Anyone having Thanksgiving in a restaurant?

[NNadir]

For the first time in about 25 years, my family is.

It's in New York City.

I'm not really crazy about the idea, but some out of town family is flying in to do it, including some people I last saw when they were children and who are now parents themselves.

[TexasTowelie]

1. The turkey that I will be eating on Thanksgiving day

will be coming out of the Hungry Man TV dinner box. It will be another lonely holiday.

[NNadir]

4. And yet...

...you are more connected with the world than most people.

I am personally always amazed with all the things you find and see and bring here. There is alone and empty and alone with vision.

The latter has its own special depth and wonder.

I'm a fan of yours.

[blm]

12. ✔️

[TexasTowelie]

24. Thank you.

I worked a variety of positions before I started my professional career after graduating from college including newspaper layout editor, chemistry lab assistant, mathematics tutor and pizza delivery driver. I've also had to receive social assistance since my professional career ended so I've had the opportunity to live an upper-middle class lifestyle and the misfortune of living in poverty. Needless to say, it has given me tremendous insight to view the blessings and curses of our socioeconomic system.

It's been seven years since I've celebrated any holiday with anybody. Most of my family live too far away to visit, while the family members that live nearby are opinionated, right-wingers who have very little concern for anything besides the amount of money in their bank accounts so it has sometimes been a blessing not having to associate with them. Regrettably, the holiday season brings out the worst of my bipolar disorder and taking another pill doesn't seem to help when this time of year occurs. I'll probably be watching football on TV on Thursday and Friday while trying to keep up with my high school football team which is undefeated and still in the playoffs.

I do miss eating the Thanksgiving meal though since it was really the only "family" event I celebrated for the past 20 years. Trying to attend a meal at a restaurant or at a shelter presents its own set of challenges ranging from transportation to discomfort eating with dentures.

[femmocrat]

48. We ordered our dinner from the supermarket.

Do you have a local market? We managed to find turkey and “fixings” from our local grocery store. They have lots of prepared options. Beats eating a frozen dinner!
Wishing you a peaceful holiday, Towelie.

[NNadir]

63. This Thanksgiving, I will be thankful...

...that some of your fellow DUers have taken the opportunity to let you know how much we appreciate your work here.

I'm sure that many others would do so if they noticed this thread.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

73. That's terrible

[TexasTowelie]

74. Since we have never had a friendly relationship,

I doubt you are concerned about my well-being.

I did have a good Thanksgiving though. And since you recently inquired about my employment status (which was an intimidation tactic), I'm doing well enough and I'm able to afford what I need along with a few luxuries on the side.

[hlthe2b]

34. +1

[msongs]

6. well thank you for all the good stuff you do right here on DU

[TexasTowelie]

25. I've always felt a need to make a contribution to society.

After all of the futile efforts at completing job applications, being here at DU is one of the few things that I can do that is making a difference. I've been helping my brother out with organizational tasks and computer work recently on his new job so I do have some purpose, but in comparison to what I did in my career and also helping to tutor a few students while employed, my contributions to society are not as satisfying.

[enough]

9. Thanks to you, TexasTowlie, I know a lot more about

what’s happening in my own state (PA) than I ever did before.

[TexasTowelie]

26. You're welcome.

I saw a niche that needed to be filled so I decided to step up to the plate. Working as a state employee and interacting with other state employees at various agencies provided a lot of knowledge and expertise about issues that we should all care about more.

[magicarpet]

55. I copy you on that...

Thanks to you, TexasTowlie, I know a lot more about what’s happening in my own state (PA) than I ever did before.

*******

I am from Maine,
And the news you bring to DU about Maine is just astounding.

You are not flying solo. Many here at DU recognize and appreciate your efforts to share information and help keep us posted on news and current events.

You are a beacon of light that keep those here who frequent DU informed and up to date. You are one of the important resources who keeps this machine lubricated, operational, and humming along.

[Skittles]

11. those dinners pack a punch

I'll be nuking some frozen turkey at work.

