The holidays, ahh, what can I say, they evoke so many memories for all of us don't they. Granted, not all memories are bad, in fact, mine are all pretty good, well, except for the time...... Anyway, memories are created, remembered and often referred to this time of year. I thought I would tap out some of my memories of Thanksgiving and try to shy from decor, recipes, etc. We have two more days ahead of us for all that. Oh, I will say this though, actually I will use only one word: Peony (they are so perfect right now from Chile). As a kid, I remember many, many Thanksgiving day at my grandparents. I'm not sure my mom and dad ever hosted Thanksgiving for the family. Hmmm, wonder why. Two different sets of grandparents, yet usually the same menu. I have learned that people, in general, love the classics when it comes to Thanksgiving fare. Fast forward 20 years as I prepared a feast and protested against the expected staples (stuffing, turkey, cranberries) and went out a limb, literally, roasting a leg of lamb sided by brussel sprout slaw, mashed turnips and mandarin orange gratin and a cinnamon semifreddo with hazelnuts. I was met with protest that late afternoon in November that year. I knew I screwed up when I enthusiastically asked "Leftovers, anyone?" and got an echo of "No thanks!". Lesson learned, I guess. I also remember sitting next to my grandpa as he sneezed, one nose shout after another, every time he finished his dinner. It wasn't just after Thanksgiving dinner, it was always, but it still makes me laugh. One of my memories, and I hold no grudge, is my grandmother pouring my milk about 30 minutes before we sat down to eat. It was hard to politely get through that room temperature glass of milk, but I did it. I always thought that if I drank it in three amounts, quickly, it would seem cooler, nope. Oh, and I do remember the time at my friend Kerry's that I spent dinner in the bathroom, sitting in front of the toilet. I knew I shouldn't have gotten to her house so early that afternoon and I wasn't thinking when my wine glass seemingly got bigger and bigger. Live and learn, live and learn. I remember appetizers of chicken livers and bacon, I remember centerpieces of mums and one-sided plastic pilgrims on a stick. I remember perogi and raisin pie (still a favorite of mine). I remember relatives napping BEFORE dinner, loud laughing from the kitchen, games of "pow gotcha" and long drives home. I am not a leftover kinda guy, but I remember the best turkey sandwiches with mayo and salt/pepper on crusty bread the day after Thanksgiving. When I went out on my own and started working retail, I remember keeping a very late work schedule the night before to prep and sign the sale happening on black Friday. I spent Thanksgiving with fellow retail friends, usually at a bar with a buffet and then barely making it to work at 5am the next day to invite customers into the crazy world of flinging sweaters and smoked salmon samples. My best Thanksgiving as a young adult was spent at a Chinese restaurant in Mpls that lasted a good 5 hours as friends and strangers kept showing up unexpectedly and our table grew to almost 50 people as we took over the otherwise quiet restaurant. It was so much fun and felt as if it was what Thanksgiving was all about. We laughed and ate and drank late into the night. Forgetting how much we missed our immediate families and just living in the moment. It was the opportunity to try every item on the menu and to create new memories. It stands out in my heart as a time when family was what we created rather than what we were born with that night. So, as I leave you from this blog because I have grocery shopping to do and serving platters to plan out, I hope that you have had memories, mostly good, of Thanksgiving past. Oh, did I mention the time when I was poaching pears and myself, for that matter, until 3am with Barbra Streisand's Memories cd being played at full throttle and the neighbor came over in his, well, I guess you could call them pajamas, more like "no one will see me tonight" casual attire and asked me to turn the music down, and I quote, "t a fucking notch or twelve". I fell asleep before the pears were completed and woke up in the same lazy chair I fell asleep in to the tune of "Memories" being whistled loudly by my neighbor as he raked his yard. And so it goes....
I wish you a great day this year as you sit down with family, friends, loved ones and strangers. Maybe one year, I'll host a "Dress like a Pilgrim or Indian" feast. I have had great memories, but, the best ones are yet to come. For this, I am Thankful.
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