thanksgiving in oz

and a little pink floyd green bean patternicity.

This month we’re talking about supporting casts and side dishes. So I’m starting with one of one of the most famous supporting casts in film history. This story was originally published on November 24, 2021 and read by about 33 people. Were you one of them?

We are entering the season of traditions. A collection of customs, objects and ideas intended to help us find cause for celebration. Otherwise known as patterns.

In a country with 330 million people, it is difficult for me to predict how the pattern of your fourth Thursday in November looks. Is it marked by turkey, cranberries and the Dallas Cowboys? Are you taking the opportunity to learn more about Indigenous American history in your region? Do you head out to work a retail job or catch a new movie in the theaters? Are you an immigrant trying to marry new traditions with old?

Me? I’m watching The Wizard of Oz.

the Tin Man is looking extra thirsty

In an early childhood mostly devoid of football, Dorothy followed the yellow brick road immediately after Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade each year. A tradition that the internet tells me likely started around 1991 when it began regularly airing on television in November. A now meaningful connection born out of coincidence and repetition.

At a recent work meeting, I found myself bridging a generational gap by repeating a more popular coincidence. That if you start playing Pink Floyd’s 1973 release, Dark Side of the Moon, on the third roar of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s lion in the introduction of The Wizard of Oz, a pattern appears. One that pop culture has been trying to impose meaning on for nearly 50 years.

Meanwhile, as The Dark Side of Oz was circulating through counter-culture, another green utopia was born. One that has arguably had a bigger impact on what you cook alongside your turkey. If you even have one.

these moosewood collective lions need no courage

The Moosewood Restaurant was established in 1973 in Ithaca, NY as a collectively owned natural foods restaurant. It has since been credited as being one of the most influential forces in America for popularizing vegetarianism.

Go to the cooking section of any used bookstore and you’re likely to find one of Moosewood’s 14 critically acclaimed cookbooks. Filled with simple ingredients, suggested variations and light hearted instructions they have brought plant forward recipes into millions of homes for over four decades.

So it’s no coincidence that it’s a book I come back to often. Recipes that have quickly become part of our pattern for the holiday. Leaving me filled with foods a little greener and thankful, just like Dorothy.

green bean and walnut salad

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant: New Classics

Dressing note: If you don’t have any type of blender, mince the garlic and whisk ingredients together in a small bowl for a more vinaigrette type salad.

what you need

dressing: 1/4 cup walnut oil ◾ 1/4 cup olive oil ◾ 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar ◾ 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped ◾ 1 garlic clove ◾ 2 teaspoons dijon mustard ◾ 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

salad: 1 cup walnut halves ◾ 2 pounds green beans, trimmed ◾ 1/2 cup shaved pecorino romano ◾ 4 cups mixed salad greens (optional)

what to do

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Prep a large bowl with ice cold water.

While the water heats, whirl the dressing ingredients in a blender until emulsified.

Blanche (AKA flash boil) the green beans in boiling water until just tender, 90 to 120 seconds. Set a timer, it goes fast. Drain the beans and plunge into the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain again.

Toss green beans and walnuts with dressing. Serve alone or over a bed of salad greens. Top with shaved pecorino.

Serve with cherry tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

Keep your eyes peeled for my second article with The Kyiv Independent, coming out this weekend. It tells the story of how a 130 year old chocolate factory invented one of the region’s most popular desserts, Kyiv Cake. In the meantime, check out my first article on the historical and cultural importance of borsch for Ukrainians.

• Reading - Why Yellow Cake is So Important to Black Celebrations (2021) by Deb Freeman

• Listening - to The Zombie Guide to Surviving Bureaucracy (2023) by Adam Grant of WorkLife

• Snacking - on fresh Skittles from the Halloween bowl.

• Watching - A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973), the underdog of his holiday specials.

• Smelling - homemade beer bubbling up from the basement.

1. What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

2. Old movies are ________________________.

3. Did you come for the turkey or the sides?

4. The best pie is _______________________ pie.