Conclusions

While working on this documentation of Thanksgiving, I began to realize that, for the most part, I don't think of Thanksgiving in terms of the food that we eat but instead the people involved. I think that this thought process manifested itself in the form of me continuously forgetting to take pictures of the food/preparation process and instead trying to get candid photographs of everyone. In spite of this, it is impossible to deny the influence that food history has on shaping our tradition. The majority of the food items we consumed were not arbitrarily chosen but were instead part of a long tradition of Thanksgiving foods that date back to the foods eaten in New England during the early nineteenth century. It's interesting to consider that we continue to celebrate this holiday despite being fully aware that it's origin story is a myth. Thanksgiving has embedded itself into the American consciousness and has taken on new meaning that goes beyond the story of the Pilgrims or its religious connotations. I don't foresee Thanksgiving fading away anytime soon, but I imagine that it will continue adapt to the values of each generation while still maintaining the basic themes of family, gratefulness, and delicious food.

Done