Festive Feasts

Throughout history, celebrations have taken many forms, but one constant of all these traditions is food. At almost any holiday tradition one can imagine, tables loaded with special, delectable dishes form the centerpiece of the festivities, whether those dishes are commercial-worthy glazed hams or cursed jello salads. What those dishes are and how they came to be on the table, however, varies from family to family, including among Seabury students. 

“We usually have tamales; it’s a pretty big tradition to make [them] together . . .  especially for Thanksgiving. We usually don’t eat turkey because it’s too dry, so we usually eat ham and other Mexican foods,” says freshman Ashley Gonzalez, whose family cooks together during the holiday season. “Since it’s been years since my parents have gone back to Mexico, it’s a way for them to feel at home, . . . and it’s just a time to spend with the family we have here.” Cooking together has allowed Gonzalez to make memories with younger family members as well. “One time, on Christmas night, we were making these sweet tortillas, and my cousin made a dinosaur one. It was really adorable. He was like five at the time, so it didn’t look like a dinosaur, but he did his best. He tried!” she says. 

Similar to Gonzalez, sixth grader Stella Huebner’s family also prefers ham to turkey. “A lot of our family doesn’t really like turkey, and my sisters love ham . . . I usually eat steak because I don’t like ham or turkey; I’m a very picky eater,” she says of how her family adapts to varied palates. Huebner originally learned to cook from her mother and recipe books. “I love cooking because one, you get to enjoy it after, and I just like . . . making food for my family or friends. I think it’s a very generous gift,” she says. “[Food] brings people together because most people will eat, and then everybody will chat about [the meal].” 

“Food is definitely a social thing,” agrees eighth grader Owen Koederitz. “At dinners, you’re sitting around as a family. You talk about stuff, you joke around, you get to eat food. At Thanksgiving you get the whole feast as a family, and you say what you’re thankful for. So yeah, I think it brings [people together].” Koederitz’s family has special holiday traditions surrounding desserts. “For Christmas, we have a king cake, which has a little plastic baby in it. The tradition is if you find the baby you get to make the next cake,” he says. King cake is usually made with a filling of cinnamon, nuts and fruit, and it is traditionally associated with the Epiphany season, which stretches between Christmas and the beginning of Lent, although the plastic baby tradition is rooted in New Orleans Mardi Gras traditions. “I think it started from church, because [my family is] Episcopalian . . . someone brought a king cake for us to eat, and then we just started doing it [every year], since it was a lot of fun,” says Koederitz. 

Sixth grader Jack Hawley’s family also sweetens the holidays every year with plenty of decadent baked goods. “We have this Yule log cake; it has all these fried marshmallows on the side, and it has chocolate inside and around it, with chocolate cake and fudge,” he says. “My family makes it, and for the first time I’m going to help my mom make it this Thanksgiving.” For Hawley, sharing the cooking process is key. “I cook with my mom all the time . . . It’s just fun; I’d say it’s better that way than just cooking by yourself because that can get lonely,” he says. However, Hawley does not see food as the key ingredient for holiday celebrations. “I don’t think it’s the food. I think it’s just enjoying each other’s company,” he says. “Another important part is music, that always livens up the mood.” 

Seventh grader Santino Barberena’s family likes to go gourmet for the holidays. “For Christmas, we do crab legs and prime rib. That’s really it,” he says. “[When] people like the same food, it can bring them together,” he says, regarding the superpower of special meals. Barberena is also a stellar cook in his own right. “I like to cook steak, pasta, stuff like that,” he says. “One time I got to cook a piece of Wagyu [beef]–that was really fun.” 

Regardless of what students and their families feast on, the holiday season certainly brings great anticipation of delectable meals, whether that entails ham, crab legs or king cake.