Years ago I spent Thanksgiving with a family newly arrived from Mexico. They asked me to make mashed potatoes and gravy because apparently that isn’t something they typically make in Mexico. I finished making the mashed potatoes, but before I could get the gravy in the gravy boat I noticed that some of them had poured salsa on their helping of mashed potatoes and were seriously chowing down. When I explained that the gravy went over the potatoes they gave me the oddest look. They were good with gravy over the turkey, however.
3
The federal regulation for a “culturally appropriate hot meal” is what makes America great!
1
Thank you for this wonderful article!
3
Enjoyable and thought-provoking article (what we've come to expect from Ms Moskin). But Julia: what gives? Not one mention of spaghetti carbonara.
1
Excellent article. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I found it almost too depressing to read. Having a President who is so totally lacking in compassion and empathy that he leaves hundreds of thousands of good people trapped in places like Syria is a huge embarrassment to all decent Americans. I'd make room for all of them at my Thanksgiving table if I could. Trump makes me ashamed to be an American.
6
Dang it...now I can't think of mashed potatoes without garlic and onions.
1
The only thing missing were green chiles! What a lovely feast. (I don't understand sweet potatoes either.)
1
Thank you for such a wonderful article. I see Thanksgiving with new eyes.
A holiday for all to celebrate, without regard to religion and ethnicity - a celebration of thanks for our passage and arrival and life in America, originally a shared meal between Native Americans and new immigrants. Granted some will see the narrative as historically inaccurate, unrealistic and idealized. But it seems to me that ideals are by nature sometimes not realistic - ideals are aspirational.
A welcoming meal of their familiar foods, soon followed by a gradual, puzzled, tentative but affirmative approach to the American Thanksgiving meal, with the story it commemorates, and the ideals it celebrates.
A heart-warming story. Thank you.
5
People are always confused why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. After all, most people prefer the holidays with presents or big-time drinking. But this article perfectly exemplifies why I love Thanksgiving.
4
The title of Mayada Anjari's cookbook is "The Bread and Salt Between Us: Recipes and Stories from a Syrian Refugee's Kitchen". It was released in September. Tomorrow I'll send a request to the Rochester Public Library for its purchase! Thank you Ms. Anjari.
6
All these recipes look soooooooo yummy!!!!!
4
@Marlene
See my comment for the title of Ms. Anjari's cookbook. I have asked my local library to purchase it.
3
Thank you for this! We need more articles like this.
8
I just loved this article and shared it with my husband. I am so proud to have the Anjari family living in our State of New Jersey. My husband and I both descend from immigrant grandparents (Italian and Irish).
We enjoy trying recipes from different cultures. So, this year, in honor of Mrs. Anjari, we are going to try her special recipe for making the Thanksgiving turkey.
Thank you, Mrs. Anjari, for your cooking skills and for joining us here in America as a Syrian refugee.
9
It is wonderful how every generation of immigrants brings something new to the Thanksgiving meal. In our family it is povitica. No Thanksgiving can be complete without povitica!
4
Food and music bring people together
3
Such a sweet story, it makes me consider what Thanksgiving was initially celebrating: the joining of very different communities and cultures in a celebration of bountiful harvest, of peace and prosperity, of shared land and shared food. What is more “American” than breaking bread with families newly arrived in this country?
5
May I just say that I don't care if people come to this country legally or illegally, as long as they are good people and want the same thing everybody else wants - a good future (that they are more than willing to work for).
I've worked with many immigrants through the years and
I have nothing but respect for them.
So there!
Happy Thanksgiving to all the people in this story and all the others like them that we don't get to know.
21
Lovely story. I'm an immigrant myself. For most of us, the turkey is the only recognizable American dish on our table. We add jollof rice, Nigerian salad, egusi soup with pounded yam, dodo (fried plantains), meat pie, puff puff etc. I don't think Mac and cheese or green beans have ever been seen on mum's table. Other immigrants say the same thing: their food, big turkey. It's the celebration with family that counts. Food? Make it yours!
16
We moved to US 23 years ago. At that time, we didn’t have permanent residency and our case was pending with the immigration office. It was about a week before Thanksgiving when our interview was scheduled. It would be during this interview where we would either be approved or denied for permanent residency. A denial would mean that we would have to leave US and go back to Azerbaijan. I remember the waiting room, my parents looking nervous and scared. Finally the immigration officer took our papers, grabbed her stamp and said “Happy Thanksgiving.” She put her approval on our papers, congratulated us and walked away. I am almost 40 and I will never forget that day until I die. This holiday, ever since that day, is something I cherish with all my heart. As a Muslim-American myself, I can certainly related to this story.
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After such a horrid past two years, this story makes me proud to be an American.
26
All of my grandparents were immigrants from Italy. My mother learned all of the old country family dishes, which were a bit meager given the poverty that the family escaped from. My dad served in WWII and had a bad turkey on his ship, so turkey was never a big feature at Thanksgiving. Instead it was a wonderful casserole of rigatoni with meat sauce, crunchy antipasto, vegetables and pumpkin pie. Everyone adapts the meal, so that everyone can celebrate.
8
I was a recent emigree to England—and a new mother—when I invited an English couple from our childbirth class to Thanksgiving dinner in our London flat.
My son just turned 31, and I am back in America where I was born, but I have lovely memories of sharing turkey and stuffing and pecan pie with our friends, while we nursed our month-old babies and looked forward to raising our new families. Sharing the meal with others is what the feast is about.
9
The year I was a senior in high school, a Brazilian girl lived with my large family as an exchange student. Thanksgiving rolled around, and Tania was absolutely astounded that in America the turkeys came with their insides wrapped in paper! Cultural differences are so much fun, when viewed as a learning experience rather than as a threat!
8
What a lovely article..thank you.