[TexasTowelie]

27. Yes they do.

Fortunately, I only eat two or three turkey TV dinners per year. At least I don't have to wake up at 6 a.m. to start the oven and keep basting the bird until dinner.

[Auggie]

31. Been there ...

[TexasTowelie]

32. I'm secretly hoping that the H.E.B. might have some rotisserie turkey breasts for sale

on Wednesday.

[Auggie]

33. Great idea ...

If turkey isn't available there's no reason you couldn't have rotisserie chicken. The idea is still there.

Bon appétit!

[MFM008]

37. Sorry

If you were in WA you could share my 12 pounder...

[TexasTowelie]

38. Road trip!

Maybe if I was riding in a decent ride with some friends, but I don't think that I'll attempt that journey on the Greyhound bus.

Thanks though.

[MFM008]

69. lets share it anyway!

[patricia92243]

39. #4 says it all.

[TexasTowelie]

41. Thank you.

I'm going to find some way to tough it out. At least there will be food at home to eat so I should be thankful.

[DonaldsRump]

52. I'll echo the sentiment

We all need to be thankful to have someone like you, TexasTowellie, keeping us informed about so many things.

I often wonder how you can find and post so much here, and then I realize you're fighting the very good fight for the cause.

To repeat, I am VERY thankful for all that you do here! You have tons of friends!

[blm]

2. Did it one year in LA. Not too bad, and no clean up. 😉

[NNadir]

7. My wife and I used to do every year when we were first married and lived in the South Bay.

The Kettle, in Manhattan Beach.

The last time we did it was in San Diego, as guests of my wife's uncle. It was decades ago.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

28. Omigod, my dear NNadir!

I happen to live in Manhattan Beach, and I drive by The Kettle every time I go downtown! It's been there as long as I remember.

The town is a lot more gentrified now than it probably was when you lived here. We've been here since 1968!

Talk about a small world...

[NNadir]

36. Yes Peg. I know you live in Manhattan Beach. I'm glad to know the Kettle is still there.

I never actually lived in Manhattan Beach, but I lived in Hermosa in the early 1970's on and off, and after I married and returned to California with my wife, we lived for some time in Redondo Beach before moving to San Diego.

It's probably been 5 or 10 years since I've visited the South Bay. I saw the changes. It's way up scale now, but wasn't when I lived there.

Except for being newly married, it wasn't necessarily a good time in my life, but I went to California to escape some pain, and it helped, the Either/Or bookstore, and the runs between the Piers, Hermosa and Manhattan and Uncle Bills for Breakfast.

[Leith]

3. Yup

At a Vegas buffet. Instead of cleaning up afterwards, I will play a little video poker until the stuffed feeling is over. Then it's back to in-laws for cards and/or Dominoes.

A mostly quiet day, fun games with the family - my kind of celebration.

[The empressof all]

5. LOL, My SO and I were talking about this last night

I have hosted every Thanksgiving for the past thirty years. I love/hate doing it and every year I pronounce it will be my last. It's a lot of work but who else will make the Stuffing just right and no one else can make the spinach pie. We were talking about it last night and thinking about it. And I realized that the one we talk about the most and recall most vividly is the ONE time we went to a restaurant. My husband to this day rails on and on about how it was just not good and was sooooo much money. So go, enjoy your family and know that you are making memories to complain about for years to come.

[C_U_L8R]

8. Advantage. No cooking or cleaning.

Disadvantage. No second-helpings or leftovers.

[SouthernIrish]

10. Sure are

Very small family (2). No aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Just Mom, me and my boyfriend. No cooking. No mess. No Republican family. Yay!

[MLAA]

13. Husband and I going to a vegan restaurant with 7 friends

Then we’ll all go to the recently released move Knives Out 🙂. Can’t wait!

[smirkymonkey]

20. Oh, definitely report back after the movie to give us your review!

I really want to see it, but would like to hear what people think before I spend money in the theater.

