Turkey?

I have come to the conclusion that I don't much like Thanksgiving food. Thanksgiving, the day itself, is a fine concept- a nondenominational holiday set aside to remind us to give thanks for what we have. But the food? Turkey is about the most boring meat that there is and is tolerable only if it has not been overcooked. To cover the blandness of the turkey most people turn to gravy.

Gravy is a hit or miss item. Some gravy is fabulous and savory. Other times gravy is just thick and salty. Stuffing is also hit or miss. Basic stuffing is great. Sometimes it seems that the chef will get a bit overconfident and toss in raisins (ew I don't like 'em even if they are nature's candy) or too many onions or apples that make it just too sweet.Vegtable choices seem to vary by table. Some families throw one or two on out of obligation. Others do elaborate veggie spreads (which seems proportional to number of vegetarians in attendance).

Growing up, Thanksgiving meant going to my dad's and spending the holiday with my stepmom's family, all of whom are lovely people, but mainly average cooks (with the exception of one uncle of Italian descent, married into the family, obviously). Until the my mid teenage years my dad seemed to spend a lot of the meal pleading with me to eat more than just the mashed potatoes and dinner rolls. Appetizer were fabulous- fancy crackers and chips and cheeses... and the only-on-special-occasions Shrimp Cocktail(....I should mention now that my stepmom is Catholic). Dessert was heavenly- cookies, pies, cakes, and sometimes even ice cream.

But the actual Thanksgiving meal of turkey and trimmings? Eh. Give me a steak any day.