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Post by bescheid on Nov 23, 2005 18:28:19 GMT -7
Kai
That was a wonderful thing you did!! This for sure. That is giving of the heart. I would well imagine that is still talked about to this day..
That was funny with requiring to remove the turkey legs for space into the oven..
Charles
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nancy
European
Posts: 2,144
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Post by nancy on Nov 23, 2005 19:39:46 GMT -7
Kai,
any photos of you in the apron, she asked slyly ....
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Post by rdywenur on Nov 24, 2005 4:59:33 GMT -7
I like Suzanneem's explanantion. It trully should be a time for thanks for all our blessings and friends.
My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is the Macy Day Parade. For dinner it has always been what is called Itallian Wedding Soup that I make and my cranberry relish. This year there will be no soup as I am doing dinner and my sister is bringing the relish.
I will always remember my first dinner I prepared. I had just recently married. No cooking experience at all or in the kitchen. I had recently bought a brand new stove with a timer on it and one that would keep the temp on hold after it had cooked its cycle. My guests were my in laws (Italian) and my brother in law who was home on leave from the hospital. (he was a patient at the VA hospital) My father in law who was a very gruff character (but a p-u-s-s-y cat inside...more from the old school) told me what I had to have for dinner or he wasn't coming and he insisted on the soup. Well I wasn't making it so my MIL brought the soup. Dinner was to be at 1 (because that is when he ate) They arrived at 12N and my MIL went to check the bird in the oven which was warm to the touch and still looked as if I had just shoved it in the oven. She asked me when I put the bird in and I told her about 5 hours ago so by now it should have been browned and fully cooked. So scrambling and panicking we called the electric company for help to find out about the stove not working. Well it was a holiday but I convinced them to come and we found out the timer was set at hold so it was not baking. Once that was straightened out it was about dinner time but no turkey ready yet. So out came that soup which saved the day actually. We started with the salad then the soup and sort of ate slowly and before we knew it the bird was done and we were now ready to finish the rest of our Thanksgiving dinner. We did not feel like we sat and waited due to the soup and I have been making it ever since I moved back home as this was part of my tradition. Our family being Polish did not eat Italian Wedding soup for Thanksgiving but soon it was something they also looked forward to and a must add to the table.
Dinner today was to be a fresh turkey. When I got home I find it is quite frozen. This is not on my time schedule to defrost a turkey and once again panic sets in. I was too far away to go get another that they offered to give me in exchange but so far looks like it is defrosting and will be ready for when it is time to throw it in the oven. This is dinner #2...wonder if there will be a #3 in the future. Enjoy your day everyone.
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zooba
Full Pole
Posts: 369
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Post by zooba on Nov 25, 2005 1:07:48 GMT -7
Guys, I have very mixed feelings about Thanksgiving. On one hand it seems a great idea to one day to stop and thank God (or whoever you wish) for all the good things that happen, when we think of the original sttlers, for life even. But on the other hand it seems to be one of a few "foodidized" holidays, where people have lost their true meaning for sight and concentrate on secondary things i.e. tables full of food. The same thing has happened to Christmas (not mentionong the shpping craze) and Easter. Now you may take my scalp for what I've said.
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Post by rdywenur on Nov 25, 2005 5:53:48 GMT -7
Zooba...you have a choice either to buy into it or keep your own tradition and not allow it to happen. Just do your own thing and not stress out. Don't let others influence you. Be strong.
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Post by kaima on Nov 25, 2005 6:48:30 GMT -7
Zooba,
I have to agree with rdwenur... to me this is the highest of family holidays, one removed from the commercialism of Christmas and one that is a church holiday only if you chose to make it so.
It is all family and thankfulness; it is a feast in the best sense of the word.
Kai
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nancy
European
Posts: 2,144
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Post by nancy on Nov 25, 2005 8:26:30 GMT -7
But on the other hand it seems to be one of a few "foodidized" holidays, where people have lost their true meaning for sight and concentrate on secondary things i.e. tables full of food. Zooba, I don't agree with your statement. It is true that there is a lot of attention paid to the food served at our Thanksgiving meal, but this has not evolved from a secondary to a primary purpose. The first Thanksgiving - or Harvest Feast - upon which our tradition is based, was similar, in that the bounty of the harvest was shared with friends and family. The food was blessed - and then consumed! Today, as families and friends gather at table, the host wants to provide an exceptional meal for them, and the participants may also want to contribute something as well. Most families have developed food-oriented traditions for this day, but to me that is quite appropriate. However, the tradition of playing or watching football on this day is one I don't particularly like. Your point about Christmas and Easter - well, that is another story entirely, and I agree with you there.
