Comments on: Half of America Will Buy Thanksgiving Dinner

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:58:49 +0000

KB, of course you can comment. I’m pleased to hear from someone outside the US. It may be basic and fundamental to cook, but it’s awfully time consuming. Convenience is an answer. Yesterday some of my dinner at a friend’s was made from box mixes and cans, and the dishes appeared homemade and tasted good.

By: Kitchen Butterfly

Kitchen Butterfly — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:06:09 +0000

Can I , who has never been to the States comment? I’ll go ahead. I would speculate that there is a ‘convenience mentality’ borne of many things of which the fear of cooking is one. People are afraid to fail at something so basic and fundamental. They don’t realise that half of the joy of succeeding is having lost the battle once or twice.

Saying that, I still buy puff pastry….even though I LOVE food. Oh well, like I said…some day

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:28:46 +0000

How interesting, Heather. I wonder why it’s different here. Any ideas?

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:22:53 +0000

Hi Nani. The media stresses homemade most of the time.

Those Thanksgiving meals at Nepenthe sound amazing. Question: why not put the store-bought out on the table with the other dishes? What does it say to the person who brought it when it is excluded?

By: Heather (The Momshell Diet)

Heather (The Momshell Diet) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:34:27 +0000

As a recent transplant from Australia I’m constantly shocked by how infrequently even well-educated and affluent Americans cook meals from scratch. And by the fact when someone invites you to their home and says “I’ll cook you lunch” what they mean is they’ll microwave you something from the frozen foods section at Whole Foods. Entirely palatable, of course, but in Australia “I’ll cook you lunch” still means exactly that.

By: Nani

Nani — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:04:42 +0000

Are you saying the media stresses homemade or otherwise? the LA times recently reported a blog that was sporting the best store-bought pies to pick up.

As I said on your Facebook page, my family cooks for 150 people on Thanksgiving, and in the old days it was the family that did all the cooking–my grandmother coming out towards the end to put the final touches on the gravy, to orchestrate the evening and to say the blessing.

People in the community brought dishes to share, and pies were ALWAYS home made! In the last few years, the tradition has gone to the way side a little bit, but the “homemade” has never faltered and the dinners continue. Now when someone comes to the dinner and brings a contribution (and these days it’s often a store-bought) item, it is politely accepted, though you NEVER see it out on the table (hence, tomorrow’s staff meal.

None the less, it’s the gathering that matters, and I think the mess ups around the holidays add as much to the story as the triumphs.

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:42:43 +0000

Hey Sarah. Maybe the media ups the ante unintentionally. We are always looking for a new angle.

No chance of a spontaneous meal on Thanksgiving. In fact, a friend who’s hosting dinner for 20 confessed she prepares all the sides in case the potluck contributions don’t turn out.

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:39:12 +0000

Lovely story, Howard. I’m You’re a terrific cook so I’m pretty sure you make at least part of the meal.

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:19:15 +0000

Julie, sometimes it isn’t all about a homemade meal. That’s a hard lesson for some cooks.

By: Sarah Henry

Sarah Henry — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:14:28 +0000

i live in the so-called gourmet ghetto of berkeley, and some folks i know talk about feeling too intimidated to make food for friends here because they believe the bar is so high — there’s great food to be had all around us — and they can’t match a meal you might get at a local restaurant.

does that make sense? i think some may buy prepared foods for holiday festivities to take the angst out of getting fabulous food on the table when you don’t feel up to the task. this despite all the cooking shows, blogs, etc. rather than relieve pressure, these resources may up the ante for home cooks.

some of my fav meals with friends occur spontaneously, when we whip up something together using just the ingredients on hand. no stress suppers.