Early Tallahasseeans didn't exactly celebrate Thanksgiving, but the Spanish settlers at Mission San Luis still had lots to be thankful for.
On Saturday (11/28), a very busy Mission blacksmith was showing off his craft.
“This is the third nail I’ve made so far today,” he said, displaying a freshly-hammered iron fastener to a small crowd of visitors. “So I only have 247 to go.”
Meanwhile, Emma Jonas and her volunteers were whipping up an historically authentic feast. And although there were lots of homegrown fruits and vegetables on the menu, Jonas said those who lived in and around the Mission couldn't be considered vegans.
“For the Spanish, the big industry here was cattle,” she explained as she prepared a dish consisting of sliced green peppers, garlic, olives and capers. “And this was a nose-to-tail society. They’re going to use every bit of the cow. The only thing that’s left is the moo.”
It was the Mission's Eighth Annual Giving Thanks event to show what life was like during the half century Mission San Luis was a social, commercial and spiritual center in La Florida.
