Thanksgiving was one of my favorite holidays growing up. It
was a fun secular event and I ate lobster. What’s not to like?
My father’s family owned a Jewish Kosher deli in
Massachusetts. It was started by my Grandfather and passed down to my Dad and
his 2 brothers. On Thanksgiving Day the ‘store’ as we called the restaurant,
was busy with take out orders, including turkey dinners. The restaurant would
finally close around 4 or 5 PM.
All the Weintraubs would gather at a restaurant (not ours) around
6 PM for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a private room to accommodate the 20+ of
us. We ordered off the special holiday menu and only my Grandmother would order
turkey dinner. The rest of us would
order lobster, or duck or when the boys were adolescents, rump roast because
saying 'rump' to a waitress put them into giggle fits.
After dinner we watched old home movies and laughed over the
sight of our young parents. We would shout out the names of older relatives as
they passed the screen. We enjoyed the same movies every
year.
At the end of the evening my Grandmother would pass out her
Chanukah gift to us. It was always a generous check. The next week she would
leave for Florida missing Chanukah. It was a perfect ending to a fun holiday
celebration giving me a lifetime of great memories that I am very thankful to
conjure up this time of year.
Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving memory or food you must
eat on the Holiday?
19 comments:
Love this, and we often celebrate Chanukah and Thanksgiving together because it's the only time my sister and her family can join us. I remember going to my aunt and uncle's apartment in Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan every Thanksgiving growing up, and having a great time with my cousins. I'm feeling kind of nostalgic for that now!
Yes Chanukah and Thanksgiving, Family and Cousins! Not as lucky as last year to have Thanksgivukah but still they go together!
The one thing I missed growing up was grandparents. My only living grandma died when I was 9. What beautiful memories to have! I'll takemy tturkey or stuffing! It's a very special recipe out of a cookbook that has to be 60 or 70 years old (stuffing). Mom and I fix it every year together.
Great Rena that you are setting new traditions! Yummy stuffing, is there anything better?
My favorite memory from childhood. Please remember I grew up in the south and I'm a generation removed from the trailer park. This story starts out like a train wreck but it really is a favorite family memory: We were at my uncle's farm in northern Arkansas and instead of turkey my dad and his brother decided to BBQ farm chickens. But they started drinking and forgot the birds until they were a charred mess. Needless to say my mother wasn't amused and we had jello salads, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and rolls for dinner. LOL
Laura that is funny. Oh those jello salads! I had an Aunt that used to make a lovely one. I tried a few years back and it was a lot of work and I feel bad I was disrespectful to the jello salad and the maker!
Super sweet story. You know I've never eaten lobster (not that I can remember lol). Hmmmm - just lots of family and lots of food. That's always a good thing!
Hi Haralee! I've never eaten lobster on Thanksgiving but it's a great example of how it isn't really WHAT we are eating but all the memories surrounding the holiday. I happen to think some of the things I do now are the "better" memories for me because I am working so much to establish gratitude as a habit that it feels much stronger and nearer and dearer to my heart. Whatever works is what's important to me! Thank you for helping me see that. ~Kathy
The fun and good food is what it is about Toni but I have to say Lobster is not too bad either.
Now that I live on the west Coast and can not get lobster with out a co-signer I really miss it. When I go east to visit family they all know that with-in 48 hours I need to be one with my lobster!
I think you are right Kathy. As a kid our Thanksgiving was so much fun and sincere. It could be that no one was put out, no one was slaving in the kitchen, no one was acting obnoxious because we were in a public place? It lent opportunity for everyone to just have a good time from a child's perspective.
Thanksgiving reminds me of the family gatherings we used to have with our grandparents. All the traditional meal offerings, mixed with family favorites.
BNS it is great memory time of year!
Thank you for sharing your family's traditions. Makes me happy to picture it!
We are typically turkey people. Getting eager to have 20+ loved ones around the table. I'm still excited to sit at the Grown Up Table!
We now share Thanksgiving with 2 other families who all love to cook and like each other. It is a fun time but no lobster! I am thinking of a shrimp appetizer so at least I will have some sea food after reliving my lobster nostalgia.
We had traditional foods at my grandmother's house and I miss those days (and those people). I cook my mom, and grandmother's recipes and think of them every day.
I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, whether you eat Lobster or charred chickens like one person commented!
Teresa from NanaHood.com
Thanks Teresa, and Happy Thanksgiving to you too! I do enjoy some of the recipes that are traditional from my Mother, Dad, and Grandmother but they are usually for other Holidays. I do miss the debate of stuffing inside or outside the turkey. I like it inside and my Dad insisted outside because of the health issues from his restaurant days.
I love my family rituals. I'm headed to the farmer's market to get oranges, apples and bananas for the ambrosia that goes back at least 3 generations and that I'll serve in my grandmother's bowls. Have a wonderful holiday.
Sounds good Connie. Ambrosia that is something you don't see that often any longer. Good for you to uphold the family traditions!
Home movies! What great memories. Thanks for sharing your family tradition with us.
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