Subtitle: How I Saved Thanksgiving...
...again.
The days have become impossibly short. The air bites bitter cold.
Let's celebrate!
In all honesty; I look forward to Thanksgiving. It makes it up on the list of favourite holidays:
(This is that list)
January 9 - National Play God Day
February 20 - Hoodie Hoo Day
June 20 - National Ice Cream Soda Day and my birthday
September 11 - No News is Good News Day
February 18 - Presidents Day
Thanksgiving is a holiday that needs nothing more than good food and good company to be a success. My family can certainly deliver on the food and their company is... interesting to say the least.
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| A goose; a goose for everyone! |
1. I am probably ten times weirder than anyone of those people who I will be enjoying the festivities with.
2. I will most likely be high as a kite.
3. They are my family; and I have learned long ago - that you can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can only pick your friends nose with the help of a family that possesses considerable upper body strength.
So I figured amidst the talk of alien abductions, family gossip, awkward blowjob conversations with grandma, political arguments, and "what the hell one actually should be doing with one's life," I will enjoy the food and irreverence that I have come to expect from an evening with my familial relations.
I had a pleasant recollection, this evening, of one of the first Thanksgiving dinners my sister and her husband hosted -
They were living in a lovely little apartment with a beautiful dining room - much too small for the crowds they are now pulling - and it was normal family fare for conversation - my sister had prepared most of the side dishes. I remember this meal vividly. I remember tasting the balsamic glazed brussel-sprouts that had been roasted with salty pancetta, I remember the fresh snap of the greenbeans sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and how the goat cheese cut the tart of the seeds but spread the sweet earthiness of the greenbeans over your tongue with a melt in your mouth creaminess.
Thanksgiving dinner could be interesting - it could be exciting even.
I believe that year we had roasted garlic mashed potatoes - but even if it was - let us pretend that this was the year of the horseradish mashed potatoes.
This Thanksgiving set a precedent on the food front. From now on - my sister was primary hostess of that gluttonous festival that is on a certain Thursday of a certain month.
This got me interested in cooking again; the pancetta brussel-sprouts are now a favorite recipe of mine as well as an unbelievable root-vegetable gratine that was served a few years later.
A bad turkey can ruin a thanksgiving meal; but sides are where it is at.
I realized that if I wanted to keep up in this family - I was going to have to deliver. So I came up witha few recipes of my own and started providing at least two dishes to the meal for the last few years. However on some occasions my ambition would outweigh my personal ability and the five delicious dishes I wanted to provide would turn into four dishes of varying quality.
This year for both of my Thanksgiving's I decided that I would make two dishes and make sure they came out exactly how I wanted - well; as is want to happen with me in food and theatre - two turns into three - three turns into four. Within twelve hours of coming up with my menu - it had doubled in scope.
"It's fine - everything is fine." I was maintaining. I had done most of my prep work for the major dishes and the other two were simple:
-Cranberry Sauce (not fancy cranberry sauce)
Cranberries, orange juice, sugar... let it become a sauce. Cool.
-Mustard Roasted Baby Potatoes
Cover potatoes in mustard... bake till delicious. Salt and pepper to taste.
I thought once I got everything set in the oven I could make myself a cup of tea and work on some writing.
Life is never so simple for a superhero.
I receive a call on my mobile cellular phone; it is my brother-in-law - my sister has removed the tip of her finger (stop) blood everywhere (stop) we need you to cook everything. (stop)
Within minutes I have stuffed a duffel-bag full of dish towels and loaded my casserole dishes and hot pots of food into it. I fill a smaller bag with anything I think I may need -eggs, chicken and turkey stock, soynog, the dagger or orion, and my dugout.
I find my sister sitting in the kitchen with a half finished root-vegetable gratin - most of the other dishes haven't even been started.
I could go through a large food list of the things I cooked this year - but I think it may be easier to say that the only things I didn't cook this year were the turkey, gravy, and corn pudding.
I was less than satisfied with the dishes that I originally set out to cook - but the fact that everything came out hot, edible, and on time was enough for me.
I could tell you many embarrassing moments from the evening - but for the most part the night flowed perfectly from one moment to the next. A time to sit around and enjoy a large selection of amazing food and an ever expanding and growing family.
I watched my crazy family engage in conversations ranging from - peeing on people to hilarious instances of child prostitution (it can be funny). While running around, making sure everything was being cleaned up, people had drinks, my nephew was being attended to like the little prince he is, be hilarious and entertaining to our guests, and just general servitude duties - I thought to myself...
"This would all be a disaster if I wasn't around. These people need me. I cannot just leave these people because next year someones house is going to burn down."
Within this year I have seen my brother Tobias get married, I have seen my nephew grow from a little adorable bag-o-meat into the eloquent and demanding little man he is today.
I have seen my parents turn into grandparents over the last two and a half years.
I was able to watch my brother-in-law's smile as he got to hang out with one of his best friends from Illinois.
I was able to finish my night listening to soft wilting melodies of flamenco while sipping on scotch around a gently licking fireplace.
I thought to myself - "I need these people; I wouldn't have been able to pull any of this off without the constant love and support from these people - and so many others over the many years of my life. I am so grateful for the undeserved kindness I am shown each and every day. I am grateful that I get to breath everyday a fresh and new breath."
This was an adult thought. It's taken a little too long to get there, but by god I've got it.
As my man Vonnegut has said:
My life - thanks to all of you is filled with laughter.
To whomever this may concern - thank you.
Even if we don't like each other very much.
Which is probably most of you.
...and that is how I saved Thanksgiving - again.
To whomever this may concern - thank you.
Even if we don't like each other very much.
Which is probably most of you.
...and that is how I saved Thanksgiving - again.
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