There are plenty of things to not like about our national holiday devoted to food and eating, from its roots in the subjugation of native people to the overeating it encourages.  And I won't even mention the insane name we have given to the day after.

So I always go back to the roots.  It is a harvest festival that celebrates seasonal food.  And whether the story at its center is myth or history, it doesn't change the fact that our country's food history is one of inclusion, diversity and integration.

The traditional vegetables eaten at Thanksgiving are Native North American (squash), South American (potatoes), and African (sweet potatoes).  It's easy to say that they are often prepared in a way that seems to hide rather than showcase them, and that the holiday meal is a perfect example of what is wrong with American food.

But it's also easy to say that Thanksgiving is a celebration of how our culture can integrate and accommodate culinary methods, ideas and ingredients from other cultures.

I believe in celebrating this day because it is the closest thing we have to a historical touchstone for a future that rejects our recent food history -- one of fast food, corn syrup, and hundreds of other strategies to make more money off of eaters.

Last week I was astonished to hear that gasoline consumption has dropped in the U.S. dramatically due to people's preference for higher mileage vehicles -- something that "experts" universally scoffed at just a few years ago.

I'm optimistic that in a few years, consumption of fast food and soda may drop too, as millions of people continue to make better food choices and support the growing business of providing healthy, local, organic and sustainable foods.  And I think that Thanksgiving is will eventually become the celebration of this achievement