A food review from a satisfied customer. Such an interesting tale, I had to share!
Conversation at the table this Thanksgiving paralleled those of past observances – just the characters differed. Playing the role of youngster, Savannah, having just arrived at the seven year mark, opined that the smoked turkey was perfect without any of the offered amendments. She did relent to some gravy on the mashed potatoes but set up her plate so as to keep the turkey high and dry against a possible flood. Savannah expressed thankfulness for family. Two at the table, recent returnees to the ranks of the employed, were thankful for new situations.
Tim played the part of the visiting uncle. This character is charged with evaluating the smoothness of the aforementioned potato mash which absolutely must begin as unpeeled potatoes. He is also the one to lead the late-evening raid on the left overs with an eye towards building a sandwich Dagwood would envy. He offered the observation that he had never had smoked pork loin for this holiday meal, but he thought it a fine tradition and moved its adoption for future gatherings. (He also indicated that the cherry sauce was a perfect complement to the pork, the turkey and, he supposed, would be great on cornflakes as well!) Tim took up his place on the floor for some eyeball maintenance following the meal.
It was a stretch for daughter Brenda to play the part of “the kids” but she was able to subordinate her three plus decades to provide those at table with an analysis of the stuffing. Touted as “a meal in itself” it follows a long line of mixtures prior cast members have dissected. In years gone by when the stuffing actually spent time in the cavity of “the bird”, chefs had experimented with an eclectic selection of fruits, nuts and vegetables. Past scripts included discourse on currents verses raisins, the size of nut pieces (size matters – smaller is better) and the inappropriate inclusion of mushrooms (yuck). Her declaration “Smoked Pulled-pork stuffing is the best” was endorsed all around.
The agreeable Aunt this year was played by Jen. She entered the scene bearing two huge pies – pecan and apple. The pecan pie prompted the retelling of the fishing tale where one of the youngsters, in dire need of relief, was offered an empty two pound coffee can from under the boat seat in which to “make water”. This container is known as the pee can. The nut in symmetrical display atop the pie is the pa’ cawn (click for proper pronunciation). Note that this scene in the annual Thanksgiving play was added when the troupe began making appearances south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The Aunt keeps the younger crowd entertained as the bustle in the kitchen reaches fever pitch.
The matriarch is the star of the show. Donna owns this role following an intense period as understudy for Florence Hannah Howe. Skillfully scheduling The Meal in the face of the usual football clashes, she has the game plan synchronized. This dish and spoon for cranberry sauce – this platter and fork for turkey, etc…. She directs the flow of flavorful teases from the kitchen, each designed to prepare palets. The mistress of menu coordinated the meal.
The paramour is recruited by unattached troupe members. The most notable in this role was Neil, a “Yalie” making a solo-cameo appearance in the mid-sixties when the cast size rose to thirty-plus players and the production opened on Orange Street in Nashua, New Hampshire. Neil played a full of himself snob whittled down to size by the precocious Baddeley Boys, a perennial crowd favorite. This year’s cast member was played by John Thomas, an avowed non-vegetarian with a penchant for gravy. He quickly declared the gravy to be superb, drowning a thin skim of mashed spuds in a sea of it and then licking the plate clean. (No one had the heart to explain to him that potatoes are a vegetable!)
Buzz is adapting to the role of curmudgeon, this being his eighth appearance in the role. His forty-nine years with the troupe has seen him in a variety of supporting roles. We thought his performance somewhat stilted though in fairness one must remember the stellar showmanship of Otto in that role. Buzz cleaned his plate, had seconds of everything “just for taste” and followed the meal with a dessert plate featuring slices of both pies AND a helping of pumpkin cheese cake.
The evening ended with a review of the operation order for Black Friday. The women to face shopping in the dark hours of the morning while the gents guard the bed chambers.
Next year’s script calls for more smoked pork loin and cherry sauce. The big question of the day? Can we freeze that sauce?
