows and cooks his own greens....which of course are a Thanksgiving staple. Its southern soul food period (my people were poor farmers and this is the way they have always cooked).
Then shut up and stop reading it!!!
i can't believe this crap is worthy of being on the front page of the website...horrible waste of my time. won't be reading his column ever again
Andy, how was this article racist? He was just making observations about Thanksgiving about how some people cook certain thing and others do not. This article was perfect for this time of year and anytime for that matter. It should help us all step out of our comfort zones and embrace our differences.
Okay, Lilah. Feel free to write an article called "My First Thanksgiving with Black People" and see how well it goes over.
Be sure to watch the CNN special How to perpetuate racism in America!
agreed pretty horrible reporting....not only playing the race card but exploiting it. I'll never read his columns again. He should be fired immediatley
Mr. Phil is entirely correct.
CNN does a disservice to our nation and dishonors our holiday with this racially-centered tripe.
Hey LZ, fun article. While I don't always – or even often – agree with your positions on a lot of topics, I read almost everything of yours that I find posted on CNN. I think what I like most about your writings here is that you're not afraid to call it as you see it and are direct with your terminology. Stay true to that and I hope you have a great holiday season.
Allow me please to say this again. LZ, You are a racist and unfortuantely no matter how exposed to other races you will be, you will remain a racist. Unless if you become colour blind, which I don't think you will ever be, you will always be a racist!!!!!
Noticing cultural differences is NOT racist. No one can claim to be color blind... it just isn't possible. The more we live together while understanding and appreciating differences the better off we'll be. If he said that a white Thanksgiving dinner was inferior that would be racist. Celebrating the meaning of the food he grew up with was the point.
Agreed. I find myself offended everytime I read his articles. But I try to give him the benefit of the doubt and still read them only to regret it later. Does he know whether the potato salad lacked paprika for a reason, like maybe someone was allergic?! Or maybe the family just doesn't like paprika! He makes it sound like just because the food was made by white people that he's too good for it.
If you actually read the entire article, what he's saying is how limited his thinking was at the time, and how it has evolved. The folks on these posts who call the article racist, are not seeing the meaning of this article.... As he says at the end "to not only accept, but to celebrate our differences"...Seems to be a lesson here!
take the chip off your shoulder. He's not saying it was bad, just that it was unfamiliar to him....and in the end, he liked it. Same thing anyone would probably say if they went and had T-day dinner with a family from a different culture.
I grew up eating "traditional" Thanksgiving food. When I went to my wife's family the first time,I was shocked.... they had lasagna, pasta with sauce, & the sauce had chicken, sirloin, sausage, and, of course, meatballs. PLUS, they had a ham w/mashed potato's and other stuff. All good food, but weird for "turkey day"
Beautiful article. It is not about race, but more about exploring beyond your boundaries. As a person from a different country and culture exposed to a variety of cultures in the US, I can understand the temerity of facing a new culture and the joy of experiencing and appreciating them. I don't care what you call other people, what jokes you make about them, what opinions you have formed about them... the only thing you need is an open mind for new experiences. Just the exposure and experience will heal all divides, there is no need for "political correctness rules".
Way to perpetuate racism, Granderson. Seriously, what else you got? I DEFY you to write an article about anything else. ANYTHING else.
Racism is always seeing everything in terms of race and color–the opposite of being socially and politically colorblind. That would pretty much make you the biggest racist I know of. It must be nice to literally draw a paycheck for being racist. Hmm, I wonder if that would work if a white reporter was paid to ONLY talk about his race. Just stop me when you start to see the hypocrisy here...
Racism is the idea that one race is superior to another race. It is not the opposite of colorblindness.
I always thought they had KFC...
what no greens that aint thanksgiving !!!.. white is who i am and everyone in my family but greens are practically at every meal especially thanksgiving ... it must be a southern thing ....the day my black father in law made comment on the sugar in my daddys greens ..best day ever!!!! :)
Don't say ain't, your mother will faint, your daddy will fall in a bucket of paint, your sister will cry, your brother...... eh, I don't know the exact words, but I remember the rhyme from 1st grade or so
Wow. What a HORRIBLY racist title. I'm hoping it's from the editors and does not reflect the writer who wrote a very interesting piece.
Every family has it's own traditional items that they serve at Thanksgiving. Enter anyone's house outside your own family and you will not smell the scents of your family, and you will be missing what you construed to be "classics.".
Walk into a friend or lover's home and you will smell the traditions of THEIR family, whether white, African-American, southern, northern, Jewish, Catholic, French, Irish ... every home is filled with their own classical flavors.
