Much of what I was taught while growing up was full of holes. Sometimes those gaps were obvious but, more often, I suspected them but had no idea of how to fill them in.
As an example, we were taught that Hawaii became the 50th, and newest, US state. We were never told, however, why it was a colony for more than half a century before—or how the US got hold of it in the first place.
Likewise, the story of the First Thanksgiving required a few leaps of faith, or no curiosity, to accept. That the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock on the first day of winter and half of them died by Spring seems plausible.
But how the new settlers managed to find a “friendly” native who spoke English taxes even the most vivid imagination and credulous mind. What neither our teachers nor our textbooks told us is that he was kidnapped, sold into slavery in Spain and escaped to London—where he learned the language well enough that the new settlers understood him perfectly.
From all accounts, he taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn, squash and beans. They were part of that first Thanksgiving feast. They also ate, according to William Bradford, “fowl and deer.” Whether that “fowl” was turkey is not entirely clear.
I have often thought that their repast would also have included seafood. After all, they were on the coast and, l’m sure that if the Pilgrims didn’t know how to fish, Squanto would have taught them.
I got to thinking about all of that yesterday morning, when I took a ride to burn the calories I’d consume in the Thanksgiving meal that afternoon. My ride took me to the Canarsie Pier where I know that while some angle for fun, others do it for not only the Thanksgiving dinner, but also other meals throughout the year.
