PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – November 2025
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I’ve heard the American Thanksgiving described as “a holiday dedicated entirely to food,” but there is something that is good for the soul about a day to stop, reflect on one’s blessing, enjoy a parade or football game, spend time with family or friends or even in solitude on a quiet autumn day before the rush of the end-of-year holiday season really begins.
We know that the American Thanksgiving holiday is largely patterned on the observance of Sukkot. According to some scholars, the Pilgrims lived for years among Sephardic Jews in Holland before coming to the new world and they brought the concept of deliverance and the commemoration of harvest to their celebration of gratitude.
We’ve never done one of those monster dinners with a dozen people or more or an extra table for guests. Our family gathering was always smaller and over the years has become more intimate, but it is still a special gathering. As the one who does most (read: all) of the cooking, I get to dictate the menu, and being a traditionalist, it is always the same. Aside from the fact that I am comfortable with the recipes and preparation, Thanksgiving means a turkey, dressing prepared a certain way, yams with marshmallows, the “classic” green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie.
In the days and weeks before Thanksgiving I see numerous recipes for “new takes” on Thanksgiving dishes. I don’t have anything against “new takes” per se, but I put those suggestions aside for another day. For me, Thanksgiving food must be prepared in the classic manner.
Several years ago I came across a book by Sam Sifton, former restaurant critic for the New York Times, entitled Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well. The book includes several recipes, none straying far from the traditional. Sifton also dictates the components necessary for a proper Thanksgiving:
And what exactly does that mean? It means there is going to be a turkey, and side dishes and dressing to go with it, and plenty of gravy as well. There is going to be a proper dinner table even if it turns out to be a slab of plywood over some milk crates covered by a sheet. There are going to be proper place settings for each person and glasses for water and wine. There are going to be candles. There will be dessert.
Sifton also is emphatic as to what does not belong. Salad. Along with appetizers or other things such as chips and nuts beforehand, salads “take up valuable stomach space.” According to Sifton, “You can have your salad tomorrow.”
I find Sifton’s strict approach to Thanksgiving charming and even amusing, and I am even in agreement with the concept of elevating the experience of the day. Not everyone has the same feeling toward spending a day with family, some may not have, or even want, the opportunity to do so. But I hope all of us can find something to find comfort in and be thankful for this time of the year.
Diane and I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving.
— IRA L. GOLDSTEIN, President
