# A preemptive Thanksgiving rant **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 23, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312 "2004-11-23T17:42:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/101 "2004-11-24T14:29:47Z")
I’m so glad that Polish Thanksgiving in the land of six involves things like Polish sausages, ham, pierogies, saurkraut and kielbasa. There’s usually some other stuff, but by and large we have a ton of good old Polish cooked pork. Only problem this year is what to feed my non-pork eating male. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/102 "2004-11-24T14:39:53Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > I cooked it according to the recipe you gave, and the berries burst on cue. I cooked past the bursting stage for the full time given. Maybe I cooked it too long? Mind, it taste wonderful, but it is, y’know, runny. As I said, a little runniness is normal. If it’s too runny for your taste, maybe you could reheat it with a little gelatin? I’m glad you like the taste. ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/103 "2004-11-24T14:46:59Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > I cooked it according to the recipe you gave, and the berries burst on cue. I cooked past the bursting stage for the full time given. Maybe I cooked it too long? Mind, it taste wonderful, but it is, y’know, runny. > > **Auntie Em** , sorry, but your recipe hasn’t arrived in my inbox yet. Huh. I sent it last night after work. I will try again right now. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/104 "2004-11-24T15:08:40Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > Is what I’m sayin. It is against my religion to eat anything the same color as Lucille Ball’s hair. But, your souffle sounds actually pretty yummy… gots the recipe handy? Sure. 1 cup milk 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp salt 3 tb butter 1 ts nutmeg 2 cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes 2 eggs, separated Scald the milk. Beat the egg yolks and sweet potatoes together until fluffy. Be sure the sweet potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Beat together the salt, sugar, butter, nutmeg, milk, and potato-egg mixture thoroughly. Whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold them in carefully. Bake in a 350[sup]o[/sup] oven for 50-60 minutes. The orange sauce is 1/3 cup sugar 3 Tb cornstarch 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup orange juice - low pulp works best 1/4 cup Grand Marnier 1 tsp grated orange rind Combine the sugar, salt and cornstarch over medium heat. Whisk in juice and Grand Marnier. Bring to a boil, cook about a minute to thicken. Keep stirring it. Remove it from heat, and stir in the grated orange peel. Serve hot. I have considered trying the sauce with cranberry juice, but I can’t find a cranberry liqueur to correspond. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/105 "2004-11-24T15:12:35Z")
**Auntie em** –this one arrived. The brownie recipe looks yummy! I already have all the ingredients except for the bittersweet choclate, and I can pick that up when I buy the wine at Trader Joe’s after work. ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/106 "2004-11-24T15:13:44Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > **Auntie em** –this one arrived. The brownie recipe looks yummy! I already have all the ingredients except for the bittersweet choclate, and I can pick that up when I buy the wine at Trader Joe’s after work. Lovely. Hope it doesn’t come out runny. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/107 "2004-11-24T15:23:28Z")
Don’t get me wrong on this, I like turkey a lot, but why the near-religious devotion to turkey on Thanksgiving? Especially for a small gathering, I’d like to think outside the giblet bag and have roast beef as the main course. I also happen to live on the Right Coast, in the land of fresh seafood, so something like baked sea bass would be nice, too. Any turkey I make is never completely eaten after a week, and I think that’s a waste. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/108 "2004-11-24T18:57:02Z")
People are probably devoted to large, roasted turkey on Thanksgiving because not many people eat turkey outside of the holiday season. When we used to raise them, we had turkey for every “special” day, from birthdays to holidays to “today feels special let’s have turkey.” But now that I’m forced to rely on the grocery store for all my poultry needs, turkey is too expensive per pound, and cooking it up for dinner is just too much work. I don’t know, I think it’s nice to have something a little special for the holidays, and if you don’t eat turkey the rest of the year, then it can be special. I eat beef all the time, on the other hand. Of course, two years ago I said “screw it” and had a Mexican Feast–fajitas, enchiladas, nachos with homemade tortilla chips, etc etc. That was fun too. > [@](#): > > pepperlandgirl, I love you and I want to bear your children, but seriously, I’m so glad I’m not eating at your house. Mock mashed potatoes? That’s a hangable offense, and I believe it violates international gastronomic treaty. Oh, I know, I know. Hopefully next Thanksgiving, I’ll be able to eat “regular” food. That’s my goal, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/109 "2004-11-24T19:45:12Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > Ahem, are you calling my Tennessee ancestors Yankees? The mind boggles! (Although I guess to people in Looziana, anywhere north of Shreveport is Yankeeland). 😃 gobear, Gotta go with DtC on this one. Sugar? You’re supposed to be making cornbread, not cake. