Camano woman plans a feast fit for a colonist

Published 11:25 pm Friday, November 16, 2007

CAMANO ISLAND — For most Americans, a traditional Thanksgiving feast means turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie.

For the Rev. Barbara Allen, it means pease pottage hot, Wampanoeg Indian Sobaheg, wine-glazed carrots with hazelnuts and savory turkey pottage.

The Camano Island woman has spent years researching the roots of American cuisine. Her research led her to believe that the Thanksgiving most Americans celebrate has little to do with the historic feast in 1621.

“There was no milk,” she said. “There were no ovens, so there were certainly no pies. There were no potatoes.”

With the help of the South Camano Grange, she’s attempting to re-create the first Thanksgiving dinner, using only foods and materials available to the colonists.

The feast is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at the grange at 2222 S. West Camano Drive. Tickets cost $15 and are available at the Snow Goose Bookstore in Stanwood. Some tickets may be available at the door for $20. Children under 6 eat free.

The menu does not include mashed potatoes and stuffing, but instead features the poultry, Wampanoag Indian cuisine and old English offerings colonists and American Indians shared during the first Thanksgiving in 1621. The Old Time Fiddlers are scheduled to play during the meal and descendants of colonists plan to speak about their ancestors.

“If we simply teach (from) our dry history books, we will not inspire the young,” Allen said. “We’re going to give them a taste, literally, of what it was like and explain the process to them while they’re eating.”

@1. a BODY STYLES:For more information, call 360-629-3276.