Thanksgiving Daze
Am I the only one that is struck by the irony of beginning the Christmas shopping season the day after Thanksgiving? I think not. Still, there is a bitterness when we - the most consumerist nation on the planet - take a moment to recall a mythology of poverty and privation of our foreparents and then go on a spending spree that makes the people at Citibank rich and leaves us poor in spirit. Call me a cynic. Call me Scrooge. Call me honest. Diogenes would be proud, well, that might be a stretch.
I am cooking the bird this holiday - and having great fun doing it (soaking that sucker in a lemon/bayleaf brine, making homemade cranberry sauce... the whole works; I started Tuesday night... Thursday we will eat). Why? I know my history better than most. The Pilgrims were undocumented aliens that were one step from starvation when the indigenous people shared food with their uninvited visitors. Turkey was not even on the menu. Venison was. Still, I don't want to kill Bambi's mother to celebrate what I choose to observe. As you can see, I have no problem playing with the mythology. I am willing to eat the bird, largely because I like turkey and it gives me an excuse to spend a day doing something I love: cooking for people that I love.
And therein lies what I am celebrating.
I could give a damn about the Pilgrims. This is not my mythology. I do care about generosity. I do care about sharing. I do care about taking time to take honest stock of myself and what I value.
The Fool's Top Ten List of Reasons to be Thankful
10. Music
9. Doing work that I love
8. Friends
7. Life itself
6. Realizing that we are all part of one common life
5. Really Good Sex (yeah, let's be honest, we all love the big "O")
4. Poetry
3. Time with my kids
2. Seeing them grow into beautiful and powerful women that are strong, loving and wise
1. The sunrise
Holidays and Holly Daze
Again, I will steadfastly refuse to buy because the culture says that I should. Again, I will try to be true to my vision of what is good and generous. Again, I will fall short but will continue trying to be the man that I know is within me. Again, I will look at the bird and recall that even this life that was cut short for mine is a connection. I will give thanks in my spirit for the spirit of the animal whose flesh I eat and try anew to live in a similar spirit of generosity. Who knows... one day we just might prevail, not by force of arms but by the courage of generosity that reaches past the definitions of friends and foes to see that we are all one.
Besides, I get to cook and am diggin' on the idea of doing this with the greater community. Who knows... it could be like the 100th monkey, we do the same thing, but for different reasons and a change occurs. Hey, it could happen.
And for that I am thankful.
- tDF
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A small update...
Dinner was smashing. I served a brined turkey (lemon and laurel, with cinnamon and cloves), a homemade cranberry/citrus dipping sauce, brussel sprouts (blanched with butter and seasonings), and garlic mashed potatoes. It was good. I made "Eggs in Purgatory" for breakie the next day (used the mashed potatoes to make potato pancakes, served on marinera and topped with a fried egg, sprinkled with parmesan cheese). I've been enjoying the moistest leftover bird for the past few days. I love to cook for friends. I will look forward to doing the same this weekend for my daughter. Life is good. Hoping yours is as well! -tDF
