Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a two part trip this year. First stop: DC to see my best friend for her birthday. And when Cheryl and I get together it can only mean one thing. Museums. So, we went to the museums we've been visiting since children. We hit up the Smithsonian museums. American history was up first. Not my favorite, but the Julia Child kitchen makes the trip worth it for me. I grew up watching Julia Child with my dad, and when I start missing him, turning to her recipes or reruns always brings me back. The exhibit was crazy crowded this trip, so I didn't have time to snap a lot of photos, but I did get this one:

After the American history visit, we went to the butterfly exhibit at the natural history building. I loved this so much. There were 300 live butterflies flitting back and forth. For a few dollars you could go in, spend as much time as you wanted, and take all the pictures you wanted. I got some amazing shots, but this one was my favorite, mostly because the composition was totally accidental.

 

After the amazing weekend with Cheryl, I felt relaxed, happy, and ready to face a long train ride to South Carolina. I missed my mum terribly. And, despite her reassurances that she's felt fine during her chemo, I was worried for her. She's tired a lot, but I was relieved to find her upbeat, and bubbly as always. And she was thrilled to have me home.

We had dinner at my cousins' house. Tim fried a turkey and a chicken. Even though I'm not on Team Turkey, he did a great job. The chicken, though, was killer. He injected it with barbecue sauce before deep frying it, so it came out smokey, sweet, and moist. Delicious. I was a little let down when I saw the sides available for me to eat. They always forgo mashed potatoes in favor of a wheat-laden sweet potato casserole and mac and cheese. That left the lima beans and the corn for me to eat and of course the gluten-free biscuits and cookies I made. I decided that if I don't do Thanksgiving myself next year, I'm bringing a ton of side dishes that are safe for me. And a few desserts too. But the company was good, and the food I could eat was tasty, so no complaints.

Great trip, overall. And I get to do it all over again in a few weeks when I go home for Christmas.

Turkey Trash Talk

Ok, Thanksgiving traditionalists will probably burn me at the stake for this, but here it goes anyway. I think turkey is overrated. There, I said it.

No, I'm not suffering from head trauma. No, I didn't have a case of turkey-related food poisoning. I just don't think much of the stuff. And, yeah, I've eaten some amazingly delicious turkeys, so it's not a case of bad turkey blues. We'll forget for a moment that dry movies are referred to as turkeys.

It's just that I'd rather have some other meat at my Thanksgiving meal. Fortunately for me, my family usually makes a ham in addition to a turkey. My devotion to pork aside, I think it's a great alternative to turkey on the big day. The best ones are the perfect trifecta of smoky, salty, and sweet. And pork just seems to love other food. Everyone says everything's better with bacon, right? Maybe bacon's not the only part of the pig that makes food magical.

Maybe I'm not such a Thanksgiving heathen, after all. You tell me, what's your meat, or meat substitute, of choice for Thanksgiving?
 

Volunteer

Ok guys, I've been super slack on my Food Bank for NYC duties this month, but with the holidays coming up, it's time for me to step it up.

Thanksgiving is a huge food holiday. It's also a huge time for volunteers. Most soup kitchens get an over abundace of help on Thanksgiving, but struggle the rest of the year to fill their shifts. If you can volunteer on Thanksgiving, by all means, please do, just don't forget the other 364 days a year that need attention too. It's easy to remember to help out on a day dedicated to counting your blessings and being grateful for what you have. It's easy to remember people less fortunate than you when you're feeling so filled up on love and luck. It's much harder to remember that the same people who have nothing on Thanksgiving also have nothing the day after and the one after that. Hunger doesn't know holidays and it doesn't take a vacation. If you have an extra can of food, or an hour or two to spare, give that to someone who needs it. If you have an extra few dollars, give that. I don't care what you do, as long as you remember to give of yourself. Trust me, it goes a long way.

The clients I work with at GCN are some of the most gracious people I've met. They come in looking tired and sometimes grumpy, but most of them cheer up after a plate of food. While I get the occasional client who's bitter and unhappy, more often than not, they thank me for my time. They thank me for smiling and for making them feel taken care of. I go because I get a natural high from being there and knowing that for a few hours, I made someone feel less weary. That's what giving is about, and that's what we should all be doing at every chance we get.

This year, please support Food Bank for NYC, City Harvest, Feeding America, or any of the countless other organizations dedicated to ending hunger. Not just on Turkey Day, but on any day.