the only thing worse
than bad memories
is no memories at all..
[dismemberment plan]
11.23.2006
I'm Not a Chicken -- You're a TURKEY!
Happy Thanksgiving!
For the very first time in my life, I did 100% of the cooking for Thanksgiving dinner this year.
On the menu:
A 12-pound roasted turkey following the recipe of my absolute favorite Food Network mega-genius, Alton Brown
Sausage and apple stuffing (with onion, celery, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and mushrooms)
A light cabbage and apple coleslaw (which I forgot to put on the table! Damn!)
Homemade cranberry and pear sauce from Eating Well Magazine (which is worth a look FYI)
Mashed potatoes from scratch (with milk, butter, and chicken broth) and gravy
Corn (from the can!)
Green bean and mushroom casserole
Kimchi (what can I say? We're Koreans.)
Brown rice
A salad of lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, dried cranberries, sliced toasted almonds, and balsamic vinegar
Red wine
Pumpkin spiced custard served chilled in champagne flutes, layered with toasted almonds and mixed berries, topped with crushed extra-dark chocolate
At first, I came up with the idea because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it all by myself, but while I was sauteeing the onions and celery, I came to realize that it was really a much more bittersweet than I had originally thought. I, in effect, was practicing the preparation of a large, special occasion dinner -- for later on in life when I may not have someone to prepare it for me.
My mom is diabetic -- she went from having reckless eating habits (and ballooning up 20 pounds) and taking medication, to exercising and losing some weight, to stopping medication and controlling her diet. But lately, it's been out of control despite the exercise and dietary changes, so she's been giving herself injections every day.
So my making Thanksgiving dinner was not only to give my mom some extra sleep today (she worked last night), but also to avoid canned cranberry sauce and to ditch the prepackaged Sarah Lee pumpkin pie and other overly sugary foods this year.
I was reading a book yesterday afternoon that pointed out the strange type of relationship Prince Charles must have with the Queen -- he's pretty much emasculinated by the presence of his mother and isn't able to take on the role he was born for until his own mother dies. He is aging and consequently, appears more and more eccentric and pathetic because of her refusal to step down.
So I'm struck by this strange feeling of my mom's willingness to just let me take over this year (although I'm sure there's a big sense of relief of not having to do all that cooking all day). It's as though she feels like I'm ready to take on the duty of preparing a turkey and the fixin's in her place, as though she's willingly admitting that she's tired. Which, well, kind of frightens me.
But it just serves to remind me that time is really finite, and that I should value every holiday and every weekend and moment I spend with my family. I find that lately, I whine and groan less about having to go home to visit them and actually look forward to seeing them and spending time with them.
I accidentally broke the wishbone of the turkey by myself tonight, while I was cleaning up. I quickly told myself that it was with own self that I was making a wish, and made the wish that I've always made every year -- for us to be a little happier.
My little funny Asian family has gone through some really, really tough times -- which I don't especially like explicitly talking about, neither on here nor in person -- but tonight, while listening to my parents and brother talk and laugh and eat some turkey, and while watching my dad do all the dishes while my mom sang some silly Korean song and my brother groaned and clutched at his full stomach, as I sit here typing this in the living room and smile at my mom and she smiles back, I feel like maybe one of those many desperate wishes I've made over a wishbone each year has finally come true.
[Peek-a-Foo]