HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2011

Today our Thanksgiving table will be set with our traditional meal. I would call it a feast. There will be a turkey and it will be stuffed with cornbread stuffing. I will once again make too much stuffing and so I will place the extra in a baking dish and bake it along with the turkey and it will be called dressing. When the turkey is done, Linda will make gravy to cover the meat, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. Some people might call it sauce, but people from the south call it gravy. I will prepare fresh green beans with bacon and bacon grease. You should be aware that in the south bacon grease is a condiment. Most, if not all, vegetables are cooked in bacon grease. There will also be sweet potatoes baked with pecans and brown sugar that will more resemble a dessert than a vegetable. Dinner rolls will accompany the meal for sopping. That again is a southern term for gathering up any remaining gravy on your plate. Sopping is a very definitive word. And speaking of dessert, Linda will have made two pies. First a pecan pie. Southerners might recognize this as “Karo Nut Pie,” but the common name is pecan pie. Of course the other pie is pumpkin pie. You know pumpkin is a squash so you could say this is a vegetable too?

That is our traditional meal. There will be no tofu or tofurky anywhere near our home. In other words no soy beans will be harmed in the preparation of this meal. We will have the same meal whether we have a house full of people or just the two of us. Why, you ask? The reasons are simple. First it is our tradition. Secondly, the food and the smells coming from the kitchen remind us of our lives together, our families, and in some respects our childhoods. Finally the meal is delicious. What more needs to be said?

I know different people have different traditions. I think those mostly come from their childhoods. I know of some folks from Central America who prepare and serve tamales for Thanksgiving. There are those from The Middle East who serve lamb. I think all such choices are great.

Speaking of tofu, something else came up to discuss at this holiday season. Last week on the news was a story about PETA trying to sue a city in America named Turkey to change their name to Tofu. If ever an organization did more to make themselves irrelevant and foolish looking, I don’t know who it could be. And speaking of vegans and vegetarians, I once had a vegan nurse tell me that I shouldn’t eat anything with a face or a mother. I asked if I could eat oysters and clams. She couldn’t answer the question. So I guess I can.

Also I once saw a TV show starring Charlie Chase called Crook and Chase. Charlie was offered a veggie burger and asked what he thought. He replied that it was actually pretty good. All it needed was a little mayonnaise and some meat. That’s pretty much how I would feel. If you choose only to eat vegetables, be my guest. If you want to go out and graze in the meadow with the cows, have at it. As soon as those cows are fattened up, I will be happy to butcher them, eat and enjoy their meat. To me PETA stands for “People Eating Tasty Animals.” I fear vegetarianism has become a political statement rather than a food choice. Have you ever heard of a vegan conservative Republican? Me either. Whatever.

Today Linda and I wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving with all the traditions you enjoy. If you have the luxury of a house full of relatives and friends, good for you. Regardless of how you celebrate this holiday may your day be blessed beyond your dreams.

Ron Scarbro Thanksgiving 2011