It’s that magical time of year again when the aroma of roasted turkey, buttery rolls and emotional tension fills the cold air. Across Connecticut, families fire up their ovens to prepare for the annual cooking frenzy all for a reaction of “Is the turkey supposed to be that color?”
Before Thanksgiving hits the Staples halls, conversations are already sizzling like gravy on the stove. For many students, Thanksgiving is a chance to celebrate not just the food, but identity as well. Serene Choi ’26, for example, blends Korean dishes with the classic American feast, a way to honor her heritage while cherishing the moments that make her family uniquely theirs.
“Our dinner consists of the American traditional meal, but we add in some of our traditions like dumpling soup, kimchi and rice cake as a side,” Choi said, “Bringing our traditions into Thanksgiving makes the tradition feel like home and brings our family even closer together.”
The Thanksgiving dinner is anything but ordinary. While Choi layers her table with Korean dishes, Alexa Podziba ’25 brings her Jewish family flavors to the feast. “We typically add in onion soup and butternut soup,” Podziba said. The Friday before Thanksgiving we have Shabbat.”
According to an article written by 18Doors, an interfaith organization, Shabbat is a day of rest from Friday to Saturday evening as a time of prayer and family gathering, enjoying traditional food like Challah bread, brisket or Chraime: a spicy, North African fish stew in a rich tomato sauce.
While other students have unique Thanksgiving displays, Olivia Schwartz ’26 honors her family’s background through a classic American feast all thanks to her family’s traditions her dad had to decipher.
“Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays…We have two different stuffings, one regular and the other stuffed with oysters, with a side of Parker House Rolls that’s an old family recipe,” Schwartz said, “My dad cooks for two days straight.”
In the Schwartz kitchen, pots are clanging, timers are beeping, and the air smells like butter and mild panic. For Schwartz, Thanksgiving is not just a meal; it is when her family turns the kitchen into a 2 day war zone. “It’s chaos,” Schwartz said, “but delicious chaos.”
No matter what is on the menu, kimchi, oyster stuffing, or the pumpkin pie that disappears, Staples students agree that Thanksgiving is more about the food, it’s about being surrounded by friends and family stuffing hungry bellies with the food. Thanksgiving at Staples may look different in each home, but one thing is universal: an empty plate, a warm heart and memories that will stick after the last bite.
