Island Press Field Notes

This Thursday, Americans will gather around family (and football) to anoint a succulently roasted bird the grand symbol of our venerated Thanksgiving tradition. We will eat dishes in honor of that first harvest festival in 1621. Cranberry sauce, stuffing, rolls, pies, and, of course, honey-hued turkeys are the dishes we Americans will enjoy, as they were enjoyed by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag almost 400 years ago. But I wonder if we are confused about what, exactly, our Thanksgiving tradition honors.