13
Great article even is Moskin did not include recipes. Just by chance, last night I saw on the latest US season of Great British Bake Off the technical challenge of ma'amoul. I love how Ms Anjari incorporates this into her apple pie. https://thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/pauls-maamoul/
10
I live in Switzerland, and have often done some sort of Thanksgiving with friends here (usually on a Sunday, since Thursday is a normal workday). Part of the fun is that everyone brings something they like. We have had Thanksgiving with Chinese vegetables, Swiss cheeses, specialities from all over the world. It's a time for people to come together, enjoy their company, and show off their favorite foods. More power to the refugees who want to include their specialties.
6
The Anjari family is a most welcome addition to the American populace. I like her take on some of the rather prosaic traditional dishes. Thanks for writing about her cooking.
18
My wife and I have helped numerous Burmese families settle in the Pittsburgh area and we have opened our house to many International University students. Last year, one of the Burmese mothers asked me to teach her how to cook a Thanksgiving dinner. We not only cooked a complete American dinner, there were Burmese dishes (Many of our Burmese friends are cooks.) and Mexican dishes, brought by a family from Texas/Mexico. It was a wonderful time and we get to do it again this Thanksgiving!
14
Lovely article: all the tastes of America. Adding flavors from around the world to expand the traditions of Thanksgiving.
6
That is Thanksgiving. Family, Old traditions combined with new events. An a lot of love
7
Beautiful story. Reading about the requirement of the culturally appropriate hot meal brought tears to my eyes.
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@Darcy Yes. That is such a powerful idea.
4
Nice story, and it's true that the spread of recipes goes back and forth. It's helped to expand our own culture and goes along with cafes with outdoor tables.
3
Beautiful story. Restores my faith in...well...everything!
22
What a wonderful story to share with us. I enjoy reading stories such as this.
9
This article made me smile. And I just ordered her cookbook - love Syrian food!
8
Assimilation into a new life and country through an American culinary tradition. That's wonderful.
10
Just as I am despairing of my xenophobic country, I learn about the “culturally appropriate hot meal.” America is a promise that must be kept. Thank you for this story. Welcome, Ms. Anjari, and blessings to your family! You have already become more American than you may realize by sharing your cooking talents like this.
33
Some things are universal. My grandmother was born in 1896, and farmed north of Poughkeepsie. She called brussel sprouts little cabbages too!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
17
What a lovely story! I've lived in Germany since 1993, and Thanksgiving was the hardest time of year. So, I started doing Thanksgiving for friends and it's been going on since then. They love the food, I love the cooking, the friendship and the sharing. Bring on new foods and include everyone. It's just the best holiday.
And of course we have lots of Syrian refugees now here in Germany and it's been a welcome addition - and education - to friendship around the table.
9
Thank you! Lovely story!
4
This was a sweet story. Thank you.
9
Wonderful story! I love to cook, I would be happy to help Ms. Anjari with Thanksgiving food and I would very much like her to teach me her Syrian recipes.
All cultures around the world have a harvest holiday feast. Some cultures tie it to a religious holiday, others not. In the USA, our harvest holiday feast has an historical significance.
But what's so uniquely American about our harvest holiday feast is that each family brings their own ethnic recipes and versions to the table. My grandmother and mother made Ashkenazi Jewish-American food. My favorite was "pink rice," made with beet juice. Garlic and fried onions in the mashed potatoes? YESSSS!
When I was in college at LSU, I went home with a friend in my dorm to her family in Bayou Lafourche for Thanksgiving dinner. The only food on the table I recognized was the turkey. It was the first time I'd eaten collard greens. They thought that was bizarre, and they asked me what my mother made for Thanksgiving dinner. They'd never had chopped liver on crackers hors d'oeuvres.
11
@L
See my recent comment for the title of Ms. Anjari's cookbook!
These people come to our Country because it is a shining beacon.
The existence of trump will not change that. He will waste away like a defeated virus even as the beacon shines more brightly.
The lesson of history makes me confident of this.
Great story! Great photos!
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@The 1%
"...a defeated virus" - I like that!
7
I want to buy the first cookbook these immigrants put together. They should always make the meal their own instead of following the tradition, I think. Remember, the colonists were English, and the English have never been favorably known for their cuisine. I'd appreciate knowing what people from other lands do with our traditional Thanksgiving meal. And since I'm a longtime vegetarian, I'd especially appreciate seeing what vegetarians from other lands would come up with in their interpretations of our traditional meal.
Welcome, immigrants! Educate us!
3
I can't give this article enough "likes"! Such a great story...
My version is that my mother is German, and came to the U.S. as a young adult. She figured out the turkey, but I was always in charge of the pie.
As we got older, the day became a chance to host folks who wouldn't make it home to family that year. Such a fun tradition!
And, yes, we had red cabbage (rot kraut) as a side!
7
Kids will read books , more books ( or not) and will learn more about what pilgrims did to native Indians after that thanksgiving , it’s not pretty ! But it’s American history, they need to learn / know too! Happy thanksgiving !
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@ Miahona International
Oh, please do not go all touchy-feely and coochiemoochie about the course of history centuries ago. Things that were considered right in the past, may be reprehensible now, but they are after after all those that made the nation and the state. Take it or leave it.
6
@Miahona
The peace between the Pilgrims and the Indians lasted 50 years (which is a record in world history). The Pilgrims were invited to come and live in what is now South Windsor, CT by the Podunk Indians. The Pilgrims took in the hungry and helped the sick.
Don't confuse Pilgrims and Puritans. Its American History, you need to learn.
7
What's kind of interesting about this, is that the story of thanksgiving almost justifies Conservative fear of immigrants. In the story of the original Thanksgiving, a group of native people give help to a struggling group of immigrants and teach them what they need to know to survive in their new land. And then the immigrants promptly turn around and exterminate the native people with extreme prejudice. Maybe this is what conservatives are so afraid of.
