Thanksgiving Post 2023

Somehow Thanksgiving just got here. It was barely Halloween, and lo and behold, Thanksgiving is here. To put in perspective, Christmas and the holidays have been here for a while now. It may seem that Thanksgiving is just a bump in the road to the rest of the holiday season. 

Anyhow, like many folks in the United States I am taking some time off for Turkey Day to be with family. As in previous years, we are staying home so we can actually relax. For years now, we always do a non-traditional meal because to be honest we could not care less about turkey and the rest of the usual meal. This year it's going to be a small beef roast with some vegetables made in the slow cooker, so by the time we are ready to eat it will be nice and tender. We'll also have the usual charcuterie board, fancy name for plate with cheeses and some cold meats, to snack throughout the day. And since this is the start of the holiday season it is time to make coquito. Making coquito is one of the small holiday traditions I enjoy, and I usually make some extra bottles to send out to close friends. It is relatively easy to make, and the cost is relatively low. If you want to try making your own, here is a recipe that is pretty close to what I use. Most Puerto Ricans probably use more rum than the recipe suggests. I suggest you try and see how much or how little rum you want in it.

While I am taking a break, I offer this post to give my four readers something to read over the holiday break and maybe find some amusement here or there. If you are celebrating Thanksgiving, I hope you have a peaceful, safe, and happy holiday. If it is just Thursday for you, I hope it is a good day to you as well. So without further ado here are some Thanksgiving related stories and bits of advice and trivia. I have been doing this tradition for a bit now. Here is last year's post, which does have one or two posts that may still be of interest now, in case you need some more stuff to read. 

 

 

Trivia about the holiday

• Apparently this year travel is up, and the weather may be an issue according to UPI.. So if you are traveling, remember to remain calm and stay safe. 
• In traditions, President Biden will be pardoning two turkeys. Story via UPI.
• On a different bit of trivia, turns out the day after Thanksgiving is very busy for plumbers. Learn more about Brown Friday via UPI.
   

 

 

The economy of the holiday

• Farm Bureau once again does their annual survey for the cost of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. In some good news, the cost is a wee bit lower than 2022. Here is a graphic for folks who may want a visual:
   

Holidays Advice

The holidays, including Thanksgiving, can be a stressful time for some folks. Not everyone has happy memories or looks forward to spending time with certain family. So here are some bits of advice and other wisdom that may be useful for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays season. 

• I personally abide by the old time rule of not discussing certain topics in polite company. Two of those topics are religion and politics. Save yourself some grief and just don't do it. Don't be that one asshole who needs to bring up politics and ruin the nice family gathering for everyone else. Some Americans seem to agree at least in principle as a recent survey found that 6 in 10 Americans hope to avoid politics during Thanksgiving. 
• If your family gives you grief in any way, shape, or form, I will be blunt here. Cut them off and save yourself the trouble. Start your own traditions. Have a friendsgiving instead with those in your close circle. P.Z. Myers looks at complaints younger folks may have about their Boomer elders and why they are not coming home for Thanksgiving. 
• It would be nice if you could invite Leslie Jones to help keep things under control during the gathering (link to YouTube video). 
• Another option for Thanksgiving may be just travel someplace else, stay at a nice resort hotel, and in addition to letting them prepare the meal you can also do other activities. The San Juan Daily Star has an article on places to visit. By the time you read this post it may be a bit late, but maybe you plan for next year.  Closer to home, you can also consider just going out to a nice restaurant that may be doing a Thanksgiving meal. In an idea world, everyone would close, but I get life happens. I will add that I when I worked as a waiter many moons ago, the hotel I worked for did put out a Thanksgiving meal, and it was quite popular for locals. The pay was decent at the time for me too, and I just had the dinner with the Better Half after work.
  

 

The Food

Photo of a Thanksgiving plate, turkey and fixings, via National Turkey Federation.

 

•  The USDA has some advice to help you "Keep risky habits out of the kitchen this Thanksgiving." This includes some basic safety advice including washing your hands, tips on defrosting your turkey (if you are cooking a frozen bird), and how to handle leftovers. 
• Do you have questions how to cook a turkey? Are you cooking it, and it looks funny somehow? Other concerns? Butterball has a Thanksgiving turkey hotline and website to help. It includes their 800 number: 1-800-Butterball. If it is your first time making a turkey for Thanksgiving, this is very much a lifeline. 
• Salon also has a helpful article on how to roast that turkey to a perfect golden brown.
• The Root also has some advice and tips on cooking the meal. 
• Also from The Root, are you spending Thanksgiving in a Black household? They have some advice on what NOT to bring for Thanksgiving in a Black household. Some of it is humorous, and some is dead serious, so proceed with caution. For example, apparently bringing a pizza is a problem. Not at our household. You bring a good pizza, you will be welcomed with open arms. Different strokes for different folks as the saying goes. 
• More advice on what not to bring and/or what not to make. Via Level, here are the 8 worst Thanksgiving dishes.  This is not so much about exotic dishes for the gathering. It's more about not fucking up the traditional dishes such as the potatoes and the cranberry sauce.
  
• Are you wanting to do "healthy" Thanksgiving dishes? Well, if you must here are some healthy suggestions via the Chicago Sun-Times. Joking aside the article gives you some tips also on how to keep a balanced diet such as being cautious about your carbs, which can be Public Enemy number 1 for diabetics. 
• Pie is always a highlight of the festivity. Theresa Reed, over at the Farmer's Almanac,  has made a list of best pies for your Zodiac sign. This is perfect for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays season. Links to recipes are included. 

 

Black Friday

Leonardo di Caprio meme raising glass. Text: To all the people out there who do their Black Friday Shopping Online.

Ah, that fine tradition the day after giving thanks for the bounty. Because you are barely done giving thanks and showing gratitude for what you have, so you are ready to rush out to get more stuff. These days many retailers start offering Black Friday deals earlier and/or for a longer period of time, especially if you choose to shop online.

• Axios reports on some Black Friday deals in places like the Big A and Walmart. 
• If you prefer to avoid shopping on Black Friday, NPR has some suggestions of what to do instead.
   

Finally, for those folks who are into frying turkeys, a bit of humor:

"It's that most wonderful time of the year." 🎶 . . .   How not to deep fry a Turkey (link to YouTube video).