Embrace these different traditions for what they are ... the fabric of America.
I feel like if a white person wrote this about any other race, it would be construed as "racist". Seriously. Yea you end it on a nice note, but it bashed white people all throughout, and apparently that is alright. I am sure it would not be alright if the shoe were on the other foot.
Continuing his racist commentary ... thanks LZ.. What a piece of work.
You're Gay? Wow. Goodbye CNN, thanks for helping society sink to new moral lows. DISGUSTING!
THIS is where you draw the line? Really now? Because he is a relationship with a man instead of a women? Umm alright. See you on fox.
What exactly is "acting black"?
Mr LZ Granderson, Im sure somewhere in your life you've sat with white person for lunch whether at college or a restaraunt correct ? I would think that there is no diference if its Thanksgiving or Arbor Day.....You agree ? It's colums written like this that KEEP the racial division on going in our society especially when its an opportunistic over exzuberant writer that either intends for the reader to think of him as a comedian or an accomplished writer. To bring up race at a time and Holiday thats ment for peace is stereo typical. What does that tell me ??// It tells me that CNN doesnt mind if LZ Granderson makes an ass of himself as long as people take him as a wanna be comedian. I am of Black decent, and if I where white, I'd be turned off by his racially connected coments. Mr Granderson should try out for "In Living Color" or the comedy channel.WAIT....ITS NOT ON NO MORE..My bad, If he was raised on boiled grass thats fine, but if the white person next door was raised on oatmeal ......so be it. P.S. .......If you ask me ......I could care less if he "BROKE BREAD" with me !
Did you even read the article?? He discusses the differences in culture and learning from experiences rather than shunning away from them. Thanksgiving Dinner (in a home with people you love) is much different than going to lunch with just anyone or even having a regular dinner with those same people.
Read the article again,,, He helped to break a racial divide. It's people like you that look at any discussion regarding race that keep the divide. Good for him and you should open your mind some.
@readthearticle He may have broken the racial divide at the end, but he CREATED the racial divide at the beginning. "This family eats different stuff at Thanksgiving than I do." (this should be the end of the story...the world is different...okay). But LZ goes on to say "This family eats different stuff at Thanksgiving than I do: this is a problem; this isn't right, I'll be the hero and struggle through this"....right there he creates the "racial divide". A difference does not mean a divide, but suggesting there is a problem with the difference, well, there you have a split...
I'm sorry but that green bean casserole has ALWAYS been holiday fodder for my black, white, asian AND latin friends....then my mother had the NERVE to make one....after talking about her mercilessly, we ate some and it was actually REALLY good...who knew?!? Now, my best friends (who are ALL of the above) come over just to get some....I guess you really SHOULDN'T stereotype foods....
I LOVE green bean casserole! Just don't look at the calories!
Seriously... everyone needs to lighten up a little! Great article, LZ!
terrible, terrible article. it's sad he gets paid to write this filth
It's always about race with CNN! "My first Thanksgiving with a white family"...seriously, let's keep the old race issue going with headlines like that why not! Duh!
The article was alright, nothing out of this world. Anyways, the author did seem to put a lot of emphasis on the potato salad to illustrate his simple point.
Well what did we learn today?
Never invite somebody different over for Thanksgiving because 10 or 15 years later they will recall the experience by making fun of your potato salad and pie, I hope the women who originally hosted this isn't reading it because her feelings will be hurt that #1 her guest felt so isolated and #2 he did not like her food. Way to go LZ, don't expect the guest of the year award anytime soon.
Lesson #2: read the whole article. He doesn't make fun of the white family. He talks about his discovery that he was clueless about other cultures in America and has now learned to respect them.
Talk about missing the point...
Your screen name sure is accurate.
Somebody better tell Granderson he'll better be careful whom he share Thanksgiving dinner with if my history serve me right after the Whites ate, they poisoned the Indians.
Great work! You're one of the better commentators on CNN!
This was a great story! The first time I ever had Thanksgiving with my first boyfriend, I realized how unique every family truly can be. They wouldn't serve us kids (we were 17) wine, my parents did. Their mashed potatoes were like drying elmer's glue, my mom's was amazing. Their turkey was delicious, my parents always cook their meat dry.
And they said grace. Asked if I wanted to lead, even! I looked at my boyfriend with a shy smile and he took the hint and said it. I had never heard of such a thing! (No wonder they gave me evil eyes when I tasted the gooey, sticky mashed potatoes after they were plopped on my plate).