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@Sam Rosenberg That is interesting. I appreciate your comment and just wanted to share that, while there was a genocide that occurred against American Indians, we were not exterminated. We are still here, against all odds, and we are getting stronger and stronger. That fact changes the narrative quite a bit.
16
@Sam Rosenberg Kind of overthinking it a bit. Sometimes it is what it is.
2
I have witnessed the same miracle in the public parks north of Chicago on 4th of July and Labor Day weekends: families from from dozens of countries celebrating together with their own and adopted dishes. It should give us all hope in these challenging times.
13
I need all these recipes, my mouth is watering. the slivered almonds are an unexpected -to us- addition.
She and her family embody what Thanksgiving is really about.
I am humbled.
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@lastcard jb
See my recent comment for the title of Ms. Anjari's cookbook!
Wonderful read, we need more women like her in the States! :)
4
This lovely story should be required reading for the President and his cold-hearted minions but, alas (in a nod to the upcoming holiday), you cannot get blood from a turnip.
13
This family's journey is what Thanksgiving is about. Thank you for telling their story.
13
What a beautiful story of the true meaning of Thanksgiving, and America! Thank you, Julia Moskin and The New York Times.
17
Thank you for a lovely reminder of why we think of ourselves as a great nation. PS. This will be the third year I’ve asked the butcher to cut up the turkey and I will never go back. It’s tastier, faster and the kitchen feels less likely to devolve into an SNL set.
8
Welcome. Welcome. Welcome
Thank you for being an inspiration to us all. Our nation is built by the sacrifices your family has made to better yourselves and to integrate into our society. We ask not to loose your heritage, just do what you’ve done, include ours into yours, we will do our best to see what is important to yours and respect that, we are not perfect. My ancestors were not accepted, but they persisted and we are now third generation Irish, and no better than you, just here longer! Lol. Coming here through your arduous journey has earned my respect for you and your family. That is all we ask. Come through our front door, we will welcome you with open arms! Sneak in the night, through our back door, you go to the back of the line. No judgement just a lawful society wishing to be stronger for our laws and the people it serves.
6
Thank you for this lovely article. This story tells the hope and promise of America...building on what we have and infusing it with the new. Good luck to all those who made the journey here bringing with them their talents, cooking and hopes and dreams. Take care.
And, yes, I too would love to be a guest at the Thanksgiving table of anyone highlighted in this article.
15
Reading about Ms. Anjari's cooking made my mouth water. Thank you for those great ideas & welcome to the whole family!
Modifying traditional dishes and recipes to one's cultural palate is such fun. Most of my childhood friends and I had at least one parent who immigrated to the US as teens or young adults. We had really, really great food on our tables!
I would love to see an essay from that cute little daughter in ten or twelve years when she's in her early teens sharing her perspective and memories (if any) on transitioning to life in NJ, USA. :-)
13
This is a terrific story. Thanks for sharing it.
9
My wife emigrated from Sarajevo in 1990, just before the Bosnian war started. Like many immigrants before and after her, she immediately took to Thanksgiving, and celebrates enthusiastically, making the traditional foods with Balkan twists and additions. Like the Syrian lady in the article, sweet potatoes, even in pie, elude her. They never grace our Thanksgiving feast. Too bad!
9
Wonderful, and we have a homeless camp behind Bradley Meadows here in Woodstock NY and all over the US.
Sad, however lets take care of our own first.
4
@BJ - So what are you suggesting? That we shouldn't welcome immigrants, or write articles about their successes, because we have homeless people? I hope you're first in line to "take care of our own", otherwise your plea rings hollow. Also, I didn't find this article to be particularly sad, and I'm baffled as to why you did. These immigrants are making successful lives for themselves in this country. Please tell me what exactly is "sad" about that? Would you rather they remain jobless, unfulfilled, and without direction of any kind?
As for the homeless, there are many organizations in this country working to help them. Unfortunately it's a very difficult thing to do, but many people are making valiant attempts to do it. Many people are also making valiant attempts to help immigrants adapt to this country. Supporting the success and well-being of one group does not mean we should not support the success and well-being of another, or that we should abandon the needs of one group in favor of the needs of another. Considering the fact that our current administration appears to have no vested interest in helping either immigrants or homeless people, it's up to us to "take care of our own", and that includes not only the tired and the poor, but the immigrant and the refugee as well.
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@Lindsay K
Thank you, Lindsay K. I am as angry as you are by the thoughtlessness of BJ. We have plenty of resources to help anyone who is needy. It's not easy, ever, to figure out solutions or even how to hold out a helping hand, but there's simply no excuse for not doing our best. I've spent a lot of time in Woodstock, and I do understand how depressing it is to see the homeless folks. However, helping one person doesn't mean not helping another.
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.
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@BJ
This country is so wealthy that we could create jobs and housing for our homeless citizens and still afford to take in properly vetted refugees like this family. Of course we would need to stop public officials from wasting our money on government planes for private trips, and from spending $35,000 on dining room sets, etc. Exorbitant tax breaks for the very wealthy would also have to become a thing of the past.
8
Heartwarming story ! Sometimes the appeal of sweet potatoes eludes me, too.
8
@Doug Hill I actually like sweet potatoes - but then I first cooked them at home in the UK, when I baked them in their skins, scooped them out and mashed them with lots of butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and a little chilli powder, before re-baking the puree. The various super-sweet American concoctions with sugar and marshmallow added are, indeed, horrible.
2
@Doug Hill - I hated sweet potatoes in all their forms for many a Thanksgiving, so I understand this. These immigrants' Thanksgiving meals sound delicious!
