Growing up in Canada, Thanksgiving was always a festive time filled with family, games and well, turkey. Being young and not knowing any other way, turkey seemed so completely, utterly normal for such a holiday. I mean Monica from Friends can wear a turkey as a hat and it’s funny right?
I’m not here to judge anyone on their festive traditions nor do I imagine a future where the turkey Thanksgivings are completely obliterated anytime soon. However, other options are out there and one was my city’s own annual Thanksliving.
Last Saturday was a sensational gathering of community, music and of course delicious food! A smorgasbord if I do say so myself. My eyes go straight for those vegan burgers!
Like any other potluck, you simply bring a homemade dish (or store bought) along with your own cup, plate and utensils. There was also a $10 entrance fee to cover the costs and go towards next year’s Veg Fest.
My partner prepared an autumn grain salad with roasted yams, broccoli, brown rice, spinach, walnuts and dried cranberries. I didn’t even get a taste, it was devoured by the time our table made our way over! Don’t fret, I got spoiled with left overs from home 😉
I made pumpkin brownies with pecans, but I wouldn’t recommend the recipe I used since they turned out too gummy. Sorry! I learned to never test a new recipe you’ve never tried before for an event. It’s great to experiment, but the pressure was on when they needed far longer in the oven than the recipe stated and we should have already been out the door.
The anticipation to be the next table called was seriously intense.
I was floored by the variety, flavours, and creativity that were created for this event. There were literally hundreds of people and each dish was individual–think colourful kale salads, spicy falafels, gravy with mashed legumes, lentil loaves and mac and cheese.
There was a table dedicated to only dessert that gave me a sugar rush just looking at it. Naturally, we filled our plates with 1/3 sweets. How do you choose between chocolate covered strawberries and pumpkin pie? You don’t and have a little bit of both. 🙂
The folky music gave such a warm atmosphere and even though more than 200 people attended, it still felt intimate like sitting with family at the dinner table. The event was open to people of all ages and lifestyles and we could enjoy each other’s company and give thanks.
Can I already RSVP for next year?
For more information, check out the organizers here
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