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Post by jimpres on Nov 25, 2005 8:37:39 GMT -7
Nancy,
No football in fact the TV was off until about 7PM. I was reading MacAddict and other magazines. And looking for stork patterns.
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Post by Jaga on Nov 25, 2005 12:32:39 GMT -7
I like Suzanneem's explanantion. It trully should be a time for thanks for all our blessings and friends. I will always remember my first dinner I prepared. This was such a nice story, thanks for telling us. By the way - I start understanding that Christmas and Thanksgiving are not only about religion or tradition. It is so dark, cold and yukky in this time of the year and when you get out of the home and see the Christmas light, hear this nice music - the world does not look that depressingly gloomy anymore!
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Post by Jaga on Nov 25, 2005 15:47:37 GMT -7
Thanksgiving for me has always been #2 behind Christmas. It lacks the commercialism Christmas suffers & is the great family holiday. When I worked in Germany I had contracts with the US and was able to buy turkeys and the fixings at the US commissary and three times I headed over to the Czech republic to celebrate with the Czech Aunt and family. They took to the holiday like ducks to water and loved every minute and almost every morsel. The cranberry sauce was unknown to them until they tasted it, and then they knew what it was. The canned sweet potatoes in the first year I could only describe as "south American potatoes" and they were not at all popular. In following years I brought raw sweet potatoes and cooked them normally, and the family accepted the real thing as "real", but the candied "sweet potato" was not at all popular. Corn bread was a great hit and totally unexpected. Pumpkin pie was the usual European disaster, but I served a sliver to each anyhow so they could have the "American" experience. One of the best moments was when I was working to get the 15 # turkey in the oven (a 12 pounder is just right for European ovens; on the 15 pounder I had to cut off the legs and tuck them next to the bird). Oh, the best moment - when my aunt reached into her shelves and pulled out a full apron for me to wear as I cooked - I believe I may have been the first man to cook in that house since 1870! It was all finished off with the full bellies and a really cut-throat game of pachizi. You would think their lives depended upon betraying, tricking and defeating their siblings! Kai Kai you are right, all these products are little or not known to Eastern europeans
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Post by Jaga on Nov 25, 2005 15:49:31 GMT -7
Guys, I have very mixed feelings about Thanksgiving. On one hand it seems a great idea to one day to stop and thank God (or whoever you wish) for all the good things that happen, when we think of the original sttlers, for life even. But on the other hand it seems to be one of a few "foodidized" holidays, where people have lost their true meaning for sight and concentrate on secondary things i.e. tables full of food. Zooba, you sound like you are on a diet now and you are just disgusted to think about the food. The good thing about Thanksgiving, people can forget about their long working days, and Americans, believe work looooong hours! And also Thanksgiving starts Christmas season here, full of light, colors... and too much shopping of course.
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nancy
European
Posts: 2,144
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Post by nancy on Nov 25, 2005 19:00:47 GMT -7
And looking for stork patterns. Jim, for woodcarving, or are you expecting something (someone?)?
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Post by jimpres on Nov 25, 2005 19:10:20 GMT -7
Nancy,
I was looking for stork patterns. My daughter just had twin boys and I am going to make ornaments that look like a stork. Each stork will have a baby in his beak with the boys name on it.
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nancy
European
Posts: 2,144
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Post by nancy on Nov 25, 2005 19:12:29 GMT -7
Congratulations, Dziadzieu!
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zooba
Full Pole
Posts: 369
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Post by zooba on Nov 26, 2005 0:58:49 GMT -7
Jaga, I'm never on a diet (lucky me). I love eating but can't cook. Maybe that's why all this food scares me. My Mum is the best cook of all (when it comes to Polish cuisine) and I'm light years behind her, I'm afraid. Every Christmas I try to keep it simple but homely and warm - I hope this year it'll be the same.
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