Jamal, Pavlo and a Feast of Hearts by Kelsey L. Guthrie

Posted @ Dec. 01 2011 04:27AM by Len Boccassini - food-dining

Bridgewater, N.J. - In the quiet suburb of Bridgewater, N.J., a family reunited to celebrate Thanksgiving and do what they do best - eat.

With hors d'oeuvres, pies, and turkeys galore, the Emmer family came together after spending months-and states-apart.

Anna Russo has hosted Thanksgiving to her copious group of hungry Italians for a few years so she has come to master the art of feeding the masses. "I love it," Russo said of having the holiday at her home, " I like the family and I like the noise."

According to WHSV.com the average turkey weighs about 15 pounds. Thanksgiving is, at minimum, a 40-person affair for the Emmer clan so one turkey just will not suffice. Every year two turkeys are invited to Thanksgiving dinner, this year they were Pavlo, named after the photographer on a recent family cruise, and Jamal, named just because.

The Emmers are a very traditional Italian family, always have been and always will be. The women were in the kitchen gossiping away while the men were outside talking about who was winning what game and who has the best batting average in the MLB. The only point where a man touches the food, besides eating it, is when it comes time to carve the turkeys. The two adversaries this year were Rob Russo and Bob Drexel, vying for the title of "Turkey Vanquisher 2011."

"Bob, you really got to learn how to carve a turkey, man," Russo says to Drexel as he carves Jamal to perfection. Drexel was slightly behind with Pavlo, claiming he had the bigger of the two birds.

As the turkeys were being carved everyone began to settle themselves in their seats, preparing for the mass amount of food they were about to consume. Going with tradition the women sat on one side of the table as the men on the other and the kids had their own table, not to exile them but because there simply was not enough space in the dining room for everyone.

The turkeys have been carved, the side dishes have been placed on the table and everyone has settled into their seats. There was an organized chaos that occurred while the plates of turkey and side dishes were passed around the table - this family, indeed, knows what they are doing. After everyone got their first helping of the Thanksgiving feast there was a brief silence as the family tasted Jamal, Pavlo and all the traditional sides associated with the holiday. The silence was soon broken as conversation broke out - mainly about which turkey was best. Jamal was the clear winner.

Despite any disputes or teasing that happens between family members, at the end of the day their hearts are just as full as their stomachs when it comes to the love they have for each other.

"I'm truly thankful that I have this crazy, loud, ridiculous family," Taylor Guthrie says. Guthrie spends most of her time on the West Coast at the University of Southern California, so she does not spend as much time with the family as she used to. "It's so nice to be able to come home, and despite all the things that change, I know this family hasn't and I don't think they ever will."