For most of us, Thanksgiving and Christmas, plus other religious holidays, are going to be different this year. Regardless of your age, this is the first time getting together with family and friends for special days hasn’t been possible or at least shouldn’t happen.
Of course, there’s the telephone and Zoom, which are fine for talking and seeing one another. However, there’s nothing like sitting down at a holiday table with those you love to “break bread.”
For many, it’s special dishes and the time spent together. Like many others, we’ll be by ourselves for the meal. We’ll speak to loved ones. But dinner will be just us. We don’t really have trouble with that because we get along so well.
As for the meal, it will not be turkey. The “modern” turkey meat is boring. I’ve had wild turkey, which has flavor that holds up well with anything else on the table. But modern turkeys are almost all white meat and bland. I like dark meat and have noticed that at large gatherings, it often goes quickly. I like leftover white meat in salads and in sandwiches. However, for the main meal, I like food that has flavor.
My preference would be roasted chicken or duck. Goose is good but harder to find and has more fat than the other birds. I remember as a child eating pheasant for Christmas dinner. In those days, there were many pheasants, but a challenge for my father and other hunters.
Sadly, due to habitat loss, they aren’t around this area much anymore.
Patti and I had beef for our Thanksgiving dinner. After all, even though this holiday is about the food, it’s more about being thankful for those you love, whether you’re together or far apart. Give thanks for the day if nothing else.
Enjoy your holidays and stay safe.
If you have questions or suggestions for this column, contact me either at this newspaper at buckscountyherald.com or directly at guthrielarason@verizon.net.
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