Thanksgiving Without Borders
Ignore the vanity of Hollywood. Forget fast food. Yes, Db is having a sale right now, but Black Friday as a concept is pretty much the worst.
The United States has many cultural exports we shouldn’t be proud of, but the modern interpretation of Thanksgiving is something I wish we’d spread to every corner of the globe.
It goes beyond turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie (though I’ll have second helpings of each, thank you). It’s a holiday devoid of any commercialism, stripped down to the most basic and important things — community, food and gratitude.
This year will look different than most, and that’s OK. I’ve had weird Thanksgivings before. At a tacky TGI Friday’s in Chile. Eating roasted chicken in South Africa. On a beach with my buddy in Papua New Guinea, wearing palm-frond crowns our hosts had made us. All of them strange. All of them special. Because it’s not about the food or the place or the pandemic. It’s about dedicating a day to be grateful for what you have, and the ones you love, whether they’re sitting next to you or not.
Thankful,
taylor