Slowing down to give thanks!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It represents long walks narrated by the crunch of fall leaves beneath my feet, the smells of fireplaces burning, and a natural bent toward both self-reflection and generosity. It is the one cause for celebration that does not include present-giving and which isn't focused on just one or two people. It is for me, quite happily, about good food and family.

I have heard many accounts of lavish Thanksgiving meals that were labored over all day--the burden often falling on one person--only to be inhaled in a matter of minutes. The cook, often the one left doing the dishes, breathes a private sigh of relief that he or she doesn't have to do this again until Christmas, while wondering if Grandma Monie's jelled salad was really worth the effort it took to get it to hold its form and might possibly be omitted next year. Everyone else, meanwhile, has retired to the lazy chair or sofa to snooze off their tryptophan in time for dessert.

Then there is the pendulum swing of those who have learned to favor convenience above the oft overkill of tradition, who have adopted the "too much work" attitude towards food preparation. These folks get take-out and give than, ks to the fact that restaurants are actually open on this national holiday and that they are not one of those poor suckers at home with the tedious job of scraping the candle wax out of the tablecloth.

So where, I wonder, is there some meeting point between the traditionalists and those opting out? It seems that both are missing out on what I treasure so about my own family's tradition: gathering together in the collaborative effort towards nourishing and delicious food and time well spent in each others' company, both in the preparation and the feast. I've often romanticized this as "very European," recalling my semester in Venice in the 1980s where the "midday rest" was taken to new heights and everyone had the time to enjoy a large meal at home with friends and family and wine, lively talk and laughter....

This model wasn't anything new at the time, except to me. It is, sadly, increasingly atypical in the fast-paced and modernized world we live in--even in Europe--thus creating a need for movementS such as Slow Food. Founded in Italy in 1986, Slow Food is an international organization whose aim is to protect the pleasures of the table from the homogenization of modern fast food and life. While the politics and multifaceted nature of what the movement sees as the core issues should not be oversimplified, its focus inextricably links food and pleasure with awareness: "Whether standing at a BBQ, kneeling on a tatami mat or seated at an elegant restaurant, eating is fundamental to living. Elevating the quality of our food and taking time to enjoy it is a simple way to infuse our daily lives with joy. This is the philosophy of Slow Food." (www.slowfood.com)

This is what those Venetians were up to. And even if I am guilty of having infused my memories with grandiose interpretations Of what it all meant to be Italian, those folks at the very least knew the value of quality food prepared with love and enjoyed with gusto--and they didn't wait for a national holiday to give them an excuse to do this. Jen Lapidus, owner of Natural Bridge Bakery in Asheville, produces whole grain, naturally leavened breads made from organic, freshly stone-ground flour and baked in a wood-fired brick oven. Jen (who attended the Slow Foods conference in Turin, Italy) recalls visiting the home of a host who had prepared a beautiful spread of local dishes. When she asked, "You don't prepare food like this all of the time, do you?" the host looked at her as if to say, "Of course, what else would we do?" Indeed what else would they do and how else? The dishes, freshly prepared and dazzling in color and texture were not just served but presented in a manner that you or I may only see in line at a wedding buffet. Care, intention, joy. Art.

Awareness is a good thing, right? It is often the door to appreciation, so Thanksgiving is as optimum a time as any to cultivate that awareness--for those enduring hardship beyond our grasp and for the abundance and gifts that we have even in the midst of demanding schedules and hectic lives. My family has developed its own way of extending that awareness with our Thanksgiving ritual. My brother, my sister, and I--along with their spouses and children--have committed year after year to joining at our parents' house for what has developed into a very special and much-looked-forward-to event. Every person agrees to contribute a dish, and more often we bring the ingredients and prepare our food together. There is collaboration on what is already accounted for and what is needed, but as often we have our mainstays, our favorites and must-haves: my dad makes his raw, date-sweetened applesauce; my sister a bona-fide comfort food item called Tahini Bake, and me, a new family-favorite of tender baked butternut squash.

There is genuine enthusiasm among us all as we talk about what we are about to undertake. It is work, yes, but the day and its tasks are infused with story-sharing, hands of cards, walks around the neighborhood I grew up in, and yeah, maybe even tuning in to the game. The point is, I think that we have integrated an amount of awareness in all this, even football, which leaves us as full from the experience even as the beautiful food is being placed on the table. These acts, and the pace with which we wash, chop, prepare, and even set the table are all blessings and exercises in appreciation and less about the outcome of the final product as they are about the experience we commune within. The burden is shared so that it is not a burden at all but a joy to be cooking alongside my mother who is telling me a story about her granddaughter, the fragrance of my dish mixing with hers as we note the brilliance of the red pepper, the heady aroma of the garlic, and the earthy undertones of the rice she's braising for her pilaf stuffing. The simple act of shifting in to a lower gear, turning our backs to the clocks for just a day, and treating our holiday meal as if it were the most important job in the world, creates an experience that can only be had the next time we commit to doing it.

One may call it unfortunate that we need a holiday to give us permission to slow things down a hit, take in our surroundings as well as a few deep breaths, but if that is where we have to start then lucky us for seeing the opportunity. Committing to turning the otherwise mundane into an art form, you too will respond to the skeptics with, "Of course, what else would we do?" I for one am thankful for having this, and truth-be-told, holidays are not the only time to witness this scene in my family's kitchen. And we're not even Italian.

Bills's Applesauce

In a food processor, puree your favorite eating apple, chopped, with medjool dates at a ratio of 1 to 1. A dash of cinnamon can be added. Cover and refrigerate.

* When using organic apples, leave on the peels, as they will puree smoothly into the sauce and add extra fiber and vitamins.

Baked Butternut Squash

from WholeHealthMD.com

  2 small butternut squash (1-1/4 pounds each), halved lengthwise and
    seeded
1/3 cup orange juice
  2 tablespoons apricot all-fruit spread
  2 garlic cloves, minced
  3 tablespoons chopped parsley (or cilantro)
  1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425[degrees]F. Cut small piece off bottom of each
squash half so that it will sit in pan.

2. In small bowl, stir together orange juice, apricot fruit spread,
garlic, parsley (or cilantro), olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spoon
mixture into hollow of each squash half, cover with foil, and bake
until tender, about 45 minutes.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

From: Vern Bertagna: West Frankfort, Illinois

    1 cup natural sugar
    1 cup brown sugar
  1/2 cup butter, softened
    3 large eggs
2 1/2 cups pumpkin
    3 cups all purpose flour
    1 teaspoon cloves
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
    1 teaspoon ginger
    1 teaspoon baking soda
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350[degrees]F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf
pans. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and
pumpkin. Sift flour, doves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking
soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into
pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in walnuts or chips, if desired.
Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake until tester
inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes.
Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Using sharp knife, cut
around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool
completely.

Greg Hottinger, MPH, RD, is the nutritionist for the Duke University Center for Integrative Medicine and author of The Best Natural Foods on the Market Today: A Yuppie's Guide to Hippie Food (www.bestnaturalfoods.com). He is a regular contributor to New Life Journal.