Reflections from December 2012, excerpt from “The Genius of Alice’s Restaurant”
… I realized a little after 12 noon this Thanksgiving that Arlo Guthrie has had a much broader cultural impact in terms of bringing a progressive message to the general population than his father, Woody Guthrie…
I realized a little after 12 noon this Thanksgiving that Arlo Guthrie has had a much broader cultural impact in terms of bringing a progressive message to the general population than his father, Woody Guthrie. As a reader of this post is probably aware, across the radio dial across the United States, it is a tradition to play Arlo Guthrie’s song, Alice’s Restaurant at 12 noon on Thanksgiving. This tradition has been going on for four decades. We are not just talking about the anti-war song being played on granola-crunchy college radio stations. I listened to Alice’s Restaurant on a Clear Channel owned classic rock station that won’t even play Imagine most of the year. The DJ announced and dedicated the song as a favorite Thanksgiving tradition of a recently deceased listener. No mention was made of the song’s lengthy anti-war message. The song had transcended into a widely-celebrated annual tradition for the general population who never expresses a sentiment about war for the rest of the year.
Peace Couple is all about shopping in more compassionate ways, and, learning to gradually change your habits to be more just and sustainable. For Thanksgiving, you could move towards a vegetarian or vegan diet, by opting for a Turkey-Free Thanksgiving.
For Thanksgiving 2011, Kimberly and Ian celebrated a Turkey-Free Thanksgiving on Long Island, with their friends from Healthy Planet. There are photos at our Peace Couple Flickr: here.
We also wanted to share some tips about vegetarian or vegan dishes for Thanksgiving.
First of all, you can think out of the box. You do not need a pretend turkey to have a vegetarian Thanksgiving. There are plenty of delicious foods with protein, and plenty of side dishes to conjure up old memories and tradition.
Though, if you feel the need for a turkey-like dish, or, if you are cooking, and you know that your friends and family will expect “a turkey”, then there are suggestions, with ratings in an article at Slate Magazine: here.
Slate used a rating system based on appearance, meatiness, and overall taste. I think it is useful to list the non-turkey options they reviewed. And, their ratings might be especially useful if you are serving to folks who are not vegetarians. Though, I have to say, I disagree a bit on the Slate summary of the “Field Roast Stuffed Celebration Roast” — it is one of my favorite meals. And, it looks pretty good if you rub some oil and spices on it!
List of “alternate turkey” choices from Slate Magazine:
“May The Light of Love” by David Roth is the Royal Peace Song of the Day for Sunday, October 2nd. I first heard the song on WFUV the other day, and I like its spirit of hope and Thanksgiving. (In fact, it is often used in celebration of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Though, I think it works all year round!) – Duchess Susanna
