The 10 Commandments of Southern Thanksgiving

Matt Mitchell lays out the 10 Commandments of Southern Thanksgiving, but there's nothing all that Southern about it. These are basic etiquette rules for anywhere. What? Y'all do things different in your part of the US? For shame.

I've cooked and hosted probably around 40 Thanksgiving dinners (double that, because we eat almost the same menu at Christmas), and if someone told me they were bringing challah and showed up with salad, I'd be boiling inside. You'd never know it, because manners, but I'd be boiling. The same if someone offered to make the traditional deviled eggs and then used guacamole instead of mustard. That's as bad as putting raisins in potato salad. My family does sit together in the dining room, but we've had to use extra tables before and pulled out lawn chairs and the piano bench for the kids. I've made Stovetop Stuffing, but the only one who ate it was the California native who requested it, while the rest of us ate the traditional cornbread dressing. I don't mind making odd dishes for someone, but only if I have advance notice.

But that tenth commandment is supreme. Everyone is welcome, and everyone gets fed. I hope that's more than just a Southern thing. (Thanks, Donna!)