A Thanksgiving Family Tradition

I grew up with the traditional big family Thanksgiving dinner, first at home with my parents, then visiting them after we grew up, and finally at my brother's once he and Lisa took over.  After Jackie and I moved to Washington, we still went back to California at least a couple of times.  I think the last time I went back was 1999, the year my dad died a few days later, on November 30.  I went back at Thanksgiving to see him one last time, and it was indeed the last time.

In any case, I think starting the next year, we decided to go out for Thanksgiving dinner.  Neither Jackie nor I like to cook, and we aren't big fans of turkey, and I don't like most of the stuff that is usually served with it, like stuffing or cranberry sauce, so we celebrated at a restaurant.  Not every year, but most years since then, we have gone to Black Angus on Thanksgiving.  We started going to that restaurant because, even though it is not really a restaurant that caters to kids, they had enclosed booths with high walls, so we could corral the kids and keep them from bothering other customers.  Over time, it developed into our thing to do.

We only go to Black Angus once most years, so we don't get tired of it.  We eat a light breakfast, then go to the restaurant between 1:00 and 2:00.  We order everything we want: appetizers, salads, steaks, mushrooms.  Not dessert, because we get pecan pie and cheesecake (for Jarrod) at Costco and have that waiting at home.  Usually we don't get wine anymore, but we used to.  I'm not sure if they will serve a traditional turkey dinner if you want it, but none of us ever ask.  I get prime rib every year, with the mushrooms.

We go around the table and talk about what we're thankful for (although this year was pretty lame, I have to say), but mostly we just eat, talk, eat some more, and bring home leftovers.  This year it was a chance to catch up with Lucas a bit, because he is living on campus at UW.  And then we go home, and the rest of the day and the weekend is free, and it's great.  It was greater when I was working all the time, because I almost never got four-day weekends, and if I did it was so we could take a trip, so it always seemed to me that I had this huge stretch of free time after the Thursday meal.  It was a holiday I really looked forward to.

The strange thing about eating at a restaurant on Thanksgiving Day is...that it's not so strange.  Black Angus is packed on Thanksgiving; it is probably their biggest day of the year.  You have to call a few weeks early to get a reservation.  If you come without one, you just have to hope that someone doesn't show, because they are booked solid, even at 1:00 (we had to take 1:15 this year because 1:00 was filled.)  If you are in our situation, with extended family mostly far away, it makes a lot of sense.  We don't stress out trying to do shopping the week before (except the desserts), we don't have to get ready for guests, we don't prepare any food, and we don't have to clean up afterward.  It's just easy, and it's still family, and it's still food, and everyone seems to like it.