pickles make me thirsty

I know this sounds like an odd post title, but it is actually quite relevant being that the holiday season is a mere 3 days away.

My family is a rare cross breed of families that hosts not only a diversity of ethnicities when it comes to the holidays, but also religions. While we may be a majority of Eastern European descent, we were raised in a very Italian area. In addition, we have an array of religions across the family, as one marries or divorces this one and that one.

But there is one thing that remains constant across all the holiday tables. The pickles. (and olives). For those who know me, which would probably be anyone who is reading this, since I am not a brilliant blogger yet, this iver the years has been an important part of the family meal.

As a child, family members were forced to keep a close watch over me before we sat down to dinner, as I would slyly eat the entire bowl of olives & pickles. As I got older & my sister joined the family (a default by birth), we would either set up a lookout for this, or just snag enough for both. Now that I am older, it is sort of something that is still passed my way, after the meal. Except now it is more if a convenience thing- ugh, we have a handful left, give them to her to finish! While there are sometimes variations- the gourmet trend replaced the traditional green olive with greek olives, and brands of course vary by state, the base ingredients are always the same.

But throughout all these meals, family members & traditions, it is nice to know that one thing will always have a place on the table. Whether it is chicken or ham, water or wine, there will always be pickles.