Thanksgiving dinner: Make it yourself or order out?

 

When you look back on past Thankgivings, what do you remember most? The answer probably depends on your gender and the position you hold in the family. In my experience, the males enjoy many more pleasurable reflections on this holiday with its sumptuous dinner tradition at home than the females.

For days ahead of the big day, the house must be cleaned, the menu planned, the provisions and decorations bought, invitations issued if guests are to join the celebration, and suitable clothing planned and/or purchased for family members. In some households, a modern man may assist in these preparations, but the majority of the responsibility will fall on the wife or the significant female member of the family.

 

The real "fun" begins on Thanksgiving Eve. A mass of unprepared, raw vegetables are crammed into the fridge ready to grace the festive table the following day. Of course they need to be washed, peeled, cooked, chopped, mashed, sliced, garnished or whatever, before they are edible. Who will be gifted with this enjoyable passtime? Chances are it will be Mom and perhaps the older daughters, if the family is fortunate enough to have one or two.

 

The festive bird must not be forgotten. Most turkeys come frozen hard as rocks. They must be thawed, gutted, and stuffed before they go into the oven. A conscientious hostess must make the dressing from an old secret family recipe. It is considered cheating to take advantage of the excellent variety of instant stuffings available today.

 

Dare the cook offer comercially-prepared cranberry sauce? Maybe if it is partially concealed behind a mountain of mashed potatoes no one will notice.

 

Actually, the more daring of the domestic divas will be wondering if they can get away with store-bought pumpkin pie and ice cream for dessert. Perhaps if the main course is so delectibley delicious, no one will have room for dessert, but she can't count on it.   

 

So, the night before the big day is spent preparing stuffing which should contain some exotic ingredients to be considered truly memorable. Some ladies stay up late to get the bird stuffed and in the oven so it will cook for just the right amount of time if dinner is to be served at noon. However, her labors have barely begun.

 

Bright and early next morning, she will be back in the kitchen, basting the bird, peeling potatoes, and preparing the other vegetables as required. The older girls will be hounded into giving the environment a final vacuuming, dusting and general tidying up before the guests assemble.

 

Somehow, everything will come together and another Thankgiving dinner will pass. Then what? In many families, the males assemble in the family room to enjoy coffee, a visit, or doze, spending the next few hours relaxing and letting their dinners digest.

 

The females will clean the table, put the first load of dishes in the dishwasher, (if they are lucky enough to have one), pack leftovers into the fridge, and then start pulling greasy turkey parts off the skeleton to be served in a variety of ways the following week. One wonders how the ladies contain their delight at the opportunity to perform these enjoyable tasks! The creative ones may keep their excitement under control with a glass of wine or two.

 

When you look back on past Thankgivings, what do you remember most? It depends on your gender. The men will remember a tidy home, a delicious meal, good company, and a well-dressed family making an almost perfect holiday. The ladies- not so much.

 

Thanksgiving dinner: Make it yourself or order out? Given a free choice, all females, including this writer, would definitely vote to order out!