Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Giving thanks

I'm currently in Quaint Smallish City, where I'll be spending Thanksgiving with George Washington Boyfriend--just the two of us, one turkey, and all the holiday fixings.

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday, and part of what I love about it is how different it always is from one year to the next: since I've lived some 3,000 miles from my family for the past 14 years, I haven't had a traditional family Thanksgiving since I was 17. Now, I like everyone in my immediate and extended family, and I do love a big holiday meal at home--but I get that every year at Christmas. For Thanksgiving, then, it's nice to mix it up.

Here are some of the things I've done on Thanksgivings Past:

In college
Spent the holiday in Massachusetts with the family of Jonesy (whom I'd met on an exchange program to Japan in high school & hadn't seen since).

Took an epic bus journey with Babe to her mom's place in Maine. On the long ride back we got so hungry that we started digging into the leftovers with our hands--tearing the turkey into shreds and getting stuffing under our nails.
Post-College
Went out carousing with Miss Zelaznog the night before Thanksgiving, got up extraordinarily late the next day (because I had, uhh. . . met someone during that carousing), and then rejoined her and Lulu and a couple other West Coast orphans for dinner at a fancy Korean restaurant. Afterwards, we wandered around in the rain for blocks trying to find slices of pumpkin and pecan pie.

Met up with Bert, his then-boyfriend, and an assortment of other gay men in a wacky Tudor building for more food than three times our number could possibly have consumed.

Went to Paris and spent Thanksgiving with The Expat, eating mussels and drinking Beaujolais.

Started what became a mini-tradition with HK, where we got together in one location or another to prepare our own feast--including our first-ever self-prepared turkey, potatoes mashed under primitive conditions, and going out dancing in a dodgy D.C. neighborhood with a social scientist and a cop.

Went to Bert's parents' place in Jersey for a homemade, multi-course Chinese dinner.

Joined Lulu and Mr. Lulu for dinner in a diner, shortly before the two of them jetted off on a red-eye to some Caribbean island (and I returned to my dissertation).
Because really, the best thing about the holidays is family--and one of the best things about family is that it's not limited to those you're actually related to.

4 comments:

Hilaire said...

Oh, a lovely, clever, true conclusion!

Anonymous said...

I had been thinking that I'd see if I could rustle up a pizza. You see, my roommate (not sure what he's doing for t-day, btw) hates pizza, which means I pretty much never get around to eating it anymore, since it's not really a 1-person meal. But I figured I'd have leftovers for the long weekend.

However, I just got a tentative invite to a t-day shindig up in SF thrown by a bunch of foreigners who don't have any family in the country.

We shall see what happens. One thing is sure, I am not driving to this city AGAIN on any of my days off, so it is train time.

By the way, I remember you calling when you were trying to figure out how to cook a turkey many years ago...

-scr

Anonymous said...

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so glad we have our own little pre-holiday holiday tradition, but you've inspired me to try to lure you and GWB to our Thanksgiving table one of these years!

We had such a great time this weekend -- we're thankful for you two!

-J, G, & T-fav

Tenured Radical said...

Happy T-day to you and GWB Flavia -- just got the organic turkey in the oven, an dwas thinking about the many frozen turkeys I cooked on the Lower east Side during grad school, utterly hung over, and doing my best to do some (ncreasingly better over the years) imitation of my mother's stuffing.

Happy turkey day!

Dr. R.