Home, sweet home...how I will NEVER under appreciate thee again!
I am european descent. I have dated and married men of different races and my kids are mixed. When I was growing up, we were taught to accept people regardless and I felt bad knowing what other whites did. However as I became involved with other races, I learned one thing – RACISM IS ALIVE AND WELL IN ALL RACES AND WITHIN RACES. I have had my supporters, I have had non-whites, including in-laws, make racist comments about whites in my home. I taught my children that everyone should be respected and that diversity should be celebrated. My children learned – regardless of the reason, it is not good to judge people by their race. In other words – get over it. Trust me – I put my feelings aside and respect my in-laws. My kids have very healthy relationships with people from all races – which is something my in-laws don't have.
Act white?? Either you just fell off the turnip truck or you live under a rock. Maybe both?
What a RACIST title! What the hell is your problem? If there were an article by a white guy that said "my first Thanksgiving with Black people"....there would be such a hoopla and it would be the #1 news story for a few days.
How rude you are to consider writing such an article – there isn't any comedy per se....it's just all about the differences. As one who is hired regularly by 'black people' and work with some of the top rappers in the industry – I'm white and I don't see color and I'm not racist. But this title and the actual article is just fuel for the fire that isn't needed.....idiot
I'm blessed with a very diverse family (2 White son-inlaws and a White sister-inlaw) and family gatherings are GREAT !! We all share dishes and I love the diversity, but I must say I'm not into the string bean casserole with dried up onions thing.
Several years back, the older African-American lady who seemed to take our entire neighborhood under her wing made my family a sweet potato pie during Thanksgiving. Not only was it a freaking AMAZING pie, but I was so deeply touched by the gesture that it remains to this day one of those things I recall when I really need a smile.
The story reminded me of my first Thanksgiving with a black family and all the differences that really surprised me. I was young, and I also thought that all Thanksgiving dinners were pretty much like what I grew up with.
My first experience with other family's Thanksgiving dinners included oyster stuffing and greens. I was not fond of oysters, but I loved the greens. Since then, I have lived several places and my stuffing recipe reflect that. It's got to have cornbread in it! Love sharing new traditions with others! Lighten up people!!!!
Wait, what?? The author is black? I'm sorry I don't see color cuz i'm not racist....
yeah, LZ is an imbecile
"Not seeing color" is a form of subtle racism. Only white people in our country have the privilege of getting to "not see color" because there race doesn't impact them negatively on a day to day basis.
No, sir, calling EVERYTHING a form of racism is racist. If we are truly to get past the racial issues that exist in this country, we have to let GO of being offended at EVERY little comment, article, and glance that might occur. Not everyone is horrible and racist. No, not EVERYTHING is about color. Grow up, welcome the year 2011, and move on. Yes, I AM white. Yes, tehere are still problems with racism. But I am blessed to be a part of a family with adopted members of all races, and only by ACTUALLY putting race aside can we NOT be racist. Oh, and by the way, labeling something as a "white thing" is DEFINITELY racist by your standards. That's okay, some people are still that way.
White is not really a color -by def. its colorless so I see why you say that. What color is a Chinese person?
What an excellent article! It was so nice to read something positive between the races and cultural bounds. I am 100% Italian and I grow and cook my own collards, kale, swish chard and okra. No, a black person did not teach me about eating greens. The nutritional value behind each got me interested, but it sure is great to sit my African-American and Jamaican neighbors and share my bounty with them as they in turn give me their beloved, handed-down recipes. Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!
well put! Happy Thanksgiving, we all have so much we should be thankful for.
from what I was told you guys are black too.
Granderson, dude, I know you've said that acknowledging race isn't being racist...and while I agree with that particular statement, this article makes it look like you're digging to find the differences. Generalization is great for statistics homework and buying stocks...but when you use stereotypes to define your culture, there's a problem. Honestly, do you REALLY care what you're eating on thanksgiving? You're supposed to be thankful that you're even eating. This article is meant for your biography, NOT for CNN.com
We had a similar experience with my son's girl-friend and her family who had never had green-bean casserole, pumpkin pie or plain sweet potatoes. Her family brought the sweet-potato pie, and we added a potato salad (with paprika and eggs). Interestingly, after my husband researched healthy foods, and now we eat greens at least 3x weekly. Greens are amazingly nutritious.
