Iowa Fall-Winter 2022-2023 - 14

* Other sides. It's not a feast without a plethora of
sides. What completes your traditional table? You just
might be a fan of the green bean casserole, cranberry
salad, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, sweet
potato casserole, roasted carrots or Jell-O salad.
* Pie. Do you have a must-have dessert for your
fall feast? Maybe, just maybe, it's as American as apple
pie. Or perhaps a more savory option like pumpkin
pie, butternut squash pie, pecan pie or sweet potato
pie.
AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD, NEW
TRADITIONS
Thanksgiving traditions continue to change, from the
food on our plates to the people around the table.
Today's families are often spread out from coast to
coast and around the world, so gathering for every
holiday isn't always an option. Rather than forgoing
the celebration altogether, many people choose to
share this hol iday with friends, cal l ing it
" Friendsgiving. "
Some people have become so enamored of the
concept that they don't limit the day to the fourth
Thursday of November. They might have their family
gathering that Thursday and a friends' feast on a different
day, allowing them to have their cake and eat
it, too.
The first online usage of the term seems to have
appeared in 2007, according to word guru MerriamWebster.
The word came to national awareness in
2011, when Bailey's Irish Cream used it in an ad campaign
and " The Real Housewives of New Jersey " used
it in its " Gobblefellas " episode. The word and the
concept quickly gained steam.
Often a potluck, with everyone bringing food and/
or drink, the menu at a Friendsgiving feast may be
traditional, featuring familiar dishes such as turkey,
ham, stuffing, sweet potatoes-all the usual suspects.
The meal might stray a little off the path, since different
families and different parts of the U.S. have
distinctive entrées and sides. Or the meal may go in
a totally nontraditional direction, especially if guests
have a variety of cultural backgrounds.
Friendsgiving veteran host Dennis Bussey shares
a few tips from a decade of hosting Thanksgiving
get-togethers for random friends and
acquaintances.
" Guests are not required to do
anything, " Bussey says, " but I suggest
bringing something to eat and
14 IOWA SPIRITS
Iowa Fall-Winter 2022-2023

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