Where Christmas is a mix of cuisines
In the United States, multi-ethnic families mean a multi-cultural Christmas meal
In James Reppuhn's home in the United States, the festive season is when the family gets together. His home would see cousins, uncles, grandparents, nieces and nephews traipse in, loaded with Christmas goodies and presents. Food played a secondary role. "We would have had turkey just about a month earlier at Thanksgiving, so that wasn't the highlight," says this visiting executive chef at the JW Marriott hotel in Mumbai.
But there was always a lot of food. On the menu is stuffed turkey, which alternates yearly with goose or duck, mashed potatoes, bacon, green beans, mushrooms and cranberry sauce. "We would sit down mid-afternoon and have a true feast. There's beer and sometimes my uncles and I would bring out the scotch," he adds. Since his mother is Italian, there would be pasta too. And when his great grandmother was alive, she would make traditional Italian honey-glazed cookies. That was soon replaced by pumpkin pies and mince pies. "It's quite a mix of cuisines actually, something that can be found in most homes in the US," says James.
Given the large number of communities in the US, Christmas celebrations vary from home to home. For some it's a religious festival, whereas for others it is a festival 'for the kids'.
James hasn't been home for Christmas in 25 years. In fact, this is a busy time for him at work, and he usually just nibbles on turkey or sits down with fellow expats for a quiet dinner. But his mother diligently sends him pictures of the food, the Christmas tree and the presents back home to make him a part of the festivities there in a small way.
In the United States, multi-ethnic families mean a multi-cultural Christmas meal
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In James Reppuhn's home in the United States, the festive season is when the family gets together. His home would see cousins, uncles, grandparents, nieces and nephews traipse in, loaded with Christmas goodies and presents. Food played a secondary role. "We would have had turkey just about a month earlier at Thanksgiving, so that wasn't the highlight," says this visiting executive chef at the JW Marriott hotel in Mumbai.
But there was always a lot of food. On the menu is stuffed turkey, which alternates yearly with goose or duck, mashed potatoes, bacon, green beans, mushrooms and cranberry sauce. "We would sit down mid-afternoon and have a true feast. There's beer and sometimes my uncles and I would bring out the scotch," he adds. Since his mother is Italian, there would be pasta too. And when his great grandmother was alive, she would make traditional Italian honey-glazed cookies. That was soon replaced by pumpkin pies and mince pies. "It's quite a mix of cuisines actually, something that can be found in most homes in the US," says James.
Given the large number of communities in the US, Christmas celebrations vary from home to home. For some it's a religious festival, whereas for others it is a festival 'for the kids'.
James hasn't been home for Christmas in 25 years. In fact, this is a busy time for him at work, and he usually just nibbles on turkey or sits down with fellow expats for a quiet dinner. But his mother diligently sends him pictures of the food, the Christmas tree and the presents back home to make him a part of the festivities there in a small way.
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