@Mari Cardamom is good, too. Butter, salt, cardamom and a little nutmeg.
2
Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday because this was the first holiday our family celebrated after arriving to the States on November 7, 1989. I had read about the tradition before, back home, in one of the few books that were available, but to experience it on this land was magical. It holds a special meaning in my heart because that year, we celebrated it at the house of my cousin and his wife who have met an early death.
15
My mother was a "war bride" from Germany after WW II. she was not familiar with cooking big birds or rice. I'm told that on her first Thanksgiving, she put the turkey in a pan and started heating it on the top of the stove. When preparing rice, she thought that 1 cup of rice per person would be about right. Although she did finally get the turkey in the oven where it belonged, the huge rice pot on the top of the stove overflowed as the rice expanded, with rice all over the kitchen.
8
@Pat Roberts
Is that story still told at your family Thanksgiving dinners? That's truly what it means for me, hearing disaster stories of past Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, comparing turkeys from years past, and our own disasters adding to family lore. For instance, the Hubs is Czech and their Christmas dinners is fried fish and potato salad on the 24th. The first potato salad I made was overloaded with red onion and not enough potatoes! We still kill ourselves laughing every Dec 24.
5
Folks: WELCOME(!) to Jersey City, my boyhood home. I hope you will always be glad that you came to our country!
22
What a lovely story, thanks.
9
Immigrants make America great. I just wish they were all legal.
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@Gary
They can't become legal until they're allowed to begin the process which trump admin are determined to prevent. It's like saying I wish these people would stop falling off this cliff even as you push each one over.
3
While I liked the story, it is filled with putdowns, both subtle and obvious, of traditional American Thanksgiving fare, accentuated by praise for foods native to foreign lands, with no shortage of adjectives. I like Middle Eastern food, yes, but I also like turkey (I grill turkeys even in summer on my kettle barbecue). This story made it seem like these folks are settling for second-rate fare on Thanksgiving because someone told them that they should. Just tell us the news, NYT, without the spin. And go Thanksgiving.
@August West All in the eye of the beholder I guess but what I read was about non-natives taking unfamiliar foods and trying to make them more familiar and in doing so, doing what immigrants have done for centuries, which is adding to our culture and traditions, not taking anything away.
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@August West, why so grumpy August ! This is a color piece with plenty of news in it, not a hard news article. Turkey is, uh OK. You are definitely in the minority preparing them year round.
9
@MT
I agree, and I get that. Like I say, I'm a huge fan of stuffed grape leaves and tahini and falafel and tandoori and other foods from faraway. But consider these passages:
"...her expertly stuffed vegetables, and her fatayer, folds of flaky pastry stuffed with ground meat or spiraled around soft cheese."
"Were the mashed potatoes not going to be seasoned with a little garlic and a lot of caramelized onions, the way she makes them?
'Without it, there isn’t much flavor, no?' she asked."
"For Congolese and Rwandan arrivals, volunteers have made chicken moambe, a braise with tomato, onion, peanut butter and rich red palm oil, a basic ingredient in those countries and for many, the taste of home. For an Eritrean mother and children, an Ethiopian family who had arrived earlier supplied a meal with injera, the soft, spongy flatbread that is a staple in both countries."
"Finally, she toasted slivered almonds in clarified butter (the Middle Eastern version, called samna, is prized for its lush, tangy flavor) and scattered them over the bird for a rich, crunchy garnish."
And then there's this :
"The multitude of soft, starchy dishes (like mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing and pie), the sharpness of cranberry sauce and the sheer size of a turkey strike many first-timers as peculiar."
It reads like a put-down of a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving feast, and it wasn't necessary. I like giblet gravy as much as I like most anything. That said, yes, my mouth still watered.
3
Within this beautiful story is a fact that bears mentioning again: The United States has only allowed 50 Syrian refugees into the country in 2018.
This fact should hit everyone like a punch in the gut. What have we allowed ourselves to become that we've slammed the door in the face of people fleeing violence? It is shameful.
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@Toni
US fuels the Syrian mess. receiving refugees totally goes against the purpose LOL
2
@Doug - Quit "LOL"ing, Doug. There's absolutely nothing funny about the situation in Syria or the fact that this administration has basically turned its back on the people fleeing the violence in that country.
12
Thank you. Pleased to be able to read informative and humane journalism. I like these people and wish them well. In addition, their approach to “traditional” thanksgiving dishes is the perfect illustration of the beauty of cultural contribution of immigrants. Her turkey recipe is astoundingly delicious, apple pie dough? Equally magnificent. Keep writing about real people doing real things. That’s journalism worth reading.
35
This is an excellent Thanksgiving story. Thank you.
24
Thank you for a feature that both gladdened my heart & rumbled my tummy!
As immigrants ourselves we fast fell in love with the simplicity and honesty around Thanksgiving and like Mayada, incorporated variants of dishes from our homeland into the American feast. In our case, chestnut stuffing (which we discovered by accident is much better with spicy sausage meat, thank you Jimmy Dean) and Yorkshire pudding go well with turkey and yams.
12
My MIL immigrated to the U.S. from Nigeria in the early 1980s. For her, Thanksgiving is all about the turkey - and that's it. She roasts two of them when she gets home from her nursing night shift and then that's what the family eats all day, in between naps. Since my sons and I joined the day several years ago, we've introduced the sides and desserts, but I make all of it. She doesn't see the need for all this other food when there's a huge turkey.
11
Mashed potatoes with garlic and carmelized onions sounds.... amazing!
29
@JKR Right?!?!
4
@JKR
I've made mashed potatoes that way and its awesome!
4
This story made me teary. My mom was a bad cook, but every year she nailed Thanksgiving. My aunt was Swedish (and an amazing cook) and always marveled at the Thanksgiving feast, while we marveled at her cookie skills.
