I Can Eat Again
Thank you
For This Meal
Thanksgiving Recipes from Survivors of the Coronavirus
Who Are Approaching the Day With A Renewed Sense of Gratitude.
John Williams had attended a celebration of the Jewish holiday Purim in early March. Before the month was up, the 70-year-old tested positive for coronavirus. Then came the fever, aches and stomach pains. His age put him in the category of high risk. Mr. Williams also has diabetes – an added complication.
But Mr. Williams didn’t care much for statistics. He’s a man of faith. So he relied on prayer and a healthy regimen of food consisting of a plant-based diet and vitamin C supplements, and he continued to keep up with his regular practice of meditation and exercise.
“I would get up, get in the sun and do my exercise and deep breathing exercise every morning,” said Mr. Williams, who lives in Brooklyn.
Mr. Williams has returned to work at New Creations Ministries, where he is a preacher and has been doing community outreach to improve the Census count in Brooklyn, along with distributing food and masks.
This Thanksgiving he will be enjoying his family recipe for snapper steak, which blends his Guyanese and Venezuelan heritage.
Snapper Steaks
A key ingredient of John Williams’ recipe for snapper steak was discontinued in January 2020, according to a representative of the manufacturer of the Stubb’s marinade. (Luckily for Mr. Williams, he already has a case of the marinade.) Because of this, we are not using Mr. Williams’ exact recipe. Instead, we attempted to create an entirely new dish inspired by the one he will be making for as long as his Stubb’s supply lasts.
His snapper steak recipe included Stubb’s Ancho Chili & Garlic Texas Steakhouse marinade, garlic powder, lemon pepper powder, dried cilantro leaves, Italian seasoning flakes, ground paprika, lemon juice, water, chopped garlic, young yellow onion, parsley, scallions, cayenne and a sprinkle of Himalayan salt.
Here's our twist on Mr. Williams’ Thanksgiving classic.
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Photograph of John Williams, top, is by Jenny Anderson for Island and Spice Magazine.
