Thanksgiving, Sad Jackal Style
This year for Thanksgiving, my husband and I are staying home and having a just-the-two-of-us holiday. Because it’s a little strange not having a ton of friends and family around (but also kind of nice), we make sure to plan a lot of great things for the day, including special meals, though not necessarily traditional Thanksgiving food. This year for our dinner, for example, we’re having a roasted pork loin instead of turkey. (I guess the potato-leek-cauliflower smash is probably pretty Thanksgiving-y, though. And the brussels sprouts salad.)
Anyway, since our Thanksgiving food is a bit odd, I thought I’d see what the members of Sad Jackal were doing for Thanksgiving, and what they’re favorites are during this holiday:
Trip: Well, my Dad and I usually go down to Panama City where his sister lives. It’s nice being at the beach I guess, though we don’t stay but one night. Her husband’s family joins us. In general it’s pretty formal, not your Norman-Rockwell-around-the-table-thing. The women are in the kitchen, the kids are running around outside, and the guys all get parked in front of the TV watching football. (Though I’m not much into the sport, myself.) Then we sit around the table, say the blessing, carve the turkey, eat, done. That’s about it. My aunt makes a good sweet potato casserole, though. The kind with mini marshmallows on top.
Fabian: It surprises me that my mother likes to make stuffing with oysters, since we’re Jewish, but I suppose there are a lot of other traditional things we don’t do, either. My father has a large family, and we try to visit with at least some of them at Thanksgiving. This year two of my uncles are coming to our house. Not a lot of cousins this time around, which is cool because I really enjoy Uncle Jacob, who’s an artist in New York, and Uncle Paul is hilarious at the family game of Balderdash.
Oliver: Grandma’s house. She lives about an hour outside of the city, so it’s not too bad and we don’t stay long. Which is good, because it’s a giant crush of people over there. Nana invites her neighbors, and a couple from her church too, not just family, and everyone brings something. I think my mom’s doing some kind of bread, and the green bean casserole this year. I just hope that one lady brings her pecan pie again.
Abe: I don’t know. Ma’s got some giant chore list kitchen schedule she’s been working on since about Halloween. I’ll probably end up on broccoli and cheese duty again.
Charlotte: Well, my absolute favorite thing about Thanksgiving this year is that my sister Jilly will be home from college for a few days. I’ve missed her pretty badly and so much has happened in just the last month that I can’t wait to talk to her about. It’ll be really wonderful to have us all together again, sitting around the table. But I don’t mind my stepmom Hannah’s sausage and cornbread stuffing, either!
Eli: Fried turkey, dude. My dad does it every year and it’s the beezatch!
I hope YOU all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, whatever you’re doing and wherever you are. And rest assured that I am truly thankful for every single reader out there! Happy Thanksgiving!