Ultimately, food binds us and helps us appreciate and understand each other. Enjoying and preparing a meal with family and friends is a universal joy. I LOVE that we have immigrants who bring new food traditions and embrace ours. It's impossible to have any hate in your heart when you are at a table full of food cooked with love.
25
My grandmother, child of immigrants, was invited to an American friend's house for what would be my grandmother's first Thanksgiving. She filled up on the baked ziti and thought it was a terrific meal. And then the turkey was brought to the table. My grandmother couldn't believe there was MORE to this meal. This story is still being told 70 years after it happened.
19
@rls - This sounds like my mother's childhood Thanksgivings in the Bronx. Her family was Italian American, and my grandmother would get up at four in the morning to start cooking the turkey because they had so many people invited to dinner and the turkey was so large. Everyone who was invited to dinner brought something, and by the time the turkey was ready there was barely enough room at the table for the people: there was soup, there was antipasto, there was lasagna, there were vegetables, there were mashed potatoes and homemade gravy and, of course, the turkey. Then there was dessert, if anyone had any room left.
4
@Lindsay K
Your description of your mum's childhood Thanksgiving dinners brings to mind that wonderful old expression "groaning tables"!
2
This article made me so happy.
A huge thank you to the churches and other groups that sponsor refugees. And Happy Thanksgiving to ALL.
59
One of the most heartwarming stories I’ve read recently.
Thanksgiving is still days away but I would like to express my thanks to Mayada Anjari and Julia Moshkin and the members of the Rutgers Presbyterian Church.
As an immigrant myself, I am crying tears of immigrant joy after reading this story.
31
@Opinioned! Welcome to America. And please, make the Thanksgiving dinner the way you want it. I think American food would be very boring if not for immigrants.
3
Their ways of cooking turkey and mashed potatoes sound delicious! Welcome to U.S. and thanks for adding to our ever changing cuisine.
25
This is definitely a book I'd like to (and will) purchase! I'm so interested in learning how to cook other culture's foods and this seems like a great starting point. Thank you NYT for sharing.
A side thought - is there a way to donate kitchen supplies/ cookware?
Best of luck to Mrs. Anjari and her family!
Happy Thanksgiving!
22
@Meesh Thanks very much for your comment. Donations of new kitchen supplies and cookware would be gladly accepted by Rutgers Presbyterian Church, 236 W 73, NYC 10023 and would be used to assist refugees, asylees and asylum seekers we are helping, Thank you.
5
@Dave - do you have an amazon wish list? Would be very happy to donate. Also, would love to buy her cookbook if you can share how/where to do so.
2
I love this article and welcome the Anjari family to America. It reminded me that our first Thanksgiving was created by newly arrived immigrants from Europe with the help of Native Americans. We can come full circle in our charity and sensitivity for our immigrant populations if we try. Thank you for giving me this hope to be thankful for next Thursday.
22
Dear Ms. Anjari: I totally agree with your way of making mashed potatoes, that is how I make them too, and with olive oil and garlic. In the many years that I have been making Thanksgiving dinner, I have seen so many different recipes that it makes my head spin. Certainly, the roast turkey is a constant, but how it is prepared and roasted is constantly changing. And so do all the sides that accompany the turkey. Just take a look at the NYTimes Thanksgiving recipe section!
I am an ex-pat American, Italian now, too...I always do Thanksgiving, even though it is not an Italian holiday...I think everyone should have a celebratory meal once a year or more, to give thanks for whatever they have and most of all for the people around them.
Ms. Anjari, I hope that you and your family have settled well into life in the USA and I wish you and yours all the best...
24
Sharing a meal
Spiritual
Fundamental
In my family
“Food is love”
Refugees I welcome you all
Happy Thanksgiving 2018
How do we get the cookbook!!!!
16
@nurseJacki Thanks for your comment. Her book is available at bookstores around the country, or your local store can get it for you on request. Also it can be ordered from online booksellers. It is published by Lake Isle Press. (And it makes a great gift!).
8
@nurseJacki
See my recent comment for the title of Ms. Anjari's cookbook. I have found it online.
Years ago, after working as journalists in Iraq, we hosted a new-to-America Iraqi family for their first Thanksgiving. It was a chance to see, through fresh eyes, just how weird some of this holiday's traditions are. "Why do you put bread inside the turkey?" they wondered. "Why do you pour soup (gravy) over it?" And, yes, "Why are yams sweet with no other flavor?" The adults (who became good friends of ours) were unfailingly polite in their curiosity. The kids did not have the same filter. "Mommy," their lovely 5-year-old, Sara, whispered: "It's not delicious." When it came to the yams, we all laughingly agreed (and I've never made them so boringly again).
The post-script to this story is that our friends, who had been doctors in Iraq, spent years scraping by while working to get certified here in the U.S. They are now both well-respected physicians who, until recently, worked at a rural hospital in Georgia, one that had trouble attracting good doctors. As the Trump campaign grew in scope and spite, they increasingly heard patients say things along the lines of, "You guys are okay, but we need to keep the rest of the Muslims out." In 2017, they moved to California.
55
@JenMarie Such a loss to Georgia and a gain for California!
1
Thanks, NYT, for two terrific (and best of all, non-political)articles today - this one, of course, and those moving reworkings of Norman Rockwell classics (no Comments, alas).
p.
15
This article made me smile so much!
Can't wait to receive Ms. Anjari's cookbook in the mail.
12
Beautiful story. Very pleased to read stories about those who have escaped violence and strife and are now leading more normal lives, with children who can smile again. And like nothing else, food brings us together. When we break bread with others, we realise that though our tastes and customs may have wonderful variety, we are all the same in the most important ways.