[MLAA]

22. Will do. The cast looked amazing so I have high expectations 😉

[TlalocW]

14. I did it once

It was the first time in my 30-odd year life I didn't have Thanksgiving with family. Mom had to go from Kansas to Oregon to help out her sister with something, and the rest of the family decided to scatter so I went to St. Louis to visit a high school friend, and we went to a local restaurant famous for their all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving dinners, had two plates each, and then the next day flew to Florida to meet up with a third friend so they could go to Epcot Center/Disney World while I auditioned for Cirque du Soleil. Didn't get in, but I was able to write part of it off on my taxes.

TlalocW

[whistler162]

15. My mother and I did it for a few years

Buffett style. It was okay, good if you eat a bit. Crowded.

[TruckFump]

16. I need a left hip replacement.

Having dinner at a restaurant this year.

[whistler162]

46. I think you want to get the

hip[ replacement at a hospital.

Good luck with the surgery when you get it. My mom's had both done and it has helped. After the left one she was out of rehab and driving in less than two weeks.

[Laffy Kat]

17. It's actually a great idea.

Unfortunately, it means restaurant employees will not have the holiday off. I guess it will be a good day for tips, though. OTOH, I will never support a retail store for making their staff work on TG.

[whistler162]

47. The ones I have gone to

Local restaurants have had shifts, you arrive at x O'clock and eat. They have only run until 3 pm or so. So they earn money and they get to have dinner with family

[Laffy Kat]

58. Excellent. nt

[Laffy Kat]

18. About twelve years ago, my sister and I..

Met in Pine Bluff, AR take my elderly aunt out for TG dinner. Her town was about 30 miles from PB. She was a hoarder and we could barely stand to even walk in her house, let alone her kitchen. The only place open for TG dinner was a Sizzler Steak House in Monticello, AR. It was a buffet-style set up with all the traditional food and, of course, steak if you so desired. We made the best of it. We were her only family and she was not a popular person in her small town at that point. It was a cool, cloudy, gloomy day. We ate, took her home, hugged her, and left. We both flew back to our respective homes early the next day. It felt like what it was: an obligation. Still, I'm glad we did it.

[TexasBushwhacker]

19. Going to my 90 year old aunt's assisted living facility

They have a very nice cafeteria. She really doesn't like to leave the place anymore, although we managed to celebrate her 90th birthday at an Olive Garden. It will be her, my cousins, their kids, and their kids kids.

[NNadir]

44. That is likely to be a memorable and beautiful...

...Thanksgiving.

Thank you for being you.

[TexasBushwhacker]

66. And she has a new great granddaughter due any day!

So if we don't a new baby for Thanksgiving, we'll have one for Christmas.

[Xolodno]

21. Did so once.

The day after I buried my father. Wife and I were not in the mood to cook nor were my siblings, for obvious reasons. But we were hungry and had to eat...in fact, when we got to the restaurant, we didn't want the "Thanksgiving Menu"...but didn't have a choice. Either way, Claim Jumper did do a good job.

The year before, I smoked a turkey and it came out perfect...my father said that was the best turkey he ever had. I've never been able to recreate that.

[NNadir]

45. My mother died the day before Thanksgiving.

It was a hard time. I don't recall exactly but I think we made sandwiches.

Some years later, right after Thanksgiving, I married the woman of my dreams in Lake Tahoe, just after a blizzard. It made the holiday wonderful again.

[tanyev]

23. How about nothing at all?

Leftover pizza and maybe go see a movie. And I will be so very, very thankful for that! This country's obsession with holidays is out of control and it seems like I get more irritated with it every year.

[ProfessorGAC]

43. We're Close

Wife found a small(!) Turkey breast, and will bake sweet potatoes and box stuffing.
Just the 2 of us. I'll pop open a can of cranberry sauce. She can live without it, but I love it on poultry.
That and flipping between football and cooking shows will be our day.

