In search of how Greenbelters celebrate Thanksgiving, the News Review visited Schrom Hills Park, the Greenway Center Safeway, the Co-op Supermarket, the Greenbelt Farmers Market and Greenbelt Station on Saturday and Sunday, November 23 and 24.
Malik Myles and Derrick Coffey were at Schrom Hills Park on Saturday when they talked with the News Review. Myles usually visits his grandparents in New York for Thanks-giving. He said “I’m Jamaican, so we make oxtail and curry. For dessert, sweet potato pie. That’s my go-to.” Coffey will spend time with his family in South Carolina. “I love them very much. The most special thing about Thanksgiving is spending quality time and the memories you have, because one day, you won’t see them anymore. I’m grateful to spend time with my family.”
Silvia Sagastume learned about Thanksgiving after emigrating from Guatemala. She and husband Erix Miranda, with children Katherine, Erix and Adriana, will have Thanksgiving dinner at their Greenbelt East home, to which they’ve invited two friends who live alone. Sagastume said they will eat chicken or turkey, perhaps with rice and salad. She plans arroz con leche for dessert, which she and her children love.
Lisa Crawley said she will visit her family in New Jersey: her mom, sister, brothers, her whole family. When asked what they will eat, she said, “We have to have new cuisine, like my nephew’s wife’s oxtail, and traditional fare like turkey and candy yams and homemade pies and desserts.”
Reina, originally from El Salvador, and her granddaughter Abrianna were at Safeway when they said Abrianna’s aunt invites everyone for Thanksgiving every year. They will have turkey, pupusas, tamales and a Salvadoran sandwich of French bread, chicken, radishes, lettuce, mayonnaise and mustard. “It’s so good!” said Abrianna. Desserts will include pan dulce and a chocolate flan ‒ “choco flan.”
Tammy Hurley remembers her grandmother making oyster dressing for Thanksgiving. When asked if she makes it, she said, “No. No, no, no, no.” These days she avoids family on Thanksgiving Day, and over Thanksgiving weekend treats herself to an Eastern Shore hotel stay while visiting other family in the area. This way, she said, “Instead of being in a room full of people I don’t really want to talk to, I can see the people I want to see.”
Suzanne Sligh said her son is coming from Georgia for Thanksgiving in Greenbelt with her and her daughter. “So it will be my daughter, my son, me and the dog,” she said. Sligh said they may have fish instead of turkey for dinner. She plans to make a cheesecake for her son’s birthday on the day after Thanksgiving, because “it’s his very favorite dessert in all the world.”
Lauren was at the Greenbelt Farmers Market with her small children Finnegan and Clyde and new boyfriend Jason. She said “our own little tradition, keeping it in the family,” is Thanksgiving dinner in Bowie with her aunt who raised her. This year, Jason will come along to meet her family.
Starr and son Ian were also at the Farmers Market. Ian sketched customers’ faces at a produce stand while Starr said there must be macaroni and cheese and collard greens at their quiet family Thanksgiving.
Melissa Ehrenreich said on Thanksgiving she, her husband and their three sons choose which of them they will gift to at Christmas by picking names out of a hat. The gifts must be ones of time or experiences. They consider experiences the recipient would appreciate doing together, write the experience in a card to be opened on Christmas and give one year to redeem it. Their tradition began as a gift that even a child can give. Ehrenreich said it’s harder than you might think to give only time, instead of buying something to do together. She warned against making it complicated. Last year the family gifted making a cake together, 24 hours total playing time of soccer, watching Breaking Bad and making a three-course meal. Plus, her husband gave one son the gift of teaching him to reliably shoot a free throw (they didn’t succeed, but gained time together and memories). Another previous memorable experience was when she wanted her youngest son to swim but he didn’t want to and she gave him the experience of being allowed to opt out of swimming.
Steven Bernheisel said his parents passed the Thanksgiving baton to him and his wife Sarah, and they expect 18 people this year. They hope to run the Gobble Wobble, unless prevented by predicted rain. He said Sarah would like to be more adventuresome, but they’ve continued the traditional fare of turkey, dressing and mashed potatoes to appease his parents. Bernheisel said they may try turkey breast and something different someday “to wean people away from the traditional.”
Greenbelt Farmers Market Manager Julie Clare is starting a new tradition this year. She bought “all the cranberry sauces I could find” and some frozen cranberries. ”We’re going to do a taste test to see which we like the most.”
For the last 30 years Co-op Supermarket General Manager Dan Gillotte has enjoyed making a vegan Thanksgiving feast and “not at all feeling deprived but in fact delighted!” This year his family plans to make their own seitan “turk’y” with a yuba wrap. They’ll also enjoy a couple of pies and all the sides.
Farmers Market produce vendor Pat Hochmuth of Delmar, Md., said he, his son and his son’s children will visit a cousin in Secretary, Md., where the table will have turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and ham. His late wife’s grandmother always made oyster dressing, which this year his wife’s niece will make. For him, Thanksgiving is a time to relax.
Friends Kevin, Andrew, Adam, Clay and Anthony were tossing a football around at Greenbelt Station on their November 24 pre-Thanksgiving Friendsgiving. Kevin said, “Football is on, there’s food, the Steelers lost, the Ravens will lose tomorrow, the Eagles will lose tonight and the Cowboys finally got a win. All is right in the world.”
Siblings Laila, Kristian and Hannah Jackson were in Greenbelt Station’s Central Park, when Laila said their family will visit their grandparents in Indiana. Laila said her grand-mother makes a whole bunch of food, and “we play a lot of family games. She makes up games. Then we play and a lot of our other family come over.” Kristian didn’t want to be in a photo – he wanted his shoe tied ‒ until Laila told him she wouldn’t tie his shoe unless he smiled for the newspaper.
Smish and Alex were also in Central Park with their toddlers Avi and Maya when Alex said they have a nontraditional family. “Smish is from India, and I grew up in New York in a Ukrainian family, so we create our own traditions.” Smish said “We have Friendsgiving with our friends who are Japanese-American, and we’re each bringing traditional dishes from our countries with Japanese, Russian, Indian and Colombian food.” Avi also wasn’t interested in a photo. “He’s in a funk,” said Alex, until told the photo was for a newspaper, after which he ran to participate and smiled for the photographer. “Unbelievable!” said Smish.