The most perfect of holidays is here. Thanksgiving is celebrated of course in the United States, but also in Canada, Liberia, and Norfolk Island in Australia where it was brought by visiting American whaling ships. Not too long ago it was celebrated on a very small scale in Guatemala by a friend of mine in the Peace Corps who spent a year fattening up a turkey so that her American colleagues could observe the feast and give thanks together. The beauty of the Thanksgiving holiday lies not only in its special traditions but also in what is not involved. Though originating as an American holiday, it possesses no real patriotic significance. While it is common to say grace or give thanks before the meal, the holiday also contains no real religious distinctions. Getting together with family on the last Thursday of November is a tradition but one can stop and give thanks even in solitude. It is not necessary to buy gifts for anyone on Thanksgiving. One is not required to attend a church service. It is a day on which what is celebrated is not a gift or lofty goal. What we take time to celebrate on Thanksgiving is the most valuable thing of all. We celebrate and give thanks for what we already have.
Thanksgiving is perfect to a food and wine lover for another wonderful reason. Thanksgiving is a holiday that is, above all, dedicated to a meal. Businesses close for the day. Families take last minute flights at grossly inflated prices. Hotlines are operated to answer questions about turkey, green bean casserole, and sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Why? All for a meal. All so we can sit and enjoy a great plate of food and, if we are truly lucky, enjoy that plate of food with people that are important to us. Grandma gets out the good China. Dad gets to stand and ceremoniously carve the turkey. Little kids giggle over spray whip cream on their pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving is a holiday that has even spawned spin-off institutions. For instance, who doesn’t know about “the kids table,” or plan on falling asleep in the recliner to football games on Thanksgiving afternoon?
I have quite a bit to be thankful for. So do all of us that make up Bleu Restaurant. Ups and downs happen to all of us. Good and bad happens. There are great years and there are tough years. But there is at least one thing I will always be thankful for and I think anyone that cares about good food, good drink, and good friends should be thankful for as well. I am thankful that one of the most important and sacred holidays we have exists solely so that we can all sit down together and enjoy a good meal.