Thanksgiving Thoughts
Following up on a previous post, yes there will be a Thanksgiving dinner! And yes I was right, there are races still not settled from election day. Voting machines (tabulators) were not all working and surprise there are issues with the count. And yet another Georgia run-off. But the MSM dribble has progressed to 2024 Presidential Election conjecture so buckle up for that at dinner.
After a couple years of no holidays with my Mom and Dad, I am thankful to be with them this year for Thanksgiving dinner. It's going to be a smaller one in the scope of family holiday history, just Alex, my Mom, Dad, and I. It's also a relief to not have to travel anywhere and wish you the best of luck if you are.
As a kid, I remember having Thanksgiving with both sets of grandparents and copious amounts of unappetizing plates. At my age now, I miss the extended family gatherings but also remember how much I dreaded the food. It was shameful to turn down too much of it (no one wants to hurt Grandma's feelings). And there was not much of it I wanted to eat. Just like Joe Biden, I enjoyed the coconut cake. But I never liked the overcooked vegetables co-mingling with bacon and any form of sweet potato that couldn't be saved by any amount of marshmallow.
Thanksgiving was also an occasion for my Grandfather to remind me that I am a direct descendant of William Bradford, a pilgrim that sailed on the Mayflower and served as Governor of the Plymouth Colony for over 30 years. He is regarded as an "English Puritan separatist," but in today's terminology who knows, the UK could have labeled him a domestic extremist.
The last couple of years were horrifying to live through, witnessing what the government is capable of in the name of emergency. We are still in a Covid emergency despite the Senate voting to end it (see who voted to continue). But William Bradford endured and successfully escaped a level of tyranny that I hope to never see. Not to mention setting up a colony from scratch while landing in the colder months and peacefully coexisting with Native Americans. Thanksgiving as a holiday did not start until much later, but the historical basis has more relevance to my ancestors than any other I am aware of. It's food for thought and not just another Hallmark holiday.
If you want a more detailed post on the Pilgrims I highly recommend a recent one by Don Surber who also had an ancestor involved.
This year, I am tasked as the main chef and will need to cook a turkey. This is neither exciting nor appealing but if it makes my Mom and Dad happy then it's worth it. I am taking the easier route and got a pre-brined bird. It's thawed in the refrigerator so no need to remind me to take it out of the freezer days prior. When I bought the turkey I thought the signage was funny, it had my name on it as well as some other dude in the news.
I also picked up cranberry sauce. After reading a post on "functional foods" I now recognize the many benefits of cranberries and how it was used by European colonists and Native Americans.
Hope there are some tasty dishes at your holiday. Have a great Thanksgiving!