Thursday, November 23, 2006

Oyster Stuffing and Holy Pie: Thanksgiving 2006

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but since we're on the diet this year, and since last year we ate so much we couldn't go to sleep that night with all the discomfort, we decided that, our first year as a married couple, we'd form our own Thanksgiving traditions- Get up a little later, have small breakfast, Jenn goes to Mass, then back home watch Macy's Parade and American Dog Show, then off to our "big" meal, (this year at John's cousins' Florence and Clyde's house), then home for a bit, where we relax and watch Alice's Restaurant, then bed. Also, we plan to go over to John's brother's house to have a bit of snack.

Cathedral's Thanksgiving Day Mass is always a hoot. More so this year, since I signed up to greet. Basically, I say hi to people, and if they have to pee, I tell them where the bathrooms are. Program handing-out and additional hard stuff are reserved for the ushers. It was nice because I had a couple of really nice homeless gentlemen hanging out at the front door who also were greeting people as well, so it was fun. I sat in the back, and that immediately qualified me for "extra gift bearer." On Thanksgiving, the communion proceeds up the aisle toward the alter, as usual, except it's followed by a few items that parishners have brought to hand out to the poor in Monroe Park (apparently all the churches in the area pow-wow and do this. I was handed an apple pie with a Kroger label, and since the other folks were a bit shy, I proceeded down right behind the body and blood of Christ with my soon-to-be holy pie. It wasn't until I made it back to my seat that I started thinking about how our very pious monsignor would have to alter the Prayer of Thanksgiving in order to include it:

"Oh Lord, we bless this tasty pie, in it's eternal and everlasting apple-ly yumminess, and we also take time to bless the Kroger from which it came, in Your name, Amen."

And it made me giggle the rest of the Mass.

The amount of food at Florence and Clyde's was staggering. Butterball turkey, Smithfield ham, two types of cornbread stuffing- one plain, one with oysters, two types of green beans, sweet potatoes, rolls, cornbread, and two types of pumpkin pie and one cherry cheesecake, courtesy of John's dad's friend Candy. We managed to behave, keep our portions small, but still left feeling a bit heavy, simply because it was a rather heavy meal. But otherwise a great holiday.

(Mostly because I didn't have to be on-call. Finally! )

Comments:
Yeah, my only complaint with yesterday's meal was too many carbs & starches. That's what probably made the meal feel so heavy. I was really glad that we had brought the raw veggie platter. It happened to be the only vegetable dish with no starches or carbs. Now, I like starchy veggies and what not, but I wanted to save room for the starches I only get at Thanksgiving, like tasty cornbread stuffing!
 
Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so happy for your job switch. Congratulations!

Love, Jen
 
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