Giving Thanks?: A Cruise Ship Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is a strange US holiday.

The textbook version goes as follows:  On Thursday, November 24^th 1621, the English colonists of Plymouth shared a harvest feast with the Wampanoag people. It was a celebratory event organized by Governor William Bradford to commemorate the Pilgrim’s first corn harvest (which the Indians helped them achieve). The Wampanoags and Pilgrims shared 3 days of food and fun.

While days of thanks giving were periodically practiced throughout the years, it didn’t become an official holiday until 1863. It was the height of the Civil War, and Abraham Lincoln proclaimed:

“I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”

Voila! Thanksgiving! A day of giving thanks and counting your blessings over a big feast.

Sounds pretty innocent…. right? Well, there’s a darker side to the story of Thanksgiving.

The English and Wampanoag people started as allies. Massasoit, the chief, partnered up with the English to help fight off the French and other local tribes from Plymouth. But the relationship didn’t last. By 1620, nearly 90% of the Indigenous population had died from diseases brought over from Europe, and incoming English colonizers continued to take Wampanoag land and exert power over the people.

The son of Massasoit, Metacom (known as “King Phillip” by the English), didn’t trust the colonists, and he started fighting back when he became king. Tensions between the Wampanoags and English rose, culminating in 3 Wampanoag men being hung. Raids and fighting broke out, escalating into the devastating King Philip’s War in 1675. The 14 month war was bloody and brutal, and ended when Metacom was killed.

Celebrating Thanksgiving marginalizes the violence and wrongs done against the Wampanoags. Thus, many people recognize the day as the National Day of Mourning to commemorate all the lost lives and the devastating impact of colonization on Indigenous people.

Interesting Observation: During my research for this post, I noticed time and time again an English settler bias baked into the verbiage, even in anti-Thanksgiving articles. Blame tends to be placed on the Wampanoags as the ones who started the raids, strife, and war—never mind the fact that the English swept in, took the land, spread diseases, and asserted dominance.  Just an interesting observation and something to look out for if you dive into some research…. The US has quite a knack for remembering and sharing history in a bias way (For my observations on The Vietnam War vs The American War click HERE!)

So Where Does That Leave Us?

Taking time to give thanks is an important practice that can be uplifting and enriching, but it shouldn’t be built upon the foundations of a misconstrued history.

Joining hands around the dinner table on the 4^th Thursday of November thinking you are celebrating the friendship between settlers and Indigenous people isn’t accurate. Joining hands to gives thanks for your own life while paying respect and remembrance for the lives lost seems a bit better. 

I personally believe that “right” and “wrong” are human made concepts that are up for an individual to decide. So I’ll let you make your own judgement call on how you wish to approach Thanksgiving.

With all that being said, my cruise ship Thanksgiving this year was a bit atypical.

Jeremy and I headed out to the Aquila Game Reserve in South Africa for a safari where we saw elephants, lions, giraffes, hippos, and zebras (oh my!). We got back onboard, Jeremy tested positive for COVID. I tested negative. He got whizzed off into isolation. I headed to The Dining Room for dinner.

Life is never boring, that’s for sure!

It’s My Frugal Foodies Obligation to Give You a Rundown of What a Cruise Ship Thanksgiving Dinner Is Like. So Let’s Dive in!

How It Works: The Dining Room is a sit down spot on the ship where you can eat for no extra charge. You get a menu, and can order whatever you’d like! (For a rundown of cruise ship dining options, check out my review HERE.)

To start, I had the pumpkin soup. It was thick and creamy with a nice hint of sweet. There were pumpkin seeds and little orange bits in it. I liked the first addition, didn’t care for the latter.

Dining Room portions are notoriously small, so I ordered two mains. The first was the Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey. It included turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, and a couple Brussels sprouts. No candied yams despite what the menu said. Was it edible? Yes. Would I get it again? No.

For my second main I got the mushroom ravioli. The ravioli wasn’t quite cooked and the over all texture was thick and gummy. What is edible? Debatable. Would I get it again? No.

Finally I got the pumpkin pie, which turned out to be the best part of the meal! It had plenty of warm spices and wasn’t too sweet. Nice pumpkin flavor, and over all a solid slice!

Figuring out how to approach Thanksgiving is tricky.

It is nice to come together, share a meal, and give thanks. But there’s nothing delicious about how Indigenous people were uprooted, exploited, and killed.

Here’s my two cents.

However you choose to celebrate or not celebrate the 4th Thursday of November, do it with mindfulness and intention.

And as always,

Stay Frugal.