Thanksgiving: Foodie Holiday or Foodie Hell?

Listen, I love Thanksgiving...and for all of the right foodie reasons. A beautiful turkey, magnificent side dishes, delectable pies...but I just can't bring myself to make it this year.

I didn't say I wasn't going to eat it this year, just not make it. And, even though I have placed my order at a local restaurant for a family sized dinner to go, it is still hard for me to believe I am abdicating my traditional role in the kitchen. I mean, I love to cook...love the creative process of it, love the smells, the textures, the smiles when it turns out right.

As a discriminating (but not too snooty) foodie, I will only eat places that are worth the calories. Special occasions almost always call for a gustatory celebration, and I have a host of places to go that have outstanding food. Side note: We are so lucky that in Portland we have some of the best restaurants in the US...not that I am biased.

I always loved our Thanksgiving meals when I was growing up...the stuffing was my favorite. But there was always a let down after the meal...sort of a "who's going to clean this all up?" paired with a "well, now what?". Inevitably, the men would watch football the women and kids would clean up. The whole day consisted of napping, football, eating and cleaning up...

But having a family of my own this year made me think about those times differently. What I remembered this year, was my grandmother starting the cooking a couple of days in advance, spending a lot of time by herself in the kitchen, sweating and cussing the morning of, mad that the kitchen didn't have enough room, another oven, counter space, etc...I thought about the brief time I saw her at the table, the first time she had been seated all day...only to get up and attack the dishes afterward. And I thought, "No".

Plain and simple, I just thought "No." I am not spending days, hours, blood, sweat and tears to make this one meal. This one meal is supposed to remind me of what I am most thankful for...and I am most thankful for my family...so why would I spend all day away from them? Right.

Instead, I will drive over on Wednesday and pick up our dinner. I expect it will be pretty darn good. Then, after we eat on Thanksgiving, the four of us are going out to a movie...and who knows what other trouble we will get in to...

There will always be another day to explore my foodie creativity.

Comments

[Ellen Damaschino]

Wow. You said so eloquently what I've wanted to say for years. Fortunately my husband is not a sports fans so there is no football watching, unfortunately he absolutely loves Thanksgiving and expects all the traditions that go with it (think his granny's burnt toast stuffing, which I suspect is a depression era invention). We do tend to cook together but I find the meal boring and starchy. Turkey, Ok but I'd rather have lamb. Stuffing, I agree with you, the best part & probably because I add sweet Italian sausage, dried apples & sage! Pumpkin pie...hey a vegetable is not a dessert. And.. could we load on any more carbs with rolls, mashed potatoes & stuffing! Cranberry sauce is only good if it has Grand Marnier in it and I really don't think vegetables should be swimming in some kind of Campbell's soup.
So while you are throwing out the tin foil after your Turkey Day meal I will be doing dishes in the kitchen with my mom, sister in-laws and sister and sipping a glass of wine in your honor and smirking to myself that you had the guts to order "to go!"

[Janis]

JeanAnn, it's so important to figure out, as you've done, what works for you and what doesn't on this holiday. Too many people get wrapped up in the things they think they should do, and they lose out on enjoying time with family and feeling truly thankful on Thanksgiving. You and your family will be better off by you being happy and relaxed than by having the Norman Rockwell meal served by a sweaty, swearing woman!

Like Ellen, I am fortunate to have a spouse who is not into football. He is not a cook, either, but we enjoy each other's company, and he will be visiting in the kitchen with me as I prepare the meal tomorrow. I am also fortunate to be a compulsive "clean as you go" kind of cook, so there will be minimal mess to clean up once the meal is done.

We're keeping the food relatively light this year because we have to drive 60 miles to pick up FIL and go to BIL's house for pie and coffee. (The reason for the separate meals is due to complicated logistics.)

Happy Thanksgiving!