Thanksgiving

[EatRaw]

Hi everyone,

 

I thought it would be interesting to see what others do on Thanksgiving. I know it will be hard to watch people consume animals and other unhealthy items. How do you handle Thanksgiving being a Vegan and what are your plans this year?

 

Since my fiance and I are both raw, as well as my mother-in-law, we will be having a raw feast. We are all planning on bringing some raw dishes for everyone to try and we will be getting take-out from our favorite raw restaurant (Cafe Gratitude) on Wednesday night to save for Thursday.

 

Also, the three of us each adopted a turkey from the Farm Sanctuary. It is $20 and they send you a photo of your turkey. I think that will be our newest Thanksgiving tradition. It feels great to help turkeys when Thanksgiving is such a sad time for them. Here is the website for adopting a turkey. http://www.adoptaturkey.org/

 

We also went to San Francisco and passed out "Turkey-Free" recipes books a couple weeks ago.

 

Can't wait to hear what all of you do during this time.

[Richard]

Woohah, we don't have thanksgiving here in England of course. Christmas, I try to stay out of it and let people enjoy their parties without me bringing everyone down If I was in America, I'd probably lock myself in a room and play playstation, I am terrible with celebrations

[CollegeB]

I moved away from home and am looking forward to just being alone and turkeyless. People keep telling me I must go somewhere, so they invite me over. I still plan on not going anywhere. I might fix something tasty for myself, and i've got work to do anyways.

[nicole]

Thanksgiving at my house has become my family's tradition. My husband and I both live several hundred miles from our nearest family, but my mom and step dad come out every year and have Thanksgiving at our house! The past few years, we'd also celebrated with some friends of ours who's families were also far away, but this past year they were divorced, so we will not see them this year. I am really bummed about that and I think I will miss them A LOT.

 

But anyway, I LOVE Thanksgiving. I cook up a ton of sides and food and we make something like 4 Tofurkeys so that we have leftovers until Monday. My mom brings out the desserts. This year she is making pumpkin, cherry, and apple pie, plus some cookies.

 

I set up all of the food in the diningroom, but we all eat at tables in front of the tv and watch football. I am a Detroit Lions fan, so watching them is ALSO a holiday tradition! But we watch all of the Thanksgiving day games.

 

My husband also adopts me a turkey every year, but usually gives it to me at Christmas. I have piles and piles of my formerly adopted turkeys. Haha.

[jonzen]

I am like Richard and CollegeB, not wishing to cause the traditional argument at the table. I have been the cause of many heated family arguments at the dinner table regarding the killing and eating of animals, starting when I was 16.....I am 55 now!! (that's a lot of discussion, often warm to hot!)

 

I find it is often more peaceful to stay alone, or with friends who relate to this ethical cause. This year, however, I'll be going to Dr. Jett's house, but her daughter is vegetarian, so I will have one comrade at the table, and the Jetts are pretty cool about my practice. I would still rather not become a focus at the table because I pass on any meat or dairy foods. One has to practice great patience and stay calm at times like those.

 

My Mother, now deceased, used to ask me why I couldn't just eat with the family once without causing a fuss. I have always been kind of, what they would consider, radical I guess.

 

Yeah, Thanksgiving and Christmas are times that are a bit more challenging for me in several ways. That's why it is so cool to discover all of you here on Veganbodybuilding.com!

 

Gobble Gobble!

[michaelhobson]

We refuse to participate in the worship of the murdered bird. We'll likely hang out at home on thanksgiving, it's just another day with the added bonus of no work. Our Pittsburgh vegan meetup group is having a harvest feast the day after thanksgiving. It should end up with a mountain of vegan yummies as most of our potlucks do. We are also meeting up tuesday before thanksgiving at a vegetarian, mostly vegan, indian restaurant. It's really going to be a week of vegan overindulgence!

[finbarrio]

We're celebrating T-giving on Saturday -- we're having some friends over and we're going to murder a couple of Tofurkeys and give thanks that we are vegan. On thursday we're going to our favorite Indian restaurant in Plymouth MA ("America's Home town" - my wife's home town too!).

