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Best Of: Luke’s Thanksgiving

To start, the actual title of this series “The Best of: Thanksgiving when you’re a single 20-something whose parents are an 18 hour drive away and whose roommate really hates Thanksgiving.” But that would have eaten up a lot of screen space, so I decided to trim it a bit. Also, too, however, and as well (Palin-ism), my Thanksgivings have not always been unfortunate affairs. I used to have great, delicious, possibly nutritious family gatherings that left everyone sleepy and a bit testy, and I’ve even had some good Thanksgivings in Toronto. But they’ve been a slippery slope heading toward a downward spiral. And they are documented… HERE.

I can out-Martha-Stewart you. Let’s just start there. And don’t argue. I can. Give me a nice big kitchen and possibly some Ritalin, and I can definitely out Martha Stewart anyone. One year, on Christmas Eve, I mad a gingerbread house, from SCRATCH that was about two feet tall and three feet wide, and had lights inside. Yeah, lights. My mom wasn’t happy with the timing, but that’s neither here nor there.

Over the years, I took on more and more of the Martha Stewart-ing responsibilities that make an excellently waspy Thanksgiving such a success. So make no mistake, I have the skill.

I also definitely, definitely have the desire. I love turkey. And parsnips. And pumpkin pie. And eating way more than anyone ever should (although I make no ability-related claims on that one.)

So, with fall and the smell of turkey and pumpkins wafting about, what’s the issue? I’ve thought about this for at least 23 seconds, and I think it boils down to this: apathy. As much as I used to like doing the whole “cooking lots of things” thing, I don’t have a dishwasher, the Internet has more stuff to distract me than it used to, and I now have to buy all the ingredients myself. Cooking fancy things is far more satisfying when you’re using someone else’s groceries.

I did have at least one, possibly two, ‘proper’ Toronto Thanksgivings that involved cooking a turkey. I only remember one though… Hmmm… Anyway, it was fun. I have no photographic evidence of this event(s), so instead, here is a picture of a turkey that was not present at either of
these events. I didn’t even make it. But I did take a picture (and eat it), and that’s what counts.

2006
From what I remember, it/they was/were a grand affair, with friends and food and good times and wine. Then in 2006, Thanksgiving was a real bugger and snuck right up on me. I forgot to do anything, invite anyone over, and most importantly, I forgot that Phil (who I had just moved in with) really hates everything about Thanksgiving, especially the turkey. So I got a little snippy and we ended at a compromise, courtesy the LCBO.

No, we didn’t just get drunk. We also picked up a copy of their amazing magazine Foood & Drink, and after learning that we are the whiskey generation,’ made chicken on a bed of leeks and sweet potatoes, because that’s all the tastes of Thanksgiving, ish, right? Check the picture–it even looks delicious.

2007
Last year, Thanksgiving weekend was pretty excellent. Phil and I drove down to Massachusetts, visited his family, and had a good (scary) night out in Boston/Cambridge with some friends. It was fun (scary)!

But it wasn’t very ‘Thanksgiving-ey,’ because Americans leave their vegetables in the ground too long and don’t get around to pulling them out and eating them until November. So what did we do? We found some turkey. Where? Here.

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That’s right, at Boston Market, a formerly-McDonalds-owned brand, at a rest stop on the Mass Pike, in Westborough. I know, right? Classy.

Turns out Boston Market is actually pretty tasty. Again, I didn’t take pictures (who would have thought I’d ever retell the story), but let’s just say: it came on a plastic plate, on a plastic tray, with plastic utensils. And I drank pop, not wine. It definitely didn’t look anything like the pic on BM’s site (Yeah, I said BM), or anything like a normal Thanksgiving dinner. But it was tasty…

2008 And that brings us to now. I haven’t managed to sort out the details yet, but I really feel the need to out-do myself and turn this slippery slope into a death spiral. Any suggestions? I’m thinking takeout Swiss Chalet.

Note: I’m actually going to one of my best friend’s wedding on Saturday/Sunday, so a few great meals will be had. But I have all day Monday to find something more fitting for this challenge. If you have any thoughts, comment them. My eyes are bleeding. Must turn off interputer.

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