Let's Talk About...Thanksgiving Food

OK. Thanksgiving just happened and we are all probably still recovering.

People generally love Thanksgiving. They stop their day-to-day routine and visit with friends and family, many of whom they may not have seen since the same time last year. It is also an opportunity to pause and reflect upon what you are thankful for and express that thanks to those who should hear it. It truly is a beloved holiday.

If people are willing to travel huge distances, prepare for weeks, spend a lot of money, endure long airport lines and delays and sleep on a pull-out couch for one dinner, shouldn't that Thanksgiving meal be an absolute showstopper? You would think so. But I bet you might agree it really isn't.

I would argue that if the Thanksgiving menu is so delicious, why don't we eat those dishes throughout the year?

Do we serve cranberry sauce and stuffing on a normal Tuesday in March? Probably not. How many times a year do you make sweet potatoes with marshmallows? For me, never.

Do you make an entire turkey with any regularity? How about piles of Parker House rolls or monkey bread? My guess is, infrequently.

And let's talk about that grand Thanksgiving staple - green bean casserole. In our house we simply call it "green bean business." We make it maybe twice a year, for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I have to say, I do like those crispy fried onions on the top (and in the middle and on the bottom), but we might agree it is not something we would serve at a dinner party in June.

Yet if I eliminate "green bean business" from the menu or stuffing or turkey or cranberry sauce, someone will object and insist we make it. Why? Tradition. Tradition is a strong force of human nature.

But here is the other thing about Thanksgiving. It's not just the kind of food we eat, but the volume of food we eat.

After a hearty breakfast, and before dinner (which can be anywhere from noon to 8 p.m.), the day is one big carousel of appetizers. In my home, appetizers include, but are not limited to, bacon-wrapped dates, a giant charcuterie board, Fritos and onion dip, nuts, cheese balls, cheese rolls, and of course mini-hot dogs in BBQ sauce. And a myriad of dips and chips. And maybe a grape.

That's all before dinner.

Stuffed with appetizers, the Thanksgiving mega-dinner commences. At what other time of the year are 10 menu items on the table at once? Rarely. Actually, never.

But at Thanksgiving, it's a virtual Golden Corral of American tradition. You've got your turkey, and maybe ham for those who don't like turkey, at least one stuffing, possibly a second one with oysters, plus mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce-both homemade and canned, at least two obligatory vegetables and a salad (which are largely ignored), sweet potato marshmallow business, corn pudding, rolls, and, of course, green bean business. In addition, many homes serve macaroni and cheese. Why macaroni and cheese? Undoubtedly, tradition.

But wait, it's not over yet.

After dinner, there are often at least three or four pies (pumpkin, pecan, apple and maybe chocolate or/and lemon meringue), cookies, cheesecake, brownies, chocolate covered cherries, and Andes mints. And of course, a pumpkin spice latte.

Think about it. How many times do you eat pumpkin pie in a year? How many times do you eat chocolate cake in a year? I bet the chocolate cake wins by a landslide. Yet, we serve pumpkin pie above all other desserts for this very important meal.

Don't even get me started on the post-Thanksgiving breakfast. Why do we save the tastiest breakfast foods for the holidays when we are already full?

I am thinking cinnamon rolls, eggs benedict, cheese souffle, French toast, waffles, sausage and of course, the smell of bacon to wake everyone up from their food coma.

In the end, it is not the food or the volume of food that is important. It is the gathering of family and friends that is the showstopper. And we can all be thankful for a tradition of gratitude. And pecan pie.