Northern Thanksgiving vs. Southern Thanksgiving

I've spent the last two Thanksgivings in Georgia, granted they were with other Northern transplants and their Southern-born children, but I've still noticed some distinct differences between Thanksgiving up North and down South.

The first thing I noticed is that Southerners pronounce the word "Thanksgiving" differently and I don't just mean they say it in a Southern twang or drawl. Southerners make Thanksgiving into a verb and distinctly separate it into two words, "I'm spending thanks giving in Athens with my parents." In contrast Northerners pronounce Thanksgiving as a one-word noun, "My parents are hosting Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania." It is a subtle difference, but it's there.

The November issue of Southern Living
is always full of delicious recipes for
Thanksgiving.

The majority of differences between a Northern and Southern Thanksgiving are in the menus. First off, no Southern Thanksgiving table is complete without baked macaroni and cheese. I never knew mac and cheese was a Thanksgiving food until I moved to D.C. I don't know any families up North who make mac and cheese on Thanksgiving. However, I wholly welcome this new addition to my Thanksgiving table. I will use any excuse to make and eat homemade mac and cheese. 

From what I understand, Southern families make more than one meat at Thanksgiving, such as turkey and ham, whereas Yankees tend to focus solely on a turkey. If I was cooking, I'd just do turkey to keep it simple, but I'm not opposed to multiple meats. Also, a Southerner is more likely to fry a turkey than a Yankee. Although, I have to say that when my uncle cooks, he always fries his turkey. However, none of this matters to me because . . .

This Rachael Ray stuffing recipe is delish!

Stuffing is my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. To me, it's all about classic bread stuffing. OMG I cannot get enough. Technically, I make and favor dressing since I don't prefer the mush pulled out of a traditional stuffed bird. However, to me dressing is a Southern word and stuffing is the Northern connotation of my favorite Thanksgiving dish, so I still call it stuffing. Also, I assume most Southerners are more likely to make cornbread stuffing instead of regular bread stuffing. I like cornbread stuffing just fine, but it does not satiate my hunger for stuffing. It has also been suggested to me that Northerners are more likely to include sausage in their Thanksgiving stuffing. Fascinating!

The last menu difference I've noticed is in the dessert selection. In the North standard Thanksgiving pies are pumpkin and apple, in the South, pecan and sweet potato pies are more typical. My vote goes for one from each region: apple and pecan, please. 

Whether you're in the North or South, the spirit of Thanksgiving is the same; and we all gather with our family and friends and celebrate what we're thankful for. 

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!