Posted on 11/25/2004 10:58:56 AM PST by Pikamax
Immigrants thankful for an American holiday By Liz Mineo / News Staff Writer Thursday, November 25, 2004
FRAMINGHAM -- Since she came here four years ago, Brazilian Bianca Fontenelle has celebrated the most American holiday of her new homeland.
"Celebrating Thanksgiving has been a good way to learn about this country," said Fontenelle, who runs a catering business in Framingham. "As immigrants who live here, we need to learn the culture of our new country and practice the traditions."
Every Thanksgiving, Fontenelle shares the tradition with millions of American families, who gather around the table for a feast that includes turkey, stuffing, cranberries and pumpkin pie.
But like many immigrants who mix new traditions with customs of their native land, Fontanelle will serve the traditional Thanksgiving dinner adding rice, Brazilian salad -- a mix of lettuce, fruits and ham -- and pudding for dessert.
Framingham is home to immigrants from Brazil, Central and South America, Russia, China, India, Southeast Asia and Africa. According to Census 2000, one of every five people in town is foreign born.
With each group following its own customs, Thanksgiving has a multicultural flavor. Turkeys will occupy center stage on the tables of immigrants, but there will be also meals that remind them of home.
At Leo Wu's table, for example, there will be turkey, as well as some traditional Chinese dishes made with pork, fish and beef that he and his family eat during the Chinese New Year, the most important holiday in China and several countries in Asia.
"The first year, I bought a 25-pound turkey, and I couldn't eat the whole thing," said Wu, a Westborough resident who came here eight years ago. "I didn't like it that much. Now, we have a small turkey."
For Wu, Thanksgiving reminds him of the Chinese New Year. For Guatemalan Arcely Grijalva, it is more like Christmas.
"The whole family gets together and shares dinner," said Grijalva, who works as a manager at McDonald's in Framingham. "It's a great tradition."
To celebrate the holiday, Grijalva will roast turkey and chicken, the way she used to do in her homeland. She will add tastes of her country in the stuffing - a mix of vegetables and ground meat - and for dessert, a drink called "ponche" made with cinnamon, cloves, large peppercorns and dried fruits.
Brazilian Ane De Paula, who came here eight years ago, also likes to add a touch of home to her Thanksgiving dinner.
"I eat everything that Americans eat for Thanksgiving," said De Paula, who works as a baby-sitter. "Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, everything, but I add Brazilian seasoning. Lots of garlic, lots of salt and lots of pepper."
In their desire to assimilate, immigrants quickly incorporate Thanksgiving. It's a way to become more American, said Edson Marinho, a Brazilian who owns Brazilian Meat Market on Howard Street.
"It's an American holiday," said Marinho. "Brazilians who live here for a long time, celebrate it like Americans."
Still, Marinho says many Brazilians buy pork and meat at his store the day before Thanksgiving to make traditional meals from home.
While immigrants relish adding new flavors to their Thanksgiving dinners, they also relish the holiday as a day for expressing thanks for the good things in life.
Before dinner, De Paula and her family will say a prayer of thanks for all the good things they have now.
"Our life is much better," she said. "My children have a better future, I have a job and I can walk down the streets feeling safe."
Russian native Albert Shmidt, 67, shares the feeling.
"It's a beautiful holiday," said Shmidt, who will celebrate his first Thanksgiving together with his wife, Margarita Kostina.
"It's a beautiful tradition that recalls the Pilgrims and the Native Americans getting together to say thanks. Because of that holiday, we're here. That holiday made America what it is now."
bump
I felt that the point was how so-called reporters are going out of their way to avoid mentioning the legality or illegality of the immigrants they're reporting about. They are grinding an agenda while smearing journalistic ethics for their masters. B4 is right (as usual) for casting a suspicious eye on a story where aliens are portrayed as embracing American culture when those of us who live and work among them know better.
Hey, B4 and Cy; I hope the holiday has been good for you both. I think we still have much to be thankful for. It seems we are at a point where we have to knuckle up and fight for it or risk losing it all. I'm fighting...because we're right.
amen brother
It's been a wonderful day. My wife, after Mass, went cruising her favorite local stores this morning with our younger daughter. They came home giggling like little tots.
Then the bird hit the oven and about 3;30 we sat down for a fun hour and a half meal. Lots of family recollections and laughing.
Now the girls are squeezed together on a couch like little bunnies and watching some 'soothing' romantic movie. LOL
I've been lucky all day, no pain medication needeed and just one short nap.
A great day indeed!
What matters is celebrating what we've been given in an appropriate manner. I am thankful to have health, life and opportunity to improve.
This was one of the best ones ever. Just my mom and sister and my greedy poodle.
>>So many people collect bad relative stories...<<
If anyone starts in with that kind of stuff I ask, "Have you told the judge yet, or was it denied as evidence?" They get that puzzled look for a moment and then realize that we are not going to be a sympathetic jury, so the laughter comes back to the table.
If cash will cure their problem, then talk to me privately, in the office, not at the dining room table with everyone lisening.
Old family photographs always get exchanged at these family affairs. The pic that you've had tucked away for thirty years might just be the one I want for the mantle. Somehow, the albums seem to bring back good memories. I guess because we tend to take more pictures at happy affairs, births, weddings, vacations, etc.
All your illegal Brasilenas belong to us, er, me!
LOL yeah I'll bet ;-)
For the price we are paying you would think that we should at least have them as housekeepers.
All poodles are dogs, but not all dogs can be a poodle.
All those rice and beans go to the right place, if you know what I mean... ;-)
LOL good grief
Awwwwww.
Yeah hehe
My ex-cunhado used to make an incedible pork roast for Thanksgiving. Replete with arroz e feijao and all the little details you'd expect for a Brasilian feast like farofa and pao de queijo. If calories were sin, we would have gone straight to the hot place after any one of those meals. I just don't think they believe in "Cholesterol" in Brasil.
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