Thanksgiving Buffet

Traveling to NYC for Thanksgiving is always an adventure. I enjoy the plane ride but taking an Uber from the airport is a challenge. I am getting better at this and once I get in the right car, I enjoy a short ride to my destination. My son is a former chef, restaurant manager and cookbook author so it is a little tricky for me to be the main one at the Thanksgiving stove. I get to assist and savor not only a taste here and there, but the time spent talking while I watch him perform kitchen magic. How he does it, I don’t know. He puts out a feast. For me, the fun began the day before when we did some last-minute shopping for groceries. How does he drive in this city traffic? Basically, I am in awe of everything and having the time of my life, but I feel a little like a country bumpkin, that’s bumpkin with a B not a P.

Because the kitchen is being well managed, I assign myself to the Buffet Table. I can do this. Setting a holiday buffet table is right up my alley (to use a very grandmotherly phrase). I enjoy selecting the right placement of items such as: should the rolls come first or last? Carrots and string beans go together, and I think there should be two bowls for the gravy. I pressed the gravy issue and got to try something that I saw on Food TV. The gravy was served in a fondue pot to keep it warm. Love it! Turkey, veggies, potatoes, gravy, rolls, Voila! – What a buffet.

       I can’t write about our meal without sharing a shocking truth. A life changing, reality altering, horrible truth. My once favorite brand of ice cream was not served. The holiday dessert table was loaded with yummy baked treats and several containers of what appeared to be ice cream. It was creamy and delicious. Did I over- indulge? Of course. And then… and then… I was told that my favorite ice cream had been replaced with a different frozen dessert. What! My world was shaken. Yes, I admit to jumping ship and embracing the newer brands; ones that offer fun new flavor combinations and a level of cream that doubles the calories. While I was spooning and savoring new products, my family abandoned ice cream and replaced it with a ‘frozen dessert.’ This was shocking news for the serious ice cream addict.

       Dinner was delicious, and because the truth about the ice cream was not shared with me until the next day, I enjoyed the meal. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving visit, and I had fun to being the sous chef. The biggest disadvantage to coming by plane is you can’t carry home a bag of leftovers. Were there any leftovers? Nope. All of the platters were licked clean. Could this have something to do with their thoughtful placement on the buffet table?