Family Gatherings

One thing is for sure, if you go to a Japanese American family gathering there will be tons of food.  Recently, my family got together for Thanksgiving and we had about 30 people.  We had two huge turkeys (I made one of them, my first turkey, a 15 pounder, and it turned out! ), gravy, a honey-baked ham, candied yams, mashed potatoes, rice, 3 jello salads, pumpkin pie, apple pie, spinach dip, brie dip, egg rolls, crudites, rolls, creamed corn, cookies and I am probably forgetting some of the other food.

Everyone helped out with the cooking or brought food to the gathering.  It is really nice being with the extended family.  One of my cousins once told me she loves having a huge extended family because she never feels alone.  I grew up always having cousins or relatives come and visit and stay at our house and we did the same on vacations.  I remember once in elementary school, a classmate told me she did not know her first cousins and I was just stunned as I couldn't imagine that.