14
Articles in the NYT rarely make me cry. At this one I cried. As a “resident alien” in this country I have come to love Thanksgiving and it was moving to read new immigrants coming to understand the holiday as a symbol of unity in diversity, of thanks for the harvest, and of the requirement to welcome the stranger. Thank you.
23
A great article. But, like many articles about American Thanksgiving, it misses the true point about the holiday. It is essentially, a religious holiday of thanks to God for his blessings for the year. While I find it inspiring that those coming to America, under some truly desperate circumstances, feel the desire to assimilate through this holiday, I hope we do not portray this as simply an agnostic holiday. We should allow anyone, no matter their religious beliefs, the freedom and opportunity to thank God for what we have been provided, including a new, safe home.
@Mike
I disagree. All customs evolve and all traditions change. Thanksgiving is indeed a holiday for all, usually involving family, and generally not a day of religious observance. It is one holiday that we can all celebrate, whether we worship God or a god or neither. A retired teacher, I remember my culturally diverse students' stories about how their families celebrated, and the first time I ever heard about roasted cauliflower was when one young Indian immigrant described the gravy her mother made for the roasted vegetable. Delightful.
34
@Mike I prefer Thanksgiving to Christmas because it is not as commercialized. I think Thanksgiving is about getting together with family and friends to break bread, to laugh, tell stories, many we hear every year.
I too miss cooking with my Mom and sisters. It's easier making tamales and tortillas with many hands.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
6
@Mike
We can (and should)all give thanks, whether we believe in a higher power or not. But for those who embrace the spiritual aspect of the holiday, I highly recommend the annual interfaith Thanksgiving services held in many cities around the country. There’s something wonderful about a holiday that’s religious but not religion-specific. All faiths have texts about giving thanks, helping each other and welcoming the stranger.
1
Beautiful article. The sentiment from Mayada speaking about the hardest part of the transition is cooking alone without her female relatives really moved me. I have wonderful memories of my mother and her 2 sisters cooking together during the holidays. Small home kitchens filled with the sounds of laughter and smells of Italy. The kids running wild and “taste testing” the recipes. They all mastered the American turkey but it came with a side of lasagna!
23
Rutgers is a truly special place - and wonderful to read about Emma's Torch!
Most of all - Mayada Anjari sounds fascinating and creative - order her cookbook for a way to help refugee families while livening up your own kitchen!
24
And please do make those mashed potatoes with onion and garlic - sounds perfect!
6
This article made me so happy. Thank you. I wish them all well.
33
O.K., now I'm hungry... really hungry.
I have to buy that cookbook, and I really want the recipe for the apple pie crust. I keep trying to make reasonably good-tasting brussels sprouts and always fall short of anything delicious. Now I have hope!
Welcome to the USA and thanks for making contributions to our culture.
27
just 2 words on the Brussels Sprouts... roast them. good luck!
@Donna Nieckula
See my recent comment for the title of Ms. Anjari's cookbook - it is available online.
This was food for my soul.
It had all the right ingredients: a long journey to a strange land, the kindness of strangers, a young family determined to season their new life with the traditions and tastes of home, a young chef starting out, and of course, food, glorious food.
It also reminds me of why I love America so much. If you’re lucky and you have an open heart, someday you just might find yourself eating turkey fragrantly seasoned and coated with crunchy almonds. It sounds delicious. But better is sharing a meal prepared by someone seeking to be part of a whole new set of traditions, to join, to celebrate.
Despite our current travails, I still think this is the spirit of our country and it is cause for thanks and celebration.
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@Njlatelifemom
Your response is as inspiring as the article itself. Thank you.
7
Mrs. Anjari's cooking sounds delicious! I would love to have a seat at her family's Thanksgiving table. The mixture of spices and adaptation of a "traditional" Thanksgiving meal to her Syrian roots is wonderful. That's the magic of Thanksgiving.
Where can one buy her cookbook??
21
@sthoresen. Thank you for your kind comments. Her book is available at bookstores around the country, or your local store can get it for you on request. Also it can be ordered from online booksellers. It is published by Lake Isle Press. (And it makes a great gift!).
21
@sthoresen
See my recent comment for the title of Ms. Anjari's cookbook. It is available online and I've recommended that our public library purchase a copy.
Many thanks New York Times for a great article. I loved the opportunity to walk a bit in the steps of a family new to our traditions. It made me proud of our enduring tradition of welcome to those fleeing strife in distant lands. We are an immigrant nation, a proud glory to remember and appreciate. Our leadership will change and kind people will once again share bread and salt with those new to our country. As a retired American who has lived and worked abroad, I have so very often been the recipient of kindness and welcome, including here in Andalusia. I am very pleased to know that despite the ugly politics of the day, some who reach our shores experience the similar warmth of our country's welcome and introduction to our best traditions.
29
I love this story! It shows once again that for all our differences we are all much more alike that we are different.
36
Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday since I became an adult and was no longer dazzled by Christmas trees and gifts. I love the fact that it is a secular holiday, one not owned by any religion. I love that it doesn’t require decorations, gifts, or costumes. I love that it has a standard menu that doesn’t demand any particular creativity even if at the same time it’s not especially exciting. I love that this same rather prosaic meal, or versions of it, is being enjoyed all over the entire country, from mansions to tract homes, from homeless shelters to jails. And I love that immigrants, in an endearing effort to fit in to the American culture, are taking that same menu and adding their own special ingredients. Not even Donald Trump can ruin this most American of all holidays of the people, by the people, for the people.
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@Margaret Jay
Fabulous comment Ms. Jay.!
I concur 1000% on everything you wrote.
19
How do I get an invitation to Mrs. Anjari's table?
48
Maybe we need to expand the holiday to last a whole week!
18
@Harold Perry
Actually, it does last a week, if not longer, when you consider turkey sandwiches and turkey casserole and turkey soup.
