I remember going to my then-girlfriend’s place and feeling very awkward when the family joined hands and bowed their heads in prayer. I wasn’t a member of their religion, so I didn’t know what to do. Bowing my head with them seemed… mocking. But not participating seemed disrespectful. So I just kinda stood there in silence until it was over.
It was odd to me simply because TG is pretty much the only meal of a large family gathering in which my family generally doesn’t do a big prayer, since it’s the only strictly secular holiday for which there is a large family gathering.
Of course, anyone who comes with me to my family’s TG is generally pretty confused too. My father’s family came from Italy, so every big family gathering is a 4 course meal. First comes the antipasto. Second course is the Italian Wedding Soup. Invariably at this point, the guests will whisper to whomever brought them “Uhm, do you guys serve turkey and stuffing and everything?” Yes. That’s the third course….