It’s that time of the year when the chief cooks and bottle washers of the households turn to browse through recipes in anticipation of Thanksgiving dinner. Boy, it’s hard to believe that it’s here. It always seems to sneak up on us as a big surprise, yet we have been giving thanks on the same Thursday in November for how long? Since 1621? Well, not exactly.

The history books tell us that the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving feast in the fall of 1621 to give thanks for the bountiful harvest and for those who survived the first year in the new land. The history books also tell us that Massasoit, chief of the Wampanog tribe, and 90 of his braves were invited guests at the first feast. There is no mention of the Wampanog women.

The history books further tell us that Thanksgiving of 1621 was not only the first, but also the last celebration of its kind for many years to come. The story goes that though the first harvest was bountiful, the harvests for the next several years were poor and the influx of new immigrants creating new mouths to feed prevented the celebration of Thanksgiving being held on an annual basis. That’s what the history books tell us, but I have my own theory on that subject.

It has been documented that of the 102 original Pilgrims who landed in Plymouth, only 56 were left by the fall of 1621. Of the 56, only four were adult women and there were two teenage girls. As previously mentioned, Chief Massasoit and 90 of his braves were guests at that first Thanksgiving dinner. A little quick addition will tell you that 56 Pilgrims and 91 Indians equals 147 people to be cooked for by four women and two teenage girls.

If I had been one of those Pilgrim women, I can tell you I wouldn’t have been too crazy about cooking for that kind of crowd ever again. I have a feeling that those sweet Puritan ladies probably staged the first women’s protest in the fall of 1622 when told to prepare another banquet.

I mean, consider what they went through on that first feast. They had to do all the pre-Thanksgiving cleaning, even huts and crude cabins had to be cleaned. Then they had to scrounge up enough eating utensils to service 147 people, not to mention finding enough tables and chairs. It’s not like they could just call their local rental place to get them.

Then the cooking had to be done. The menu consisted of ducks and geese (there is no proof that they had turkey), lobsters, clams, bass, corn, green vegetables, venison, cranberries, boiled pumpkins and dried fruit. They had run out of flour that they brought from the old country so they didn’t have to bake any pies or bread (small blessing). However, they did have to make some type of fritter by boiling corn into a mash and then frying it. This foodscape had to be abundant enough to feed 147 people.

Just think about that! No gas or electric range, no microwave, no electric mixers or blenders, no pre-mixed pre-packaged, canned or frozen anything.

Even though the men did the hunting, who do you suppose gutted and plucked the ducks and geese? Who do you think gutted and cut up the venison? Who would you guess cleaned the fish, clams and lobsters and, whom I ask you, do you think picked all the vegetables? I’ll tell you. Four women and two teenage girls, that’s who. This little sit-down shindig for 147 people was cooked in cast iron pots over open fire by four women and two teenagers. I find that absolutely amazing.

Then of course there was the cleanup after the meal and all those dishes to be washed. We’re not talking about use of a dishwasher here, we’re not even talking about a sink with hot and cold running water. Pots of water that had to be lugged from the local creek and brought to a boil over an open fire, that’s what we’re talking about.

And just what do you think the 141 men and boys were doing while the four women and two girls were doing dishes? They were playing games. I kid you not. According to the history books, good old Miles Standish and his settlers and good old Chief Massasoit and his braves were playing games while the women cleaned up. They had foot races and jumping matches, shooting and bow and arrow contests. They filled their bellies and then proceeded to have themselves one heck of a good time. The women did all the work while the men enjoyed fun and games. Does that sound familiar?

Well, the way I figure it, by the time the next Thanksgiving rolled around and Miles and the boys wanted to invite Massasoit and his boys over for a little dinner and a few games, the women protested and maybe even went on strike. And that’s probably why the first Thanksgiving was the last one for many, many years. You won’t find that notion in the history books, but it is history the way I see it.

*Author’s note: The historical facts were taken from “The Extraordinary Beginnings of Everyday Things” by Charles Parnadi.