[whistler162]

62. Yup.... small turkey breast and

turkey legs with Bob Evans mashed potatoes(pre-everything except for butter), store-bought dressing and some kind of vegetable. Bought cider yesterday.

[comradebillyboy]

29. My wife and I will have Thanksgiving dinner at a Furr's Cafeteria.

Neither one of us has relatives closer than 1500 miles and the folks in line there are a congenial lot. The food is pretty good too.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

30. This year I'm going to a casino with some friends.

Hooray! It should be grand fun.

In my formative years (ages 20-30) I was an airline ticket agent at National Airport in Washington, DC. Meaning I worked almost all holidays. One year I worked Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and Thursday, Thanksgiving day itself. I was scheduled for a turnaround, meaning the night before and the next morning.

That day flights not only ran late, but one flight, the one from DCA to Elmira, Ithaca, and Utica, cancelled because the inbound flight didn't arrive. Weather problems, I think, but this was a very long time ago so I don't recall all of the specifics. Anyway, the night flight to Elmira, Ithaca, and Utica, was rescheduled for the next day. Meanwhile, the agent working with me that night was off the next day. Another girl (and oh, yes, we were girls. This was 1970, maybe 1971) was scheduled the next day. I was working turnaround, as mentioned above. So I had to be there the next morning at 6:30 am. While I didn't live too far from the airport, I knew that going home (no car, I took the bus which was really very good at least back then and I hope it is as good today) would take up enough time that I'd be lucky to get four hours of sleep. We had a back room with a cot. I asked a friend who worked an overnight shift at one of the rental car agencies to please wake me up at 6am. He did so, with a cup of coffee in hand. Bless him.

I pulled myself together and went to work. The passengers who had seen me the night before were all astonished to see me the next morning and almost universally asked, "Did you spend the night at the airport?" in obvious horror. I cheerfully lied and said no. But I must have looked like I spent the night there.

My point is that I've worked Thanksgiving, and am highly appreciative that I no longer do so. And yes, the casino thing this year should be giant fun.

[regnaD kciN]

35. Same here...

...mainly because my son can’t take off time from university this year, so we’re driving up to see him. As it turns out, the only Thanksgiving dinner up there that wasn’t completely sold out was at the Skagit casino resort (fortunately, he’s 21, so that isn’t a problem). I must admit the irony of Thanksgiving dinner served at a Native American casino is pretty hard to overlook.

[doc03]

40. Me and some other retired single guys are going to the local truck stop

buffet. Last year we went to a buffet at a casino, spent 30 minutes standing in the pay line and another 30 minutes going through the buffet line. Never again.

[blaze]

42. Years ago, I worked at a 24/7 coffee shop

We were all required to work a 4 hour shift on the big holidays. But were also free to swap shifts with coworkers... so long as the shifts were covered. This worked very well.

It was the only time our cooks could go off menu and our Greek, immigrant chef loved the opportunity to fix up a full Thanksgiving meal.

We were a very busy coffee shop and were usually all about the speed and turning tables... but on Thanksgiving, the atmosphere was completely different. Customers were much more relaxed and I think we made their experience special in our own way.

I have very fond memories of those Thanksgivings.

[CrispyQ]

57. I love your story!

When business can do something like that even for a day, it's cool to be a part of that, on either the customer or employee side.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

49. Actually the last time was in New York about ten years ago at Sardis. It was disgusting. Cranky

waiter, inedible food, and worst of all my martini was served in a glass that must’ve come directly from the dishwasher it was so warm. Oh, the meal cost us nearly $200.00. 🤬

[NNadir]

50. Well, this year I'll be a vegetarian eating...

...at a steakhouse.

It should be interesting and fun, with the price fixe menu.

My son's have apparently taken up red meat eating, and my wife has always eaten turkey and chicken, but apparently they put sausage in the stuffing.

It's ok. It's not really about food for me; it's about family, although I don't know about how much family interaction is actually possible in a restaurant with more than 20 people at the table.

