Friends,
Hello, and welcome to the Thanksgiving countdown.
Emily here. It’s hard to believe it’s been one year since our 2020 Thanksgiving post. Last year our minds were on “personal comfort levels,” and how that phrase as guidance can sometimes fail us.
Thanks to the power of antigens, this year’s holiday can feel like a return to pre-pandemic in many ways: extended family, larger food portions, more time on the road.
In other ways, it feels noticeably different than before. Something’s been shaken up, like the traditions and routines are now on their own shelf. It feels like we could go back to the drawing board—thinking through and redefining expectations, traditions and gatherings.
A small example of this: I used to feel somewhat guilty for being a vegetarian around this time. Veg life can translate to more coordination and dirty dishes, or changing things that are the norm, like using vegetable broth instead of chicken in the stuffing and baking some of it in a separate pan. This year, I feel absolved.
Why is that? I think it’s a combination of two factors: a newly gained perspective (“as long as we can all be together…”), combined with the needs-stating muscle being stronger now than in 2019.
Carrie, does any of this resonate?
Carrie: Emily! I love this idea of a “needs-stating muscle” and look forward to hearing how your veggie stuffing turns out. Maybe the pandemic forced us all to be more direct, and now we’re looking for a balance. This opinion piece in the NYT is food for thought on that front. Also, it feels telling that today the FDA approved boosters for all U.S. adults, and I am reminded how starkly different things felt last year.
Water Cooler Convo
Emily: Carrie, I am proud to say that I am finally reading Caste, Isabel Wilkerson’s nonfiction on America’s caste system. It’s a book I got this time a year ago and finally took it off the shelf. And so far… it’s amazing. Any good reads on your end?
Carrie: Presently I’m making my way through The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki. It’s a tome, but I have a hunch it’s one of those books that makes me rethink everything. Also not a book, but I’m also looking forward to listening to this interview about “remaking gathering” between Priya Parker and Krista Tippett.
Emily: Carrie, I must ask, what’s your FAVORITE Thanksgiving food, and why?
Carrie: Pumpkin pie, no doubt. I have a favorite memory of my mother making it every year. And now is it crazy that I’m also thinking that it counts toward my vegetable quota for the day? Does this make me TOO adult? You?
Emily: Probably not a huge surprise based on the above, but I’d have to say stuffing! When else do we get to eat buttery, salty, herby baked bread?
Readers! A final seasonal note: About one in 10 households in the U.S. does not have enough food in it. Find your local food bank, and donate canned or dry goods this year.
Have a scrumptious, cozy and peaceful Thanksgiving.
Your pals,
Carrie and Emily