Thankful

Another Thanksgiving done and in the books. We went, as we always do, to the Aunts house in Queens. This trio of women are getting on in years (now respectively 89, 91 and 95 years old). They always refuse our offer to host Thanksgiving or to do the cooking for Thanksgiving (and bring it to their house). However, the heavy lifting of feeding a group of people is becoming burdensome so this year (a first) they catered part of the meal. They ordered a turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie from a local Italian place in Maspeth. We went and picked it up on our way in.

However, as expected, they personally cooked a plethora of steamed root vegetables and the dreaded sweet potatoes coated with marshmallow, a foodstuff I will never consume. As we sat down to our meal, we discussed the usual topics: local sports, politics, their recollections of New York during the Aunts' younger years, health issues, flashers on the New York subway and The Purina National Dog Show (coincidentally also on the television; congratulations to the Best In Show Golden Retriever).

The scrutiny of the catered food was the highlight. As people get older, the world gets narrower. The key aspects of conversation focus on the weather, food (their last meal and when one might have their next meal) and health issues. I've learned not to ask Aunt Fran how she's doing. It becomes a 30 minute discourse.

So here are some highlights from the dinner conversation.

Aunt Fran: Oh this turkey tastes strange.
Aunt Stella: (exasperated) Why does it taste strange, Fran? It tastes very delicious.
Aunt Fran: It has some weird spice on it.
Cousin Barbara: I think it has some sage and thyme on it.
Aunt Fran: Why do people need to over spice meat? That whole spicing thing is too much.
Cousin Barbara: Thyme and sage are pretty traditional seasonings for turkey.
Aunt Fran: Not in my day. This is pretty spicy.
Aunt Stella: For Crissakes, Fran! It's traditional turkey. Just eat it.

Aunt Stella: This gravy is very thin.
Aunt Bert: Maybe they forgot to stir it and left all the thick part at the bottom of the pan.
Aunt Stella: It needs more flour.
Cousin Barbara: Maybe they made it more thin. They are Italians.
Aunt Stella: Who needs this watery stuff for gravy? It should be thick.
Aunt Fran: The turkey is over seasoned. The gravy doesn't help that.

Aunt Bert: Who wants pumpkin pie?
Aunt Fran: I do!
Aunt Stella: It looks strange, Bert. It's pretty brown.
(Slices are doled out)
Aunt Fran: Oh, this is awful. It's too sweet.
Aunt Bert: It's a nice crust. But it is too sweet. We should have gotten our pumpkin pie from John's Bakery. The do a nice pie.
Aunt Stella: This is no good.

Aunt Fran: Can I have more cauliflower, please?
Aunt Stella: I'm glad you like my vegetables, Fran.
Aunt Fran: I like this because this is how food should taste. We were poor when we grew up and food was plain and wholesome.
Me: You mean bland?
Aunt Fran: Wholesome. And without all that sage and thyme stuff.

My world. Welcome to it.