[onetexan]

51. Well this year due to a kiddo's illness we are not traveling to join the rest of the family

So the hubby decided we will have a Jewish Xmas - chinese food fine by me i wont have to cook we are planning to just order out and enjoy the day at home watching football.

[lark]

53. I tried to talk the family into this, but no one else wanted to.

Our daughter and her husband are in Brazil until the first of Dec. so there will only be 5 of us for Thanksgiving dinner, possibly 6. My husband (the grand cook), and my son (budding cook) had food they wanted to try making, so we are going forward with the home prepared feast. Our family has dwindled considerably over the years with dad, mom, and Uncle Olen's passing and Aunt Juanita moving back to Wa. but the food hasn't decreased that much. Luckily our son and his roommate will take the majority of the left-overs, so we don't waste the food.

Also really glad we are all Democrats or left leaning (except for the roommate, so hope he doesn't come). My sisters' boyfriend is a Democrat, but sometimes has unusual takes on things, so can't wait to hear what he has to say about the impeachment.

[UniteFightBack]

72. Your dwindling family comment reminds me of mine and my sister said her husband was making

lasagna for the people who don't like turkey and I said...WHAT PEOPLE???? We had a laugh and moved on.

Not a day later she's on the phone with me telling me to pick up cornbread for 'the people' that don't like stuffing!?!?

I just gave up and bought the damn corn bread.

[MissMillie]

54. We're not, but we considered it

Our over-sized, combined families make it difficult to coordinate. And this year, mom is in a long-term care facility.

Al and I won't be at a restaurant, but we're not making our turkey dinner until Saturday

[FakeNoose]

56. Yes I am - for the first time ever

I'm going to visit my BF in Lancaster who doesn't feel like cooking. I would have cooked him a Thanksgiving dinner but he said "No I'm taking you out." I'm actually surprised that restaurants are even open on Thanksgiving, because I'd assumed the employees would want the day off.

Long story short - I feel bad for people who have to work on Thanksgiving, whether it's restaurant workers, hospital employees, firefighters, policemen, Walmart employees, etc. Every American should have the time off for their families.

[ihaveaquestion]

59. Have done it twice...

At a hotel in Tampa so long ago I forgot the hotel's name and at a Cracker Barrel last year. The hotel buffet was just ok, but Cracker Barrel was pretty good and we got right in after just a short wait.

One benefit was that everyone can get their favorites, which is great for our family because not everyone likes turkey.

[sl8]

60. Bumpuses' dogs get your turkey?

[Bayard]

61. I usually do the huge traditional meal,

And have a few friends in. This year, we're going the Friday after to a nice Italian restaurant. You know the Pilgrims made manicotti?

[smirkymonkey]

64. No, but sometimes I wish we were.

The thing I hate most about big holiday dinners is the cleanup. I really hate dish duty.

However last year we had the whole family and some extras down at my brother's house in Baltimore and almost all 20 people, even the kids helped with clean-up and it went really fast. It makes a big difference when everyone lends a helping hand.

One thing I used to hate years ago was when all the men would go into the living room after dinner to watch the game and the women got stuck with all the cleanup - even though they also did all the cooking too. That has burned me up ever since I was about 10 years old. It's nice to see the guys finally pitch in with both the cooking and cleaning these days.

[trueblue2007]

65. I WISH

[VOX]

67. Yes. Our ranks are too thin to justify cooking at home.

At most, there are five of us, more often, it’s just three. So we make it a nice restaurant night. Zero cleanup. No rushing to the store for last-minute items.

I finally look forward to the holidays!

[zanana1]

68. I'm really lucky...

I get to go to my niece's house for Thanksgiving and my sister's house the day after. Excellent food "a la Canadien" and I don't have to cook a thing!

[NurseJackie]

70. Do you have reservations?

(Please say yes. I certainly hope you do.)

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!

[NNadir]

71. My wife's aunt and uncle made reservations for something like 24 people.

They're paying as well; they're very wealthy.