A Filipino Thanksgiving 2017 Menu Ideas

The celebration of Thanksgiving, given our colonial history, is a little hard to swallow because like the Philippine history, it is also a story of conquest. While that is not my topic today and I won’t go into specifics but readers probably know the Thanksgiving history and how the British landed (and survived) into the United States. Suffice it is to say that I recognize the plight of American Indians and their right to say that it is a day of national mourning and not celebration.

It is a bit funny too, in a weirdly satirical way, how we Filipinos are slowly adapting to this celebration. We’re always looking for a reason to celebrate. Like the Halloween, and Mothers Day, both American traditions that is slowly entering the Filipino consciousness. I’m sure, in a few more years, we’d be celebrating Black Friday too!

More than 10 years ago, I used to work in a call center serving the United States continent and through all the centers I passed, one of the American traditions we celebrate is the Thanksgiving. I had this American team leader who once invited us to his condo and he cooked this really large turkey. I remember thinking that it was bland, dry, and has this peculiar smell which we might call sometimes as “malansa”. I ate everything with gusto of course. Its Thanksgiving after all.

Already, the grocery store near me is stocking up on Turkey, weird, no? But I’m really not feeling the vibes with Turkey.

So, anyway, if you’re planning anything Thanksgiving this year, I prepared a laid back Filipino feast menu so you can get an idea.