Nov 25: The Easy Way

Life is challenging enough. Why add into the mix the challenges of cooking some huge bird? As I write this, Thanksgiving is just a day away. I suppose most Americans love this holiday just as I do, a time basted in memories of tasting a sliver of turkey stolen from the carving board and hearing shouts from the other room about televised touchdowns. Some of us may even recall adding another dollop of whipped cream to our pie when the pie didn't really need it. Anyhow, we all have warm feelings about this day. So I say, great. Enjoy those memories. Now let's go out to a nice restaurant and make this thing easy.