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![smartini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@smartini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smartini)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/110 "2004-11-24T20:31:06Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > My recipe (which goes back to at least my great grandmother on my mother’s side) is so old school south that it actually calls for the batter to be poured into hot bacon grease. I use canola oil instead. It’s my one concession to my family’s arteries. Yes! _Except_ while you are making the cornbread batter (from scratch and with _no sugar)_ , you heat the cast iron skillet in the oven. Then before you pour the batter in the skillet you put any excess oil from the skillet into the batter. Lot’s of sizzling going on and crusty, yummy cornbread. Which then goes into making _dressing_ not stuffing 🙂 When it is cooked in the pan it is dressing and when it is cooked in the bird it is stuffing. At least _from my neck of the woods._ You’ve got to have the requisite sweet potato dish on Thanksgiving. I mean, come on, it’s even the right color for a fall meal! My daughter does a super souffle but they are even good just baked, split and buttered. Or baked, sliced, covered with brown sugar-cinnamon-butter topping and baked again. And another vote for lots and lots of gravy made with the drippings in the turkey roasting pan. I actually think everyone should get their own gravy boat…kind of like a water glass! Ha! Another Thanksgiving rule is: Thou shalt not diet on this day! ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/111 "2004-11-24T20:34:34Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Don’t get me wrong on this, I like turkey a lot, but why the near-religious devotion to turkey on Thanksgiving? What Pepperlandgirl said, plus it’s the tryptophan. What would Thanksgiving be without a roomful of people holding their bloated bellies and falling asleep while the Lions game echoes through the house? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/112 "2004-11-24T20:36:06Z")
> [@Smartini](#): > > And another vote for lots and lots of gravy made with the drippings in the turkey roasting pan. I actually think everyone should get their own gravy boat…kind of like a water glass! Ha! My soulmate! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/113 "2004-11-24T20:59:15Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > What Pepperlandgirl said, plus it’s the tryptophan. What would Thanksgiving be without a roomful of people holding their bloated bellies and falling asleep while the Lions game echoes through the house? **Lib** , since this board is about fighting ignorance, we might as well dispense with the tryptophan myth right now. Eating turkey does not make you sleepy. Turkey does contain tryptophan, true. And tryptophan causes drowsiness, also true. But only when it is a) not from a protein source, and b) taken on an empty stomach. So where does the drowsiness come from? Largely from overindulgence. [Cite.](http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/turkey.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/114 "2004-11-24T21:06:56Z")
> [@Tdn](#): > > So where does the drowsiness come from? Largely from overindulgence. Or maybe from watching the Detroit Lions. 😉 Thanks for setting the record straight. I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/115 "2004-11-24T21:11:05Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Or maybe from watching the Detroit Lions. 😉 Thanks for setting the record straight. I stand corrected. No problem. This misconception being batted around as fact is starting to really bug me. I’m happy I could shed some light on it. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/116 "2004-11-24T22:58:23Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Sure. > > 1 cup milk > 1/2 cup sugar > 1/2 tsp salt > 3 tb butter > 1 ts nutmeg > 2 cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes > 2 eggs, separated > Scald the milk. Beat the egg yolks and sweet potatoes together until fluffy. Be sure the sweet potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Beat together the salt, sugar, butter, nutmeg, milk, and potato-egg mixture thoroughly. Whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold them in carefully. Bake in a 350[sup]o[/sup] oven for 50-60 minutes. > > The orange sauce is > > 1/3 cup sugar > 3 Tb cornstarch > 1/2 tsp salt > 1 cup orange juice - low pulp works best > 1/4 cup Grand Marnier > 1 tsp grated orange rind > > Combine the sugar, salt and cornstarch over medium heat. Whisk in juice and Grand Marnier. Bring to a boil, cook about a minute to thicken. Keep stirring it. > > Remove it from heat, and stir in the grated orange peel. Serve hot. > > I have considered trying the sauce with cranberry juice, but I can’t find a cranberry liqueur to correspond. > > Regards, > Shodan 🙂 Thank you. The closest I can think of on the cranberry liqueur would be Chambord… blackberry. But it may be sweet enough to offset the tart in the cranberry. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/117 "2004-11-24T23:22:41Z")
We had a huge Thanksgiving lunch at work today and I have been so stuffed I’ve been in “I never wanna eat again (hah!) mode” all afternoon, but reading the rest of this thread has me hungry all over again. Could y’all just imagine a Doper Thanksgiving feast? All the culinary delights we’d have at the table? The camaraderie? The sparkling conversation? The food fight afterwards? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/118 "2004-11-24T23:23:57Z")
The mad rush for the door when it comes time to clean up… ---
**Author:** ![JayElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@JayElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JayElle)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/119 "2004-11-25T00:46:22Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > [Oh and while we’re on food rants, can we just give those green, red, and yellow Hell-o moldsa rest this year? Why do you insist on making things that look like congealed snot, blood and pee? What’s even worse is, that’s what they taste like too. They are the work of demon possessed church ladies! I don’t want to see one sitting in front of me while I’m trying to eat. GAAAAAAAAAAH!!! Then don’t look at the November issue of _Southern Living_ - they’re trying to stage a comeback. And _my_ cornbread dressing contains turkey giblets, so there! ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312/120 "2004-11-25T00:57:11Z")
> [@JayElle](#): > > Then don’t look at the November issue of _Southern Living_ - they’re trying to stage a comeback. > > And _my_ cornbread dressing contains turkey giblets, so there! Demon possessed church ladies are trying to stage a comeback? :eek: My cornbread dressing contains chunks of chicken and is super moist. So There! 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-preemptive-thanksgiving-rant/276312.md?page=7)