Thanksgiving food expansion
Once upon a time Thanksgiving's meal was a turkey, a few traditional items, and maybe some special desserts. It was about conversation and football and relaxing. Maybe it still is in many places.
Today's foodie revolution has certainly changed that around here, for both better and worse. New exotic dishes show up on the table, untried recipes are unveiled, wonderful creations are presented, surrounding the lonely turkey with an array of unfamiliar fare. The fun for some is in the cooking and the experimenting with special offerings to family and friends, but the end result can be a buffet of food well beyond the capacity of the table. It can be sampled and tasted by all, and what's leftever can be saved or divided up and sent home with some or delivered to others unable, mostly by age restrictions, to attend. Little is wasted. That's all fine and festive.
What is not festive is the clean up from this massive undertaking of multiple talented cooks, many who vanish soon after mealtime. The simple old days become nostalgic when three hours after dinner the clean up and packing and sorting continue. Separating the fine chinaware from the mundane, separating what leftovers will go to whom in different packages, filling the dishwasher and still having a sink full of pots and pans to scrub, debating what to keep and what didn't really make the grade.
Back in my grandparent's days when extended famililies filled their houses, even folks with modest incomes had hired help to help with the task. In my childhood family it was all kept simple. Today, even with a small group, the food fascination of this generation overwhelms the table with delights, and wearies those few who clean up at nights. I was dragging by bedtime.
It was certainly worth the effort, but it was definitely work towards the end.
Today's foodie revolution has certainly changed that around here, for both better and worse. New exotic dishes show up on the table, untried recipes are unveiled, wonderful creations are presented, surrounding the lonely turkey with an array of unfamiliar fare. The fun for some is in the cooking and the experimenting with special offerings to family and friends, but the end result can be a buffet of food well beyond the capacity of the table. It can be sampled and tasted by all, and what's leftever can be saved or divided up and sent home with some or delivered to others unable, mostly by age restrictions, to attend. Little is wasted. That's all fine and festive.
What is not festive is the clean up from this massive undertaking of multiple talented cooks, many who vanish soon after mealtime. The simple old days become nostalgic when three hours after dinner the clean up and packing and sorting continue. Separating the fine chinaware from the mundane, separating what leftovers will go to whom in different packages, filling the dishwasher and still having a sink full of pots and pans to scrub, debating what to keep and what didn't really make the grade.
Back in my grandparent's days when extended famililies filled their houses, even folks with modest incomes had hired help to help with the task. In my childhood family it was all kept simple. Today, even with a small group, the food fascination of this generation overwhelms the table with delights, and wearies those few who clean up at nights. I was dragging by bedtime.
It was certainly worth the effort, but it was definitely work towards the end.
posted by John Borden at 4:05 PM
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