GRATITUDE ATTITUDE
November 29, 2013
THE HUNGER JAMES OFFICIAL RATING:
For any of you that have been living under (Plymouth) rock, yesterday was Thanksgiving, which is the holiday of the three F’s: Family, Friends, and Food. Out of those three, clearly my favorite part of Thanksgiving is the food.
I traveled allllllllll the way down to Florida this year to visit my parents, aunts, and cousins. The 8 of us have not been in the same room since Thanksgiving 2007, so a reunion was in order. Plus, it has been in the 20’s in New York, so any excuse to spend a weekend on the sunny beaches of Florida is fine with me.
My aunt, who excels in the kitchen, was hosting this year, so the whole family knew we were in for a treat! Upon walking in to her house, we were greeted with an entire table of appetizers, or “hors d’oeuvres” as she likes to call them. I have mentioned it before and I’ll mention it again – apps are my favorite part of any meal. They are delicious, bite-sized, and usually fried with cheese of some sort.
Not this time.
The table held platters of deviled eggs, mozzarella caprese, shrimp cocktail, and chicken liver pâté. “Where are the jalapeño peppers? The pigs in a blanket? And for God’s sake the Lays French Onion dip!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. I was starving and the only thing that could satiate my hunger was fattening starters with dipping sauce. Not…chicken liver.
But, being a food aficionado (and extremely ravenous) I dived in and placed one of everything on my plate. “Don’t forget the appetizer I brought, James” my mom said as she placed two slices of pepperoni and salami on my plate.
Once the hors d’oeuvres were scavenged by the eight of us, it was time to sit back on the couch, relax, and drink.
By 6:30pm, the turkey was ready, the table was set, and everyone’s buzz kicked in. Keeping with the “fancy” theme, my aunt served us an amuse bouche – pumpkin soup – and it had the perfect autumn taste.
We then all sat down at the table to feast on our feast of classic and traditional Thanksgiving foods: turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes (with marshmallows, obviously), green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, butternut squash soufflé, and the ever unpopular cranberry sauce.
I don’t think my family has ever been so quiet and content. In those thirty or so minutes, we piled a healthy helping of every side dish onto our plates and simply relished in the fact of just how thankful we are.
When it came time for dessert, everyone was stuffed, but naturally all had a little room for something sweet. My mom made a walnut-crusted pumpkin pie (and my dad would like to have it noted that he shelled and cracked every single walnut for the pie).
There was also ice cream topped with Bailey’s and, since it is STILL November, a birthday cake for me!
It was truly an amazing day, overflowing with my loving family, stories filled with laughter, and an abundance of amazing food. And for that, I am extremelythankful.