 

Hope everyone else who celebrates has a fun one.

[willpeavy]

I eat lotsa Tofurkey and spuds

[Guest]

My girlfriend and I are gonna have our own Thanksgiving probably the night before...then we're gonna have one at her mothers house...my first meeting with her(hopefully I don't screw it up). There should be a good amount of vegan foods there.

[Richard]

My girlfriend and I are gonna have our own Thanksgiving probably the night before...then we're gonna have one at her mothers house...my first meeting with her(hopefully I don't screw it up). There should be a good amount of vegan foods there.

 

Things to talk to your girlfriend's mum about:

 

*Discuss the longest you've ever worn one pair of underpants, ask her what her record is

*Ask what sex position was used when your girlfriend was conceived

*Ask if she would like to have her photo taken while you DDT her

*Describe the strangest colour of spit that has come out of your mouth

 

ICE BREAKERRR

[CollegeB]

Richard I shall contemplate those eternal questions on thrusday which is the day that so many people give thanks that someone else killed the bird. I might do this in the woods about 20 minutes from here. I know a nice cliff with a good view. Great place to sit and ask questions to myself. Though maybe i can forget all that and have dinner with Nicole or Michael. It seems they are going to have plenty of food. I'd have to spend probably like 20 hrs on the road total. Hmm, all for food (hopefully of the free variety), I should hit up the thinking cliff and make a decision.

[Kathryn]

I stopped celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas several years ago. And I stopped feeling isolated because of it just a few years after that. I really never enjoyed the 'get together with family you aren't close to, and watch them carve up a dead bird, then sit around overstuffed around a football game on TV afterwards.

 

As an agnostic, vegan, non-sports-fan, Thanksgiving and Christmas have nothing that appeals to me, especially since all my close relatives are dead!

 

 

I just enjoy having the time 'off' (I still have work and projects to do, but I don't have to go in to teach my classes, and I can do them at my own pace. I have a list of things to do over break--I have the entire week off--- and every day I can decided which one(s) to do...or put off!)

 

I also use the breaks to do a cleanse and catch up on my house responsibilities.

 

The only thing that would tempt me to celebrate either holiday would be a vegan get-together. That I could handle!

[Bigbwii]

Well me and the fam ain't got that far yet...but we usually have to take the children to my wifes family members house....I'm the health/fitness freak so everybody trys to avoid me so they can feel comfortable smoking and stuffing themselves with dead animal parts, nicotine and beer

 

Then we come back home and back to our regular routine....I think this year I'm gonna do something with the dogs because it's been pretty busy with the dobie rescue and a few have been healed/rehabed and found homes and we have had another emaciated one come in....that needs raw healing!!!! so I would like to do something with them and the fam as a whole..... As for eating I'm probably gonna O.D on my favourite...ORANGE JUICE...the fam will probably just have vegan/raw fair! nuttun spesh

[CollegeB]

I still do christmas, but i hate getting together just for these holidays. I am looking forward to being able to see all the people I have not seen in a few months, and i'm getting a street bike which is neon green, and there are other good things going on. None has to do with a holiday. I am also pleased to go back to TX and eat at vegan restraunts. There are none near me in IL.

 

Thanksgiving to me is really just about having turkey, while christmas just feeds into the mantra of mindless consumerism. It is not inherently focused on eating dead animals. there is still the typical christmas ham for the family

but my vegan foods are starting to make their way into the meals. Is the family still putting butter in the veggies? Not anymore.

[michaelhobson]

I stopped celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas several years ago.

 

Joy to you!!!!! I flippin hate christmas, and lucky me finally ended up with a woman who hates it as much as I do. It was a real issue in the past. Down with commercialized bullshit holidays. We also don't celebrate valentine's day, easter, halloween, anniversaries, birthdays. If it can be found in a Hallmark store or a giant display in Wal-mart, we tend to avoid it.

[MontanaVegan]

I am going to my Mom's house for Thanksgiving.

There will be a dead bird on the table.

Probably parts of a dead pig also.

