What's Traditional on Your Thanksgiving Day Table?

Welcome, later this week many of us will sit down to a table adorned by food that was on the same table in our grandparents day or even previous to them.  We all have our traditional favorites and some we are glad to only see once annually!  So the question arises "What is Traditional?" on a table when there are many different family food-ways brought to this country by a multitude of cultures?  Being a "fat, white boy" our table had a turkey, a potato item, and of course sweet potatoes, a rotating green vegetable (I mean different, not spinning) dressing, Cole slaw and some type of mysterious gelatin item an Aunt made that I managed to dodge each year by stating I would have some my second time around.

However coming from New York originally I grew up with many friends of various cultures and nationalities and was exposed to a laundry list of different side dishes even if the main item was turkey.  My Italian friends always had a mega-platter of some type of pasta with the family "secret recipe" gravy (or as the non-Mediterranean kids would say sauce).  My black friends might have collards as their greens and I can remember hearing about cornbread and macaroni and cheese like it was a matter of divinity.  I felt for my Irish friends who even if they had plenty to eat they wished they were eating at someone else's house once we compared menus of the day.

But what about today, for me a good 40 years later?  There are so many other cultures who have arrived here other than the great European immigration of the late 19th. and early 20th. centuries. Should these newcomers to these shores adopt the concept of Thanksgiving what would they serve to their family?  Even the Pilgrims didn't eat turkey on their initial fest so how would present eating trends affect or inspire our new brothers and sisters?

Currently I have Asian friends who entertain family the a whole fish stuffed with lemongrass, limes, cilantro and perhaps kaffir lime leaves.  The might also share in a large communal bowl of a broth style soup with seafood or meatballs laced with garlic and cilantro fashioned from freshly ground (or more likely hand chopped) pork.  Sides might include cold noodles tossed with fresh or lightly blanched vegetables and of course a steamer full of jasmine rice.

At this point our curiosity is up and we look to others to bring us up to speed on the family, and culturally-focused, favorites that may appear on your table on the fourth Thursday in November.  Oh one more thing, are the cooks so talented in YOUR family they can have 6 to 8 hours of cooking ready to be consumed during halftime?  Just asking, and we eagerly await your contributions and have a happy and safe holiday.