Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Thanksgiving Day
A great American tradition
Tomorrow I am going to celebrate my 35th Thanksgiving in America. The weather forecast does not promise a sunny day but it should stay dry.
I am going to spend it at a friend's house in Palo Alto as I have done for the last eleven years. It is a holiday that I have come to love. It gives people an opportunity to reconnect with friends and family members, and it generates a feeling of warmth of the spirit. The abundance of good food and wine are certainly part of it but the day means much more than that.
We usually gather on the deck in the backyard and spend a couple of hours in pleasantries before going in for dinner around 3:00 PM. A long, lazy dinner is followed by a walk to the park nearby. Then back for coffee and pies---always two kinds---pumpkin and pecan. Later,in the evening when I return home replete with food and drinks, there is energy only to curl up with a book until drowsiness hits and it is time to turn off the light.
A lot has been written about celebration of Thanksgiving. My favorite is the column by Jon Carroll of the San Francisco Chronicle that is published with slight variations each year on Thanksgiving Day. I highly recommend it. The column can be read in tomorrow's Chronicle. It can also be accessed on line at:
http://sfgate.com/columnists/carroll/
Now about roast turkey. I am one of those who enjoy turkey sandwiches with leftover meat more than turkey at dinner. However, I cannot imagine Thanksgiving without a big, juicy bird. It is tradition. I build my sandwich with white bread (not the mushy Wonder Bread though). Challah, lightly toasted is excellent. Spread a little mayo, slather with Dijon mustard (Maille is good). Aah, blissful. One can always have stuffing on the side; I don't need it.
And the day after ? While hordes of shoppers lay siege at the doors of their favorite stores, and the cash registers hum (good for the economy), I shall go for a long run at peace with the world and with myself.
In a few weeks the Chanterelles would begin to emerge. I and AC will go foraging for them in the foothills. He has a much better eye and feel for finding them. It is fun moving between groves of oak trees, searching for a glimpse of the orangey-yellow
caps often covered by fallen leaves.
Life is good.
Tomorrow I am going to celebrate my 35th Thanksgiving in America. The weather forecast does not promise a sunny day but it should stay dry.
I am going to spend it at a friend's house in Palo Alto as I have done for the last eleven years. It is a holiday that I have come to love. It gives people an opportunity to reconnect with friends and family members, and it generates a feeling of warmth of the spirit. The abundance of good food and wine are certainly part of it but the day means much more than that.
We usually gather on the deck in the backyard and spend a couple of hours in pleasantries before going in for dinner around 3:00 PM. A long, lazy dinner is followed by a walk to the park nearby. Then back for coffee and pies---always two kinds---pumpkin and pecan. Later,in the evening when I return home replete with food and drinks, there is energy only to curl up with a book until drowsiness hits and it is time to turn off the light.
A lot has been written about celebration of Thanksgiving. My favorite is the column by Jon Carroll of the San Francisco Chronicle that is published with slight variations each year on Thanksgiving Day. I highly recommend it. The column can be read in tomorrow's Chronicle. It can also be accessed on line at:
http://sfgate.com/columnists/carroll/
Now about roast turkey. I am one of those who enjoy turkey sandwiches with leftover meat more than turkey at dinner. However, I cannot imagine Thanksgiving without a big, juicy bird. It is tradition. I build my sandwich with white bread (not the mushy Wonder Bread though). Challah, lightly toasted is excellent. Spread a little mayo, slather with Dijon mustard (Maille is good). Aah, blissful. One can always have stuffing on the side; I don't need it.
And the day after ? While hordes of shoppers lay siege at the doors of their favorite stores, and the cash registers hum (good for the economy), I shall go for a long run at peace with the world and with myself.
In a few weeks the Chanterelles would begin to emerge. I and AC will go foraging for them in the foothills. He has a much better eye and feel for finding them. It is fun moving between groves of oak trees, searching for a glimpse of the orangey-yellow
caps often covered by fallen leaves.
Life is good.
