Count Down To Thanksgiving
September 21st, 2007It’s three weeks and three days to go until Thanksgiving, my favourite holiday. In honor of this festival of food, the next three Thursdays will be devoted to preparing a delectable fall feast.
This traditional holiday has changed rather radically since we bought the cabin. Thanksgiving dinner at the cabin now takes place outside on somebody’s deck, weather permitting. Instead of gathering around our dinning room table, we now gather around a a couple of picnic table pushed together and sit on makeshift benchs. There is no lace table cloth, good china or crystal. It is more like a mishmash of plates, borrowed cutlery, and plastic wine cups.
There is no waiting for the hostess to take her seat at the head of the table before we start eating. We have dispensed with any formalities. Often we don’t even know what we’re having for dinner until everyone shows up, bringing it with them. At the cabin, everyone pitches in. The hostess cooks the turkey, we bring our own plates, cutlery along and something to drink. At the alloted hour, we gather around a makeshift buffet table, load up our plates and loosens our belts. I’m pretty sure we’ve never even attempted to say grace.
Do I miss the traditional supper? Not a chance. I love eating outside looking at the lake, while I savor my creamy mashed potatoes smothered in gravy. One year, I even managed to squeeze in a wakeboard, the last of the season, before my turkey dinner. I also like not having to spend the day cooking a big meal that gets devoured in 20 minutes.
Our cottage potluck is a great time to try new dishes and enjoy some twist on old favourites. This is a holiday steeped in tradition, when people cook their childhood memories. Take for example the oyster casserole we had two years ago, growing up on a beef farm in rural Ontario, we never had oysters for our Thanksgiving. But here at the cabin, anything goes.
So whether you sit down for dinner at home, at your mom’s, or at the cottage, stay tuned for the first set of recipes. And break out those turkey pants.
Cheers,
Julie
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September 22nd, 2007 at 12:36 pm
RE:
Not waiting until the hostess sits down to start eating. I’ve been that hostess who spent a long time making a big dinner and I don’t appreciate the meal being half eaten before I sit down and having to ask for every single dish to be passed to me so I can start and then getting in about two mouthfuls before they are wanting tea, coffee and dessert. It also doesn’t hurt for children to observe some basic table manners so that when they are grown up and visit homes where social graces are the norm they don’t appear to be social outcasts.