 |
Don’t Be A Turkey!
Explore Your Options
|
 |
By Lois Malachowsky
As a “Jersey Girl,” the quintessential Thanksgiving was traditional in the extreme. We had a huge roasted turkey with sage and chestnut stuffing, green bean onion crisp casserole, mushroom soup, little pearl onions in cream sauce, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin, mince and
apple pies with hot, steaming coffee for dessert.
|
It was great weather for an after-dinner walk; you
could smell the musty odor of freshly raked leaves. But being nippy outside, if one wasn’t warmed by the bonfire
of freshly raked leaves, you could stay by a warm fire and comfy couch, enjoying a football game on a well-fed tummy. The season of gatherings with friends and family for
“the holidays” was under way.
Fast forward to South Florida: Thanksgiving is coming and it’s business-as-usual. Although you may be happy
to find (or have) the traditional turkey-day feast, Florida’s transient lifestyle offers many more options and not-so-
traditional traditions. Many folks don’t want the traditional, anyway; that’s one of the reasons they came here in the first place, to get away from old traditions and old memories and start anew in Florida’s warm and sunny November days.
Take stone crabs, for example. Fall marks the start of
the stone crab season and what better treat on Thanksgiving than a mound of these delicious morsels. Served hot with drawn butter or cold with mustard sauce, each claw holds “more than a
mouth-
|
|
|
ful.” And with nutcrackers, pick and cocktail fork it’s much easier to eat than a whole crab.
Of course, there is much to be said for the SoFla barbeque on Thanksgiving. Fire up the coals and smoke the turkey
or serve up traditional BBQ fare: ribs, chicken, burgers and hot dogs. The weather’s great (hurricane season ends in November!) and this celebration is most enjoyable at poolside with family and friends splashing off the rib sauce while watching the game on a patio TV. A casual game of water polo or b-ball can work up an appetite and keeps the kids busy while adults tend to grilling, relaxing, cocktailing
and other fun pursuits.
If you don’t have anything particular planned or anyone in particular to plan it with, there’s a feast held every year
at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach and the extended “family” continues to grow. Bring a covered dish and relax with new family and friends. There are battery-operated TVs for watching the game, and the smell of tasty food permeates the air. It starts at about noon-ish, with dinner at two-ish, breaking up at about five-ish — a very happy, mellow way to spend Thanksgiving on your own.
Although most malls and stores are closed on Thanksgiving Day, the movies are always open and many area restaurants offer their standard and holiday fare if the chore of cooking is just too much this year.
Finally, if all else fails, there is always the old adage,
“if you want to feel great, do something good for somebody else.” Donate canned food and hurricane supplies to the
firehouse to give to the needy. Work in a soup kitchen to
help feed the poor — there is no such thing as too many
volunteers. Put together all your old clothing, blankets and house wares and donate them to charity or the homeless shelter. Plan to volunteer as a mentor to a disadvantaged child or learn how to be a literacy tutor through the
local library.
Use the time to give thanks — we are so lucky to have all these different options to explore
Lois Malachowsky is a freelance writer in Coconut Creek.
E-mail her at malachowsky@theparklander.com
|
|
