009: No, We Shouldn’t All Be Eating The Exact Same Sh*t This Week

Why not do a food post for this week? 

For years, I maintained a cynical attitude toward Thanksgiving. Most of the dishes on the table for us were just bland items which needed gravy to be edible, many of which came from cans anyway. Speaking of cans, I could speak in a multitude of sarcastic depths about corn, lima beans, peas, and plenty of other dishes people didn’t feel the need to put together naturally and resorted to providing half-assed garbage.

I’ll forgo that, however, to discuss cranberry sauce. I don’t care who this pisses off either. Anything that you consume, where the rivets of the can are noticeable from where it resides for God knows how long, is probably not something humans should be eating. Furthermore, the added sugar, high fructose corn syrup, more corn syrup, and GMO sugar beets are significant enough in themselves that it can justifiably be avoided even in celebratory occasions. No, I”m not suggesting everything should be clean eating on holidays, but it better be freaking delicious if it’s unhealthy (stay tuned for Wigilia, but even there I do my best to use real ingredients).

Beyond that, there’s the turkey more often than not. Without gravy, it is more often than not drier than cardboard. Go with side dish after side dish, and I developed an opinion which is probably not as harsh as this intro makes it sound, but it was certainly one of indifference.

Once I landed in my own house and with my own family, I started to think about some of the dishes which have been around the family for many generations. As I did, I saw opportunities that didn’t exist before. 

I still have to appease my in-laws with the turkey. If it were up to me, I’d probably serve a pork tenderloin. It’s all good though. Otherwise, however, I have my own mac and cheese recipe which is always well received. Sauerkraut and kielbasy has been around my family for eons–going back to the old country. It is now a part of Thanksgiving. 

Polish red cabbage is another one. For those unfamiliar, it is a dish involving bacon chunks and the accompanying grease, tomatoes that I dice by hand, a red onion, and some brown sugar. I throw in a touch of paprika, too. I take a cheese shredder to the cabbage, which gives the perfect consistency to soak up all the flavor otherwise. What results is something which is not a mainstream item on most tables but a dish which goes back over a hundred years in my family (probably more).

I make Maryland crab cakes as an appetizer, too, for which I use my grandmother’s recipe. Rest in eternal peace to her.

One side I do carry forward from my youth is the sausage stuffing that my father made when I was a kid. Of course, instead of the margarine the recipe calls for, I use real butter (come on now). I also chop my own bread cubes. The sausage allows me to add a little cayenne though, which is a nice complement to the typical rich and/or starchy food on the table.

I could go on. I’ve found my groove for the holiday. In doing so, what I’ve realized is that the meaning of the harvest is probably more specific to each respective family if people are processing it correctly. A table of hunkies is probably going to present different food from an Italian table, which may be different from a table with a black family, or a Hispanic gathering. All should take part though, and all should make it their own. What southerners do in contrast to what northerners do, or what midwesterners do, will probably be noticeably different too.

So no, I don’t think we all need to be eating the same shit. In fact, beyond the turkey (even that is debatable), I don’t think we should be. On a serious note, I hope the three or four people who might read this have a wonderful week and a great Thanksgiving holiday. I love this time of year, as much as I hate the colder months generally speaking. Everyone is just a little kinder. They are more patient (unless you’re inexplicably out on Black Friday), they smile more, family is around (I consider a good thing), and we have more opportunity to remind ourselves of what matters and what blessings we have in our lives. I hope something in that list is applicable to you, and that you can make the best of the holiday season. 

By the way, pay attention to my X account as I prep the food. I’ll add some photos on Wednesday and/or Thursday. Blessings to you. -P.K.