Knox Community Shares Special Thanksgiving Meal

More than 800 Knox College students shared in one of Knox's long-standing traditions: the annual Thanksgiving dinner.

The November 16 event, held in the Oak Room of Seymour Union, was organized by Knox Dining Services. Knox faculty and staff helped serve food and drinks to the students -- carving turkey and ham, handing out pieces of pie, and pouring punch and eggnog. (Knox Professor Carol Scotton, below right, serves a student.)

Helmut Mayer, director of Dining Services, said the Knox Thanksgiving dinner "reminds the American students about the Thanksgiving holiday and what it stands for, and introduces our new international students to that all-so-American tradition."

The menu has evolved over the years to include traditional Thanksgiving dishes, such as turkey, along with "a few more exotic and ethnic dishes one may find in immigrant households," such as Mung bean and rice casserole, and cabbage-carrot-onion curry, he said.

Knox students appreciated the special meal and the friendly atmosphere.

"The food is really tasty and delicious," said Remy Baulard, who is from Dole, France.

Iliya Nachev, a native of Bulgaria, said Thanksgiving is not observed in his country, so he wasn't familiar with the tradition of a Thanksgiving meal.

"You can feel the atmosphere of a holiday -- the gathering of all people, the special dinner, the changing of the place. We're not in the cafeteria, but in the Oak Room," he said. "It feels like a fest. It's a good experience for us."

(Photo at bottom of page: Iliya Nachev, left, and Remy Baulard)

Steph Nunez, a Knox student from Mokena, Illinois, called the Knox Thanksgiving tradition "a nice gesture by the school."

"You can get a bunch of close friends together, (such as) a team, a sorority, a fraternity, and share something in common," she said. "It's a chance to be thankful."

A total of 856 students participated in the Thanksgiving dinner. Here are a few statistics on the food that was served:

• Turkey -- 240 pounds
• Ham -- 120 pounds
• Tofurky -- 63 pounds
• Sweet potatoes -- 185 pounds
• Green beans -- 120 pounds
• Shiitake mushrooms -- 30 pounds
• Cranberry marshmallow salad -- 46 pounds
• Assorted pies -- 126 whole pies
• Eggnog -- 16 gallons

Photos by Mia Sol del Valle '15