Document text
50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 19, 2004 Since You Asked What’s Thanksgiving without a bird and a beer? Two questions about the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. Did they have turkey? And did they have beer? — John T., Medford. In short, John, yes. But let’s clear up a couple of things. One, nobody thought of calling these guys "the pilgrims" until almost 200 years later. And two, although settlers held a harvest celebration in 1621, and it’s a charming story, it was not the start of a tradition. The colonists never repeated the feast. Thanksgiving was put into the calendar in 1863. As to turkey. Settler Edward Winslow reported that, "our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together." Winslow wrote that the feast included 90 American Indians and lasted three days. According to the Plimoth (yes, that’s how they spell it) Plantation, the museum in Plymouth, Mass., dedicated to the settlement, the game would have included ducks, geese, swans and turkeys. Advertisement Now as to beer. It’s not mentioned in the two surviving accounts of the feast. But the Mayflower carried casks of beer instead of water, and the Pilgrims drank it daily. Another clue: Their destination was Virginia, but they missed and hit Massachusetts. Why stay there instead of pressing on? "We could not take time for further search or consideration," one diary explained, "our victuals being much spent, especially our beer." Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities