Thanksgiving is a celebration usually composed of food (turkey, of course), family (and friends — inclusivity is one of Thanksgiving’s beauties) and football (yes, we’re in the South). Gathering around the TV, Thanksgiving revelers let the food digest before the slicing of pie(s).
This combination of Thanksgiving and TV recalls one of the first TV dinners, at least for its food contents of Thanksgiving-inspired components and eating context in front of the TV.
In 1954, the first pre-packaged meal by C.A. Swanson & Sons consisted of a Thanksgiving meal with compartments for the turkey with cornbread, dressing and gravy, and sides of peas and sweet potatoes (both topped with a pat of butter).
The company found itself overwhelmed with a huge surplus of frozen turkeys (260 tons) because of poor Thanksgiving sales. Swanson employee Gerry Thomas, inspired by compartmentalized aluminum food trays being served by Pan American World Airlines, introduced the idea to the Swanson brothers. Nicknamed “Operation Smash,” the advertising campaign was a “smashing” success for both its advertising on the nation’s latest excitement, the TV, and for its name, “TV Dinner,” which sealed the two together. That first year alone, TV dinners, at 98 cents per package, were a hit with over 25 million Swanson TV dinners sold to hungry Americans.
More menus were developed. Desserts, such as apple cobbler and brownies, were added in 1960, and breakfast options, like pancakes and sausage, in 1969. Children’s portions, foreign cuisine, organic entrees and vegetarian dishes are added to the frozen meals section in supermarkets today.
With options such as plum ginger grain-crusted fish, mini ravioli with vodka cream sauce and mayan harvest bake, today’s frozen ready-made meals offer “gourmet” options and a reassuring backup meal just in case this year’s turkey doesn’t cook in time for the big meal.
There are several theories about the name of the TV dinner. One is that the name originates from the shape of the tray it was served on. The compartments were similar to the front panels of a 1950s TV set: the large screen on the left and the speakers and control on the right.
Another reason is that many families would eat the meals in front of a TV set. Also, some of the earliest packaging featured an image of a TV set itself.
The connection between TV and Thanksgiving continues, as more than 100 million Americans will gather on Thanksgiving with family and friends, not around the dinner table, but to watch as many as 15 straight hours of TV.
As Americans’ new tradition, Thanksgiving has become a TV-centric day, where we will watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade followed by NFL football games along with many advertisements for the pending Black Friday deals.
So long as there is “thanks-giving,” what you eat on Thursday or where, be it the formal dining room table or on the living room couch, it should not matter as much as the spirit in which the meal is shared.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 11/20/2014]