4
What a delight to read, especially about the Anjari family having first fled from Homs in Syria then reaching Jordan.
The UN High Commission for Refugees recently announced that the number of people forcibly displaced from their homes increased by 2.9 million in 2017, bringing the total to 68.5 million people. 52% are children.
Among them are 25.4 million refugees, 40 million internally displaced people and 3.1. million asylum-seekers. In Lebanon, one in six of its residents is a refugee. In Jordan, refugees are 7% of the total population and the Government spends one-quarter of its revenues hosting them.
A refugee is a person; boy, girl, woman or man. Not a label, but a human being with a beating heart just like you and me.
Help the refugees who are out there. On water. On land. On our conscience.
Congratulations to the members of the refugee task force at Rutgers Presbyterian Church on the UWS.
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@Peter Graves, as a volunteer with First Presbyterian Church of Portland, Oregon, I am helping a refugee family from Somalia and one from Syria every day. It is very difficult and stressful, but I am appalled that our wealthy country resettles less than 1/10 of 1% of those in need. Working with these "human beings with beating hearts" makes me think of all the rest who are trapped in unending crisis while our country's resources go to all kinds of ridiculous purposes. That, in turn, gives me strength to persevere with the ones I'm helping.
3
@A.M.
Many thanks for reading and your support activities in Portland.
As the late Bob Marley and the Wailers almost sang:
Get Up, Stand Up. Life is their right
So we can't give up the fight
Stand up for their rights, Lord, Lord
Get Up, Stand Up. Keep on struggling on
Don't give up the fight
2
This, this, is what makes America truly great.
And you can already tell Ms. Anjari's Thanksgiving is going to be better than most. Incredible fusion.
59
Very nice article, thank you.
16
I applaud the Adjari boys for having developed aversion to broccoli: this is a sure sign that they may grow to be refined gourmets.
14
This article fails to mention the Native Americans who do not celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s not a holiday for all. It’s easy to research.
19
@ Shelley D Brooklyn
To me, native Americans or, geographically and politically more correct, Usans are all born in the US. Whether their ancestors came at different times from Asia, Europe, Africa or another planet makes no difference.
2
There is always a one. Was this comment necessary?
Can we celebrate this woman? I will be getting her cookbook. I am pretty sure her turkey recipe is much better than my Alton Brown brine recipe bird.
11
@shelleyd....
Not today ok?
Every culture including native Americans have a harvest festival
Pilgrims were invited despite their soon to occur genocide of “ the people”
Still a harvest festival is an ancient egalitarian festival celebrating existence and continued sustenance from Gaia.
9
Indeed, welcome to the Anjari family and Happy Thanksgiving. Glad you are here.
I'd gladly eat Mayada's turkey and even if invited would forego any visit to the White House and dinner with that Turkey.
67
The promise of America is inclusion.
Welcome y'all and save me somma that bird.
41
"Bread, that this house may never know hunger. Salt, that life may always have flavour".
Anyone, anyone??? OK, it's a Christmas movie, not a Thanksgiving one, but the sentiment is still the same. I loved this article, thank you so much for printing this, it was wonderful! And I understood completely what she said about cooking alone being a hard adjustment. My sis-in-law is half-Lebanese and whenever we went over there, the kitchen was jammed with her mum and aunts all chattering away in a mix of English, French, Arabic, and German. They're all back in Montreal and I miss that so very much. A very Happy Thanksgiving to Mayada Anjari and her family, to Dima King, and to all of you!
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@Lesley Patterson It's a Wonderful Life, of course!
I was lucky enough to be part of the book team, and am thrilled to see this article. Not only because of the prominence of Mayada and the book, but also because of the great information about Rutgers and other organizations that help refugees, other people who have been lucky enough to get here, and the process in general. If only the current occupant of the White House would read this and see how wrong he is about immigrants. Thank you, Julia Moskin, for a fair, balanced, and heartening article.
38
@Lesley Patterson - I'm sitting at my desk with tears running down my face. It's a Wonderful Life - a movie that my family watches every year, usually on Thanksgiving. And a movie that perhaps our childish and divisive potus should be forced to watch, in an effort to gain a better understands of the country he's supposed to be leading. Spreading love and compassion is easy - promoting and sustaining hate requires an awful lot of negative energy. We're all human, our differences are small. Yes, there are very bad people on the planet, but there are many more who are good and deserving of our help. We're a country wealthy in resources of all kinds. Why not use them for the betterment of all?
9
@Lesley Patterson A tradition here in Germany, too, that when one moves into a new home, bread and salt are the prized gifts that bring flavor and fullness to the new home.
6
I so love stories like this one. I have worked with people from all over the world and of all different religions, creeds, colors, and nationalities, and the great thing about Thanksgiving in the US is that EVERYONE celebrates it...seemingly with a combo of family favorite dishes and some classic American ones...the turkey is like this giant golden spaceship that beams down in the center of the family table full of other accumulated memories and favorites. I remember talking to a Lebanese co-worker and listening to him describe lamb stew served alongside the turkey, and almond cakes with the pumpkin pie...my Black friends' tales of collard greens and mac n cheese "made with the ORANGE cheddar NOT the white cheddar!!" and so on. In my own family we've had kugels and kasha varnishkas on the table, along with Nordic appetizers and pastries, and a ham, alongside the usual cranberry sauce and super-authentic pumpkin-maple pie from cousins in Vermont. The fact that it's a secular holiday about giving thanks makes it all the more accessible and universal.
35
My family came to the US when I was a child, and my mother never prepared a Thanksgiving turkey. She hated to cook, was terrible at it, and any attempt to do something special turned into an afternoon of crying and arguing. Any wonder Thanksgiving is still not my favorite holiday?
