Part I:

Part II:

Geography has shaped the story of the first Thanksgiving because of the harvesting season. 1.
November is the time to harvest crops for the winter. Another way geography shapes the story is
because religious Pilgrims from England wanted to escape religious persecution, so they travelled
across the ocean to start a new life.
Some families do celebrate Thanksgiving the old-fashioned way with turkey (of course), corn, 2.
potatoes, bread, etc. But families today have their own different interpretations of a
Thanksgiving meal based on their culture, religion, or any other traditions. For example, my
Thanksgiving meal wasn't really old fashioned because my family added black beans and rice,
Cuban bread, and other foods to make the meal more personal. This year I celebrated with my
dad's side of the family (which is the Cuban side).
Foods that are "truly American" include cornbread, pumpkin pie, beef jerky, baked beans, sweet 3.
potatoes, buffalo wings, and cranberry juice. These foods are truly American because they were,
you could say, invented here. These dishes were made in America and wasn't familiar to other
countries back when they were created. When Columbus discovered North America, there were
no such thing as cornbread or sweet potatoes, according to the San Diego Free Press. Many
people have wrong impressions of truly American foods today.
Item: black beans 4.
All the ingredients for this dish (which include black beans, bell pepper, olives, and onions) A.
cost about $10.00.
This dish takes about 4 hours to prepare. B.
The black beans are typically harvested in the summer. The crop needs warm and dry areas to C.
grow in.
The black beans were grown in Emmons, North Dakota (which is the top dry-bean producing D.
state in the United States).
On December 2, 2013, the average gas price per gallon was $3.27. At 300 gallons, that means E.
it cost $981 to fill the tank. Interstate 77 runs from Columbia, South Carolina to Cleveland,
Ohio and Interstate 94 runs from the Great Lakes all the way to Billings, Montana. Using
both highways, the trip runs at around 1,650 miles in length. $504.59 is the total amount of
money needed, so if it takes $981 to fill the tank, one tank should be enough.
"Thankfulness" in my family means to recognize how blessed we are to have each other and all 5.
of the amazing opportunities that we are given. We always try to be thankful on a daily basis.
My family interpreted Thanksgiving this year based off of history because it was how my dad's
mother celebrated back when she still lived in Cuba. Also, all Thanksgivings on my dad's side of
the family are very laid-back and not very fancy in any way, so it was also based off of fashion as
well. Geography does shape my perception of Thanksgiving because it shows how blessed and
lucky I am to have a great family, great food, and great clothes simply because there are people
all around the world who don't have them and/or can't afford it.
Thanksgiving does impact the environment in many ways. One of them is the process of driving 6.
all the food from across the country (like my example). We are polluting the air by not getting
foods from more local areas. Also, we practice industrial agriculture with our meat production
and crops as well. Most of us get processed turkeys and meats instead of organic foods. Many
crops are grown using industrial agriculture by using chemicals on the environment like
synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that deplete the nutrients in the soil.