During their 28 years of service as missionaries in the Philippines, Phillip and Martha Anderson enjoyed many Thanksgiving Day celebrations in a foreign culture. Though the Andersons tried to keep some of their favorite traditions while overseas, it was not always easy.
“When we first went, we did not have access to turkeys, so we usually baked hens or fryers, trying to get the biggest ones we could,” Martha said.
Several years later, however, someone started a turkey farm, so the Andersons were able to get fresh turkeys. By the time they retired in 1995, the Andersons could buy turkeys from a turkey farm or frozen turkeys in the grocery store.
Other traditions were easier to keep.
“We were fortunate to have camote (a kind of sweet potato) there, and green beans were available year-round,” Phillip said.
And as time passed, it became easier to add traditional Thanksgiving foods to their menu. “After being there several years, more and more food items were imported, and we enjoyed the luxury of cranberry sauce, mushroom soup and other special things,” Martha said.
For most Alabamians, Thanksgiving dinner is not complete without a pan of dressing. Martha’s cornbread dressing was always a favorite (see recipe). Making dressing in the Philippines required a little ingenuity, however. “Buttermilk was not available so we made our own by adding vinegar to regular milk, and we were able to make cornbread for the dressing,” she said.
Martha fondly remembers the first Thanksgiving they invited Phillip’s Philippine Baptist Hour choir members to dinner in their home and the stir she caused by inviting them to sample the dressing.
It was in the late 1960s, and most of the choir members had never eaten a traditional American Thanksgiving meal, she explained. “When I told them to be sure to have some ‘dressing’ and put gravy on it, they were puzzled. To them, dressing meant salad dressing and they certainly did not want to put gravy on top of that,” Martha said. “We had a good laugh after we explained what ‘dressing’ meant to a U.S. Southerner.”
Today the Andersons are enjoying retirement in Florence, where they are members of First Baptist Church, Florence. Phillip is also serving as interim music director at First Baptist Church, Sheffield. Both churches are in Colbert-Lauderdale Baptist Association.
And the family’s tradition of missionary services continues. Their son Stephen and his wife, Judy, are now serving in the Philippines as dormitory parents to missionary kids (MKs) at Faith Academy in Manila, where Stephen grew up and went to school.
Just as his parents did when he was growing up, Stephen, Judy and their four children open their home to others on Thanksgiving. Their tradition is to invite all the missionary families to come to the dormitory for Thanksgiving dinner. The dorm supplies the turkeys, and the other missionaries supply the side dishes.
And Martha’s Southern-style cornbread dressing is always there.
Martha’s Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing
Dressing Recipe
1 recipe cornbread, crumbled (see below)
1 cup finely crumbled toasted bread
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 stick butter or margarine
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon sage or poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté onion and celery in butter until soft. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. More broth can be added if mixture seems thick or if a more moist dressing is desired. Pour mixture into an 11”x13” greased pan. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Cornbread Recipe
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix
1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat vegetable oil in 10” oven-proof skillet (iron skillet preferred) or 9” square baking pan in oven for 3 minutes; tilt skillet or pan to coat bottom evenly. Combine cornmeal mix, milk and egg; mix until blended. Add oil and mix well. Pour into hot skillet or baking pan. Bake 20–25 minutes or until golden brown.
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