“The perception that most Americans have about the original Thanksgiving is very much a Hallmark-card stereotype, where the native people and the colonists came together and broke bread and sang ‘Kumbaya.’ In truth, there was a great deal of trepidation on both sides.” – Paula Peters

Full video episode

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf presents an audio remix of American Pilgrim, the Thanksgiving Special he hosted for the Travel Channel in 2008. The episode begins with some contextual history of the Pilgrims’ voyage from England, and a visit to chef Bryant Alden’s kitchen in New Hampshire to discuss what food the Pilgrims ate (5:00); next, Rolf sails out of Plymouth Harbor with John Brewster, and learns about the sea conditions the Pilgrims faced coming over from England (12:00); at Mayflower Brewing Company in Plymouth, brewer Drew Brosseau talks about the importance of beer to the Pilgrims (17:00); elsewhere in Plymouth, Reverend Bill Fillebrown talks about how religious convictions shaped the lives of the Pilgrims (21:00); at Plimoth Plantation, indigenous descendants talk about relations between with Pilgrims and the native people in the area (27:30); in rural Connecticut, Rolf talks with farmer Courtland Kinnie about the Pilgrims’ agricultural practices (30:40); finally, at Fort Hood in Texas, U.S. Army Major Chuck Assadourian talks about the Pilgrims’ approach to defense and security (34:00).

As the holiday season gets underway, a reminder that Rolf’s travel books make great Christmas stocking-stuffers. Vagabonding is a perennial gift favorite for travelers, though please also consider Rolf’s travel-essay collection Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, his travel-history book Souvenir, or his comic-book adaptation of an ancient Egyptian travel tale, The Misadventures of Wenamun.

Fort Hood deleted scene

Notable Links:

Pilgrims (English settlers in North America)
Plimoth Plantation (living history museum)
Mayflower II (replica of 17th century ship)
Wampanoag (Native American people)
John Alden (Mayflower Pilgrim)
Squanto (Patuxet tribal liaison)
Pottage (thick stew)
Edward Winslow (Mayflower Pilgrim)
William Brewster (Mayflower Pilgrim)
Mayflower Compact (governing document)
Barque Eagle (U.S. Coast Guard training cutter)
Mayflower Brewing Company (craft-beer business)
Cooper (profession)
William Bradford (Governor of the Plymouth Colony)
Peregrine White (baby boy born on the Mayflo...

American Pilgrim: Revisiting Rolf’s lost Travel Channel Thanksgiving special

Deviate

American Pilgrim: Revisiting Rolf’s lost Travel Channel Thanksgiving special