Sadly my mother is very overweight and on Atkins again.

She says it's the only diet that works for her.

Obviously it hasn't worked for her, but I kept my mouth shut.

 

I'm taking my own food, a mixture of raw and cooked food.

I will be making some raw deserts, everybody will like them.

 

There was a small sign of hope during our conversation a few days ago.

I told her that if she ate like I eat, she may be able to get off some pills.

She takes a fistful of pills everyday and has side effects.

She seemed genuinely interested after that.

[jonzen]

I just read the recent entries from Kathryn, MichaelHobson, and more from CollegeB, and I have to report that you are probably the only people I have met thus far that seem to feel and react the same as I do regarding THE HOLIDAYS. I relate totally to what you stated! I just had to come on again to say that it feels so good to know that there are other humans out there thinking and feeling as I have for so many years! I was beginning to think that I was the only one! I know I am weird, and I celebrate that by being a painter and artist (I can get by with all sorts of behaviors ) but honestly, for the last several years I have spent Thanksgiving and Christmas alone because I just did not wish to compromise my beliefs..........so to realize you guys are out there too.......well, now I have even more to be Thankful about!

 

Blessings!

[EatRaw]

Thank you for all the replies. It is great knowing that others feel the same way and that we are all in this together.

[Guest]

My girlfriend's mom is really conservative so I'm gonna have to be on my best behavior...which means no tank tops(I don't have much else) and liquid latex to cover my piercings and no spitting and farting at dinner...two of my most favorite things to do. Anyway I just feel weird because I don't really do Thanksgiving...I always hated it...even well before I went vegan.

[Zack]

and i'm getting a street bike which is neon green,

 

What kind? Let's get a vegan motorcycle ride going on...

[Odidnetne]

I would love to have a turkeyless Thanksgiving. My parents are going away, so this vegan friend of mine might come over and we'll just make a ton of vegetables.

 

michaelhobson, Halloween was on my calender only so I could wear a hockeymask and not look like a complete psycho.

[CollegeB]

Zack: What kind? Let's get a vegan motorcycle ride going on...

 

 

Hold on there. Let me specify its a bicycle. Schwin world sport. I'd like a motorcycle. I'd get something more like a cruiser not a sport bike though. I've had enough accidents on my bicycle that I accept me on two wheels going over 20 mph is probably really dangerous.

[Kathryn]

[ We also don't celebrate valentine's day, easter, halloween, anniversaries, birthdays.

 

Now, I must disagree on one point. I would LOVE to celebrate Halloween: the "dress up all day and have fun" aspect of Halloween, not the "distribute-unhealthy-goods-to-greedy-children-who-then-o.d.-on-sugary-crap" aspect of it, but hardly anyone at work dresses up anymore!

[CollegeB]

I got a costume and many lbs of candy which has gone through different channels. Half of it was stolen on halloween, and of the other half, i gave away half of that to people at work. I've got about a quarter of my candy left, and at the rate i'm going I certainly can give it out next year (or let it get stolen). I really like halloween. I even got some candles that are skulls and they bleed!

[michaelhobson]

[ We also don't celebrate valentine's day, easter, halloween, anniversaries, birthdays.

 

Now, I must disagree on one point. I would LOVE to celebrate Halloween: the "dress up all day and have fun" aspect of Halloween, not the "distribute-unhealthy-goods-to-greedy-children-who-then-o.d.-on-sugary-crap" aspect of it, but hardly anyone at work dresses up anymore!

 

The thing that annoys me most about halloween is that so many people only allow themselves this one day of the year for personal expression. Or, our culture only allows this one day per year for personal expression. How many women flaunt their sexuality or wear a business suit? How many guys go in drag, skirsts, dresses, makeup. How many suddenly become dark and gothic.

 

Our society would just be so much cooler if people were allowed to be free, creative and expressive every day of the year. Instead we have to conform to pointless controlling dress codes and behavioral guidelines. Step over the line and you are cut off from friends, family and more devastating your source of income or employment. That's my main gripe with halloween. Halloween should be every day of the year.