I should never edit a day 1 doc. Post that turd and moved on, sir.”

After Thanksgiving…

Observations

Taking time off from routine is perilous and a break from routine. This might only win me an award at a Ironic & Obvious Showdown (event I just made up,) I think everyone is a winner at those kind of events, except the one kid trying to be cheeky.

editing notes I think I’m the kid trying to be cheeky, strictly in a meta way, and it is against my will

I came to Thanksgiving 2022 hoping to just be in a good mood. This has seemed complicated over the last few years. If I am to take responsibility for it, I blame my relationship with cooking, maybe Alice Waters a little bit too.

Farm to table didn’t start the spirited chalkboard outside the restaurant movement, but it did change the narrative. It’d be understood if you started to think that “local” and “fresh” were flavors on to themselves, in a way they are. As a restaurant patron i’ve never been a fan of local, fresh food, this is the opposite of how I stock my fridge though.

*What I should go on to say in a more unpacked way is that I prepare both fresh and inustrialized foods on the principle of flavor and opportunity. I am not a organic snob. I am a member of a CSA. If cost had no bearding on decisions I would eat more locally sourced organic. Long distance organic is a whole other matter.

So, farm to table yes. Organic gets more complicated. The minute I think about full on organic I’m five steps from Kevin Bacon and the futility of it all.*

If I do the math and i’m honest i’d say about a third of my food is locally produced, that is mostly coming from my CSA and local small farmers. The rest of my food is a mix of cultural toe wetting with industrially sourced and prepared foods. I am aware of my choice, I am enlightened, I’ve always understood both sides of the story.

Thanksgiving can be locally sourced or prepared (consistently!) from industrially cultivated components. If the last few years have taught me anything it is that my tumult mostly stems from the usual, ego and the desire to do some shit that that is near impossible. This isn’t setting a goal high, so that even failure looks pretty good as far as the fence sitters opine. This is more just ignoring the reality of things, a consistent tasting recipe must have consistent components. If all of your holiday recipes are trying to taste like the past, but you’re not using the fairly consistent componetry of the last half century, ~~results will vary. ~~ Asshole

How about this. You can make the best Green Bean Casserole following the recipe on the back of the package, or you can deconstruct the recipe. You can make fresh mushroom soup, bread and fry your own onions and pick green beans from your own field. Just STFU and do one or the other. Don’t resent the people who prefer the classic and don’t understand why you went to so much effort to

“Did you say Deconstructured Green Bean Casserole? It is very nice, it kinda tastes like Green Bean Casserole.” They don’t care. You could rule the podium. You could cook the classics the way they were meant to be. You’d be a hero. No sir. You wander why you feel so neurotic going into it and how it just gets worse as the week wears on.

But you’re an asshole. Maybe all that effort you put into expressing your hopes for the future, against the lingering resentment you have against your family. They have no idea why you go to such great lengths, they like the classic recipe, sometimes they like your recipe too, sometimes.

Green Bean Casserole

This is my first compromise. This dish is a humble crowd pleaser. I have always been uninterested in GBC. It has absolutely taken space on my plate, most versions i’ve tasted were without merit, occasionally I would have a good example, this mostly meant that it was served hot, and there was extra fried onions to apply by my own discretion. My alternative dish has been garlic green beans with pecans. This year in a bout of mixed signals to myself, I bought fried green onions ( I just like to eat them), what I thought would be enough green onions for both GBC and my roasted green beans with locally sourced pecans. Once it came time to cook though I realized I didn’t have enough cream of mushroom, much less green onions to make two bean dishes.

Thanksgiving…