Turkey or Tamales, It’s All Worth Giving Thanks for : Traditions: In many homes, holiday feasting will be spiced by a variety of foods from other lands.

In the center of Santa Ana’s barrio, El Toro market and deli bustles with customers buying their Thanksgiving Day groceries--which in this place is not quite the traditional fare of turkey, yams and cranberry sauce.

“Yes, we sell turkeys,” said Jose E. Bonilla, whose family owns the store. “But the big seller these days is masa, “ the ground cornmeal needed to make tamales.

Bonilla said his customers will buy a small turkey or, even better, a ham, but only to augment their more traditional dishes of rice, beans and, of course, tamales.

Down the street, Augustin Tovar, a butcher and owner of Carniceria El Paleton, was going over his weekly invoices.

“Thanksgiving? Here, I’ll show you what it means for us Latinos,” he said, pointing to this week’s meat order. “We’re going to sell lots of carnitas and many, many chivos (goats). . . . If I order, say, 50 turkeys, I’ll probably sell maybe two or maybe three. But I’m stocking up on goats. We expect to sell at least 50.”

In Little Saigon, some Vietnamese- and Chinese-Americans choose goose over turkey. Others eat Thanksgiving Day turkey, but with a twist, stuffing it with lotus seeds. Some prefer cooking a la Francais, with fresh chestnuts, ground pork and mushrooms for stuffing.

In a county rich with ethnic variety, the quintessential American holiday takes on many flavors.

Cuban-Americans are preparing lechon asado, pork shoulder served with lots of congri, white rice and beans. Many Filipino-Americans are planning goat and lechon, roasted pig with side dishes of sweet rice cakes called suman, and suman sa lihiya, unsweetened rice cakes.

James Michiuye, owner of Nippon Foods, a Japanese market in Anaheim, said his family usually prepares both a turkey and sushi. Sales of tuna, sea bass and halibut at his store increase 30% to 40% before Thanksgiving, he said.

At Bonilla’s market, only 50 turkeys will be sold this week, he said, but customers can get just about any kind of tamale.

“There must be 100 different recipes for tamales; that’s what our customers want,” Bonilla said amid the clamor of customers pushing carts through aisles festooned with pinatas, dried chilies and meat cases loaded with beef and pork. “They make tamales out of ham, pork, beef, chicken, even turkey. I’ve tasted the turkey ones and they’re good too!”

To 22-year-old Magdalena Ortega of Huntington Beach, Thanksgiving has always meant large family reunions. Ortega, whose parents are from Mexico, is one of nine children. She said the Thanksgiving holiday was viewed as a special day where no one made social plans other than to be together.

“Thank God there was Thanksgiving or we’d never be together,” she said laughing.

Her mother cooked the traditional turkey, but they customized the meal by adding tamales de gallena (chicken).

For Tony Lam of Westminster, a restaurateur and the county’s first Vietnamese-American city councilman, this year’s turkey will be prepared by his son, who is heading to culinary school. It will be done with a French flair, Lam said.

Tom Khu, president of Bolsa Supermarket in Westminster, said his family will prepare a turkey dinner--but with chow mein on the side. Though he has been in the United States 12 years, he started celebrating Thanksgiving only about five years ago.

“Our children would like to do it,” he said.

Some newcomers don’t celebrate the holiday at all.

“The tradition is of this country,” said 22-year-old Luat Cao of Garden Grove, a Vietnamese who has been in the United States one year. “Maybe in a few years.”

For Pahoua Ly, a Hmong-American, Thanksgiving coincides with the Hmong new year. Her family gets together, and the food is plentiful but different.

“It’s not an American type of feast,” she said. “It’s just a feast.”

Free Thanksgiving Day Meals

Here’s a partial list of places where free meals will be served Thanksgiving Day. Donations of cash and food are needed as well as volunteers to help prepare and serve the meals.

ANAHEIM

Bob’s Burgers

2790 W. Lincoln Ave.

(714) 554-9168

2 to 5 p.m.

Casa Garcia Restaurant

531 W. Chapman Ave.

(714) 740-1108

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ponderosa Park

2100 Haster St.

(Melodyland)

(714) 635-6391

1 to 4 p.m.

Vineyard Christian Fellowship

5300 E. La Palma Ave.

(714) 777-4777

11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.

COSTA MESA

Someone Cares Soup Kitchen

Rea Community Center

661 Hamilton St.

(714) 646-8181

1 to 4 p.m.

GARDEN GROVE

Gay & Lesbian Community Service

12832 Garden Grove Blvd.,

Suite 10

(714) 534-0862

7 to 10 p.m.

LAGUNA BEACH

Bluebird Park

Cress Street and

Bluebird Canyon Drive

(Episcopal Service Alliance)

(714) 499-4224

Noon to 3 p.m.

NEWPORT BEACH

Hard Rock Cafe

451 Newport Center Drive

(714) 640-8844

11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

ORANGE

W. O. Hart Park

701 S. Glassell St.

(714) 538-0513

Meet at the park at 11 a.m. for bus ride to Hard Rock Cafe in Newport Beach, where a free meal will be served.

PLACENTIA

Placentia Presbyterian Church

849 N. Bradford Ave.

(714) 528-1438

6 p.m.

SANTA ANA

El Tapatio Restaurant

1214 E. Pomona Ave.

(714) 835-4264

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Orange County Rescue Mission

1901 W. Walnut St.

(714) 835-0499

Two servings: 8:30 a.m.

and 12:30 p.m.

Southwest Community Center

1601 W. 2nd St.

(714) 543-8933

11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Victory Outreach

1720 W. 17th St.

(714) 285-9587

Noon to 3 p.m.

Bob’s Burgers

3708 Westminster Blvd.

(714) 554-9168

2 to 5 p.m.

WESTMINSTER

Westminster Mall Food Court

195 Westminster Mall

(714) 987-3221

Noon to 2 p.m.

Source: Info Line--People for Irvine Community Health