By MAX SOUZA
The Tower
Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family, friends, and animals. For many, it’s celebrated with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, yam, and the best of all…
Mac and cheese and Hawaiian rolls!
Manteca High student freshman Chloe Baclig’s family takes an alternative approach to the holiday menu. While it may feature some traditional items, such as yam, gravy, mashed potatoes and turkey, it also includes cultural dishes.
On the Baclig dinner table you’ll also find spam masubi and fried rice.
Baclig also explains that her family has an apple cider drinking contest every Thanksgiving after dinner.
“My family has an apple cider drinking contest that started when I was 6,” she said, “and it started because ever since I first tried apple cider, I loved it and was drinking it for hours. I finished two whole bottles of it.”
The other way Baclig’s family celebrates Thanksgiving is playing Monopoly with her family she rarely can see because of how far they live away.
Mo eats something he would enjoy during thanksgiving dinner. (Annabella Kulp/The Tower)
Manteca High School Valley Community Counselor Mo Khan said his family puts more of a cultural twist on their Thanksgiving family dinner.
Khan, whose role on campus is to support the mental wellbeing of the students, has a big family, and because of that, Khan’s family makes sure there is more than enough food for each member of the family to have including the cultural dishes a member brings.
“We would cook cultured food like Fijian food or any type of Island food. We will all make one dish and bring it every year,” Khan said.
Khan’s favorite memory from Thanksgiving is having all his cousins together.
“My favorite memory from Thanksgiving is having all of my cousins together. Me being the oldest guy cousins, I get to boss around and bully my little cousins and it’s just fun you know?”