136 weeks... giving thanks

Food-by cooking...

Thanksgiving Dinner

Our Thanksgiving day started off early like for most. I was the first up to welcome the day. I'd say it started off like a typical morning except for the abnormally long gleaming dinner table. The morning light gave it a magnificent presence. It was the elephant in the room with a purpose. It's moments like this that make me thankful... And thankful for our soon to be welcomed guests. So let's eat good.

Okay, we have a lot of cooking to do, so how does the food experience by cooking start? I'd say it starts with the Thanksgiving dinner menu [or recipes from past successful Thanksgiving dinners].

This reminds me of our first Thanksgiving dinner together. My wife, whom back then was my girlfriend, asked me, "how do you celebrate Thanksgiving". We were living in Hiroshima, Japan. She being Japanese had no idea about this American home cooked meal (especially the turkey). So I explained it the best that I could based on my past Thanksgiving dinners with family... the highlight being the "Bonin" stuffing. I'd say she made an unfamiliar meal that day a food experience to be remembered; one we have been able to grow from.

So our cooking day started with putting the turkey in the oven. 21 lbs. of it. Plenty for 11 people, and of course leftovers for turkey sandwiches. That is the easy part, just put it in the oven, and wait. I'd say the wait was the savory part of the day; that is, while we waited it was more like "to engage with food", as I'd say to my nephew, especially to cook (and talk) together.

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This food-by cooking segment wasn't meant to illustrate or highlight any particular recipes, like some sort of cooking show, but my own self-discovery of the food experience by cooking. I'd say giving thanks was all about cooking, and to enjoy each others company. Thanks Mie, Sadie, Erica, Chinami, Chris, Asuka, Eric, Scott, Anthony, and Matt.

Perspectives: 1) it was more satisfying to cook the meal, than to actually eat the meal. 2) I might have also preferred being the invited guest (no cooking that day), but then I would have missed the cooking bond with family. 3) cooking together is important, besides being a lot of fun. And 4) my wife and I had a cook-off for a sweet potato dish. I chose recipe that called for apples, but our pantry didn't have enough so substituted with red pears instead. Not sure who won, but thought the pears worked very well.