Every family has its own Thanksgiving traditions, but in the South some people do things a little differently.

From okra to dressing, many Southerners take pride in the traditional Southern dishes they enjoy every Thanksgiving.

Debbie Bethers, 25, a recent BYU graduate from Birmingham, Ala., said she cherishes the Southern Thanksgiving traditions her family has.

"Pecan pie is essential to Thanksgiving in the South," Bethers said. "Thanksgiving is a big deal to my family. My whole extended family goes to my aunt's house. We dress up and use our best China."

Bethers' husband, Dan Bethers, a junior at UVSC majoring in construction management from Heber City, Wasatch County, went to Thanksgiving in Alabama last year with his wife. He said he noticed quite a few differences in the way Debbie's family celebrated compared to the way his family does in Utah.

"My first Thanksgiving in the South was very interesting," Dan Bethers said. "There were a lot of different foods I'd never tried. They had fried okra, which I had never even heard of before. They also had dressing, squash casserole and a lot of pecan pies. I'm looking forward to another Deep South Thanksgiving this year."

Jaime Doyle, a senior from Atlanta, Ga., majoring in early elementary education, said she comes from a long line of traditional Southerners.

"My parents are both from the South, and my grandparents on both sides were born and raised in Georgia," Doyle said. "When it comes to Thanksgiving, we do things a little differently since we're from the South."

Doyle said her family still has the traditional turkey, potatoes and rolls that most families in the United States include in their Thanksgivings. But one major difference exists in her family's celebration of Thanksgiving.

"We use cornbread dressing, not stuffing, for our turkey," she said. "You make cornbread dressing separate from the turkey. Cornbread dressing is my favorite Thanksgiving food, especially when my Ma-ma makes it."

Doyle also said that no Thanksgiving is complete in her family without sweet potato casserole and deviled eggs.

Michael Moreland, a senior University of Georgia student majoring in risk management from Powder Springs, Ga., said Southern traditions are very important to his family.

"No Southern Thanksgiving is complete without football," Moreland said. "We watch football while we wait for dinner, then we play it in the front yard after dinner."

Moreland said the most important part of any Southern meal, especially Thanksgiving, is sweetened ice tea.

"I look forward to Thanksgiving for months in advance," Moreland said. "We eat okra, sweet potato casserole and giblet dressing. No one has ever seen a Thanksgiving like what my grandma makes every year."



Copyright Brigham Young University 25 Nov 2002