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I couldn’t wait for Thanksgiving, to wake up and smell Ganne’s delicious cooking. She woke me up to ask me to her out with the food. She told me to get out the serving platters, so I rustle through the cabinets hearing glass trays clink against each other as I try to find the right one she needed, which took me a good three minutes.

After I get the dishes set up I would sit and watch as she would rip the stems off the collard greens and soak them in lukewarm water to get rid of the pesticide and dirt. When she finishes all that she places the collard greens in a deep black pot. Here is where the best part of thanksgiving food is starting to get made, the one and only banana pudding. 

First she would start by getting out the big crystal bowl and whisking together all the ingredients to make the banana pudding. Next she starts to layer it with pudding, vanilla wafers and bananas. I have to admit I couldn’t wait for her to get done layering so I could lick the spoon and maybe the bowl if I didn’t get too messy.

Four o’clock rolls around and people start showing up. I would always try my best to isolate myself from people so they wouldn’t ask me questions like “how’s volleyball”, “is when does your season start” or “what grade are you in now”. I couldn’t wait for Aunt Bobbie to show up. She would enter the house and the aroma of her Mac and Cheese would mask the other smells, but Aunt Vanessa would ruin it by walking in right after her with the nasty food known to man… chitterlings. Chitterlings were the insides of pigs and no not good the parts, it is all the intestines inside of a poor little pig. All the adults thought that throwing some hot sauce on them was the absolute best thing ever. 

Once everyone arrives we all circle around up around this huge table of food to thank the lord for another day and another year with family, and it usually ends with “let this food nourish our bodies in Jesus name we pray, amen”. Once everyone gets done eating we all save some room in our stomach for dessert which consist of banana pudding , cake and sweet potato pie. 

When we get done eating the adults, teenagers and kids disperse throughout the house to play games. The adults always start with phase 10 , teenagers start with UNO and the kids run around like chicken with their heads cut off. Every year the night is ended on laughter, stuffed tummies and love in the air.