Celebratory Food

When I was growing up, Thanksgiving was always considered a special meal. Family would come from all over the place to share the meal at one of my aunt's or uncle's houses. Everyone would claim a dish beforehand to bring to the dinner, but the turkey was always cooked by whoever was hosting. The meals would always be the typical thanksgiving foods, like turkey, casserole, mashed potatoes, and cranberries. 

There was always an unspoken rule of no arguing. To our family, Thanksgiving was a time to bury the hatchet and come together as a family. Looking back on it, I always enjoyed this aspect the most because everybody always got along. 

In regards to food grammar, I would say none of the food served on Thanksgiving are core foods. The only secondary foods would probably be the turkey, green beans, and mashed potatoes because I usually eat those once or twice a week. The rest of the foods are definitely peripheral types of foods. Casserole,  cranberries, and pumpkin pie are only ever eat on special occasions or gatherings. 

In relation to other culture's celebratory dishes, the Guatemalan family from Menzel and D'Aluisio also have occasion specific dishes. In general, their daily diet mostly consists of vegetables and potatoes, but when celebrating All Saints Day, they get together as a family and community and slaughter lambs for the special dinner. Even though no culture celebrates every holiday in the same way, this is an example of how most every culture prepares celebratory food that is only consumed a few times a year.