Many of these comments illustrate what's wrong with America today. Has our attention Spanish become so short that we can't read an entire, and not particularly long, article before firing off comments. The whole point of the article was to point out that he was sheltered. Tha he did make assumptions regarding race that turned out to be untrue. Once he opened himself up to more experiences, he realized that his previous assumptions about white families v. black families were entirely wrong. Yes, white families in the South eat soul food, but as he explained he was approaching the experience making assumptions based on his upbringing and it's clear he was a much younger man at the time he had this particular experience.
It must really suck to view everything in your life on a racial basis. I don't think Granderson has written one article that does not involve race that I have seen. Next article: White people use Crest toothpaste, us Black people use Colgate, what is up with that? Can Black people please come up with a date when they can't talk about race anymore? 2100, 2050, something please, it's exhausting.
Just shut up!
So you've jumped from the opinions of this one writer, to "Black people". Sad.
MIKE, everything in America is basically about race. Penn State, the Staff was more interested in protecting their White Coach than protecting those black boys who was raped by Sandusky. The police protected him also. If that ten yr old was white SanDusky would have been jailed immediately not waiting ten yrs to get on this case. I'm 65 yrs old and I have seen white men protected from rape cases dozens of times when the child was black
You couldn't pay me enough to eat chitlins. If that's what I have to do for diversity, then diversity will just have to sufffer.
OH MY GOD!! That is hysterical! I'm cracking up. Best come back I have ever read!
That was very good, and I agree – chitlins (pig intestines) look like gray-brown rubber bands when cooked and cut up. I was stationed in Biloxi and they would serve them in the mess halls. The smell alone was enough to make me never eat them.
THEY DIDN'T COOK THEM RIGHT, I've been cooking them for more than ten years.
Ham is not too far from the guts of the pig. Both are disgusting to me and guess what, I'M BLACK.
WRONG!!!! YOU NEED TO GET HIP, LOL
Thank you LZ! I love your writing and this article doesn't disappoint.
though im white and not offended, i can guarantee that if it was a caucasian individual posting a similar article with the title being "my first thanksgiving with black people," they'd be crucified for it.
So if African Americans can say "white people" but white people can't say "black people" then what gives? To me it seems pretty racist to say "white people" vs. caucasian. Of course what do i know as bald people like to be called hair follically challenged and short people want to be called vertically challenged. Either way i now know i can start calling people by their color as this author clearly is doing.
Right. I am a European American. Not white, not caucasian. EUROPEAN AMERICAN. Say it with me. That is the ONLY politically admissible way to address me. Until EVERYONE UNIVERSALLY embraces this terminology, ALL bets are off, and anyone can call anyone ANYTHING THEY WANT. This PC nonsense will either be 100% fair, or it wont be anything at all. END OF STORY.
What the heck are you guys talking about? It's OK to call black people black. "African American" just sounds way too uptight and takes forever to say 8^P Don't get your knickers in a twist over this.
Peter, I totally agree. Is it really politically correct to say "African American"? I have coworkers whose parents are from Egypt, Morrocco and Algeria. However, these Americans do not call themselves "African Americans" but just American. So, if I cannot call a person of color "black", but they can call me "white" – is that racist? Not in their eyes. Go figure that one out. Finally, if a person of color wants to be called an "African American", I just say this – you do not call me a "European American" now do you???
I, being black, actually prefer the term black....my brother (who is a white appearing biracial gent) also prefers black (although looking at him, one couldn't tell right away)....as long is isn't said with malicious intent, I doubt anyone really gives a crap....
I thought the same thing. Well said!
It seems as if the only thing people read were the words "white people" and "black people"...no contextual comments, just those words. If one prefers to be called European American, than that's an individual's preference but to use it in the term of some blacks wanted to be called "African American" is unfair! One, not all "white people" are in Europe. Example, there are white Mexicans... Secondly, not all blacks are American! Would you call Iman African American or Naomi Campbell African American? The answer is NO!!! The context of the article is that there are differences and if you are not open to experiencing other cultures you will not know or respect the difference. And for the idiot who referred to eating chitterlings as if it's solely a "black thing" is wrong. It's a southern thing one, and different cultures eat it, it's just prepared differently.
By the power vested in me by all African Americans, do hereby grant you the privilege of saying "black people". Now go forth. Your dream has now come true.
Peter, Chuck Creig and Drew.......there is nothing wrong with saying "black people". It is not offensive. The only word that would offend me and any other black person is the "N" word. I believe the author of this article did not intend to anger you by saying white people. He wrote the article to show how his perspective on life and other races changed after experiencing a different Thanksgiving.
THANK YOU
I'm in an interracial relationship as well and find that there are some differences in holidays.
The thing is she's both southern and black while I