1
This is a wonderful story about how newcomers embrace the spirit of Thanksgiving, reflecting all that is good about our nation. It recalls a family tale about my Sicilian-born grandmother, who arrived in the U.S. in 1920, came to celebrate Thanksgiving. She called it "The American Holiday" to be enjoyed by all Americans irregardless of their national origin or financial status. Even in the Great Depression, Nonni saved her pennies so a turkey would be on the table on that special day. Like the woman in the article, she put her own taste of her homeland on the menu. This was in the form of the turkey stuffing, made with cooked pasta, soft cheese, pepperoni, ham, genoa salami, and other bits of this and that she had. Her stuffing was always a hit and vanished far quicker than the actual turkey. I make the stuffing every Thanksgiving in honor of her memory. Each family has Thanksgiving traditions passed through the generations and this piece reflects stories of hope. Wonderful photography of the new Americans too!
33
@John from the Wind Turbine City
John, there was a wonderful piece in the Times last year (maybe two years ago?) that focused on seven or eight families across the US and the dishes that they prepared for Thanksgiving. There were videos too that showed the people preparing and then eating, and the recipes were given as well! If you could find it on the Times site, it's worth a look.
14
@John from the Wind Turbine City
My Italian side cooked a very similar stuffing that we always called "spaghetti dressing", and friends used to think there was tomato sauce involved! I'm so glad someone else out there is familiar with the concept! We also enjoyed French-Canadian dishes, blending the cultures to enjoy a real family holiday. I loved this article--Mrs. Anjari's recipes sound delicious. It's what we're all about here: blending our cultures, coming up with something unique, and celebrating family and friends.
1
I need to make potatoes like Ms. Anjari! I wish I could cook with her and compare our recipes - it certainly sounds like all of her takes on the traditional foods are delicious.
18
@sgwhites
See my recent comment for the title of Ms. Anjari's book - perhaps this way you could share her recipes!
The notion of Thanksgiving isn’t so much about the food but more about the attitude of being thankful for the many wonderful and positive gifts in one’s life, whether it being a healthy family, a safe place to call home, friends to share a common thread of gratefulness, or various dishes to make, share and serve with family, friends, and/or total strangers.
I love the fact that so many people want to emulate and make “traditional” Thanksgiving dishes like turkey, dressing, corn bread, pumpkin pie, just to name a few. I am impressed and cannot help but smile when I read so many people from various cultures want to try their hand at making these dishes. Bravo to everyone who steps outside of their comfort zone and attempts to create a Thanksgiving dish.
I remember as a kid every Thanksgiving always included a neighbor who was alone or an Aunt who had no children, or a classmate who had lost his parents from a plane crash earlier that month – people who would normally spend that day, like most holidays, alone. The food was delicious, the desserts were outstanding, but the real warmth and comfort came from sharing the meal and evening together with folks who cared about other folks, especially those who were hurting or were alone. Thanksgiving is the only holiday which truly focuses more on the giving of thanks than on anything else. The food is just the cherry on the top.
70
Welcome to the Anjari family and a Happy Thanksgiving to them all. The family represents the best of the immigration experience, making the holidays and culture their own while contributing their own experience. I've always believed that food is the great leveler in America. Mrs. Anjari's take on Brussels sprouts is one that could actually make me eat them. Her version of apple pie sounds fantastic. And she's right about mashed potatoes, a little garlic and caramelized onions would certainly improve mine. Welcome to America. You've already made a contribution to my life - better mashed potatoes.
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@Golem18
I love your comment! I find myself smiling every time I re-read it for it is filled with so such kindness and love. Thank you for sharing your warm and insightful thoughts.
Good luck with your mashed potatoes!
14
A wonderful and endearing article that should remind us all of the power of friendship, family, good food and the richness that comes with combining our different cultures.
Thank you, for sharing the stories of these wonderful people...and Ms. Anjari's turkey looks great!
23
Thank you for this uplifting story! I am proud to be a member of Rutgers Presbyterian Church; I have had the privilege of eating Mayada Anjari's delicious food and am thrilled that Julia Moskin and the New York Times has chosen to publicize "The Bread and Salt Between Us".
100
@Beth
And thanks to ALL the members of your church.
For not passing on by on the other side of the road.
As Bob Marley and the Wailers (almost) sang:
Get Up, Stand Up. Life is your right
So we can't give up the fight
Stand up for their rights, Lord, Lord
Get Up, Stand Up. Keep on struggling on
Don't give up the fight
25
My first Thanksgiving(fob from India) was 20 years ago in Boston when my American husband made tandoori turkey, curry leaf and South Indian spiced mashed potatoes and green beans with coconut and
mustard seeds. It was sweet and thoughtful as I was still getting used to American flavors. It’s still my favorite holiday, straddling Diwali and Christmas/Hanukkah/kwanza -all of which we celebrate with various Indian flavored takes on traditional foods.
57
Welcome, all! Thanksgiving is my favorite, as it needs nothing other than a willingness to cook and bring people together.
33
I admire the Anjari's and Mr. King and the others mentioned. l can't imagine going to a new country and new culture, not out of inclination, but necessity and safety. Happy Thanksgiving to All! ( And I'm still working on the brussels sprouts myself.......)
33
@Ponderer
I'm with you, didn't really like the brussesls until the Hubs found a way. Steam them just long enough, so they still have a bit of resistance when you put a fork in them. While they are steaming, fry up about 5 slices of bacon and chop it into nice crumbly bits. Clean out the frying pan, put in a knob of butter (not too big, just enough), and then toss in the brussels. Saute them for about 5 or 6 minutes, then toss in the bacon bits. Dee-smish-ous!!
3
Thank you for such a beautiful and humane story! Reading the comments of the kind respondents make me proud to be an American.