Thanksgiving

Editor's note: This story was originally published in November 2016 and has been updated.

The sweet potato evokes surprisingly strong feelings — and not just from the pro- and anti-marshmallow lobbies.

It is a staple of the African diet. And Africans feel passionately about it. It kindles warm memories. It's a neglected food that deserves a higher profile because of its nutritional value.

And some people can't stand it!

I was scrolling through my Instagram feed last year when I saw them: photo after photo of my POC friends' Thanksgiving tables, decked out with not just turkey and stuffing, but the traditional dishes of their culture.

One Korean family served bright red radish kimchi; an Egyptian family prepared dozens of stuffed grape leaves; and one Taiwanese family included takeout mapo tofu — probably a potluck addition from a guest.

Don't be surprised if you see a passenger or two pull out a pie, a casserole or even a whole turkey while being screened at the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport. TSA has rules for that.

Thanksgiving is four days away, and with it comes a holiday season of friends, family, fun and of course, food. Now about that food part: If you're hosting on top of all the fun, you get a big helping of responsibility, last-minute preparation and the unexpected.

NPR is here for all you hosts with a new holiday advice series called, "Help, I'm Hosting!"

All countries have national myths. The story of the first Thanksgiving, for example, evokes the warm glow of intercultural contact: European settlers, struggling to survive in the New World, and Native American tribes eager to help. But as many of us learned in history class, this story leaves a lot out.

If you're gluten-free, you may turn up your nose at Aunt Betsey's macaroni and cheese. And what if you've got a vegan teenager in the family who'd like the Thanksgiving feast to be turkey-free?

A poll from the University of Michigan finds that for families with a picky eater or someone on a special diet, holiday meals can be tricky.

It's the season of sinful eating. In just four days we'll be piling our Thanksgiving plates high with buttery mashed potatoes and MSG-laden turkey.

And good news, gobblers: All those forkfuls of goodness may not be as bad for us as we think.

With enough divisive topics to go around the Thanksgiving table this year, dinner debates can easily steal our attention away from loved ones. StoryCorps suggests using its app to have a meaningful, one-on-one conversation, as part of its Great Thanksgiving Listen project, where kids interview their elders about their lives. But anyone with a smartphone can participate.

For the past almost-50 years, I've been sharing an old family Thanksgiving recipe with NPR listeners. Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish comes from my late mother-in-law Marjorie Stamberg, who served it in Allentown, Pa., when I was brought there to be inspected by my future in-laws.