My favorite holiday is in shambles.... And I'm sad.

I love Thanksgiving. No, really. It's my favorite holiday. Growing up Hindu (not staunchly practicing), we didn't really do Christmas. This erks me only because I hear stories of my older cousins going to my parents house in Elmhurst, IL, to have Christmas together, open presents, eat, and so forth. All of this, before my birth. Continuing on, not being Christian, we never did Easter. To add, living in St. Louis in the late 80's didn't have many perks as an Indian. There were a handful of Indian families from all over India, each with their own traditions, making it terribly difficult to really forge a true celebration for Indian or Hindu holidays. All I had was Thanksgiving.

Everyone we knew would get together on Thanksgiving and eat. This only got better after my cousins, on my father's side, decided that we should do a Thanksgiving of our own. November, though often cold, became one of my favorite months of the year. I'd be in LA or Chicago enjoying a beautiful meal with the a group of people I love very much. I finally had a holiday. Me. The kid who had nothing to compare family holiday experiences with friends, finally had a holiday.

Let's take a moment here to drive home the importance of this holiday, personally. Food is more than a part of my profession, it is a passion, a way of life insurmountable by anything I've yet to find in the world (that's appropriate for this post, at least). My cousins showed me something I had experienced, but had not truly been a part. They showed me the importance of the true family dining experience. Ever since, in some way, shape or form, I've had this experience every year since. Last year wasn't as amazing as years past. That should have been a sign.

This year, November 25th, 2010, I have no Thanksgiving. My family will be spread across the reaches of the country and I have no where to go. I'm also very limited in choices as I have to be on a flight to Baltimore Friday morning. I'm not sure what I'll be doing, but I can almost promise you that I will be unhappy. I don't want you to look at this as a plea for invitation. I don't want to come across pitiful. It's just that I'm sad and this conveying this emotion in writing may be the only way I can deal with this without punching something. (random fun fact: you can punch a hole in Neon Cactus cup)

Thanks for letting me rant. Have a good Columbus Day!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gluten Free Happiness!

Just because you may be on some restricted diet, doesn't mean that you're no longer entitled to good food and happy thoughts during this Thanksgiving season! So, here's a recipe that's not only gluten-free, but also vegan. You may have seen this recipe somewhere before. It's either because it's not really that unique, or because I've created this specific variation for a client. Pecan-Rolled Sweet Potato Balls 4 big sweet potatoes 2 tablespoons vegan "butter" 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg 1 pinch fresh ground cinnamon 3 tablespoons real maple syrup 1 tablespoon orange juice cooking spray (Pam works just fine!) 1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and crushed Ok, so: Clean the sweet potatoes of any excess dirt. Then bake them at 350°F for an hour or until soft. Once soft, set aside until cool enough to handle. When cool, cut the potatoes lengthwise, in half, and scoop the flesh out of the skin into a mixing bowl. Toss the skins in ...
Read more

Portage Blackened Snapper

This simple, classic fish entrée is a St. Louis take on a cajun classic. The easy preparation in hand with the satisfying product is great. Ingredients: 4 eight ounce red snapper filets 5 tablespoons of melted butter 1/2 tablespoon hungarian paprika 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or hot red, pepper 1/2 teaspoon thyme 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/4 teaspoon oregano Ok, so: Thoroughly mix everything but the red snapper and butter in a small bowl and set aside. Heat a very large skillet over medium-low heat. Brush the red snapper filets with melted butter until evenly coated, then add another light coating of the seasoning prepared earlier. Place the filets on the skillet, skin-side down. Drizzle some more melted butter over the fish and cook for four to five minutes. Flip the filets and cook for another two minutes. If any melted butter is left over, top the filets with it right before remov...
Read more

An Appropriate Beginning...

Image
Well, I guess the most appropriate of beginnings to my blog would be a recipe. I cook, and often get paid to do so. It's a pretty nice gig. So, from the cookbook that I've been meaning to get around to for about six years, I give you the recipe for Mama Love's Sunday Oysters - A good friend of mine had a habit for touting his mother’s oyster bake as the finest in the world. Being obviously very skeptical, I decided to investigate this claim when his mother so very graciously invited me to Sunday Dinner at her St. Louis home. As soon as I took my first bite, I had to know what went in to making this incredible dish! When she told me how easy it was, I staggered in astonishment. I recommend this to anyone trying their hand at seafood, as it is simple and rewarding. Ingredients: 1 15.5 oz. can of Oysters 1 standard size can of French Friend Onions 1/4 cup of light cream 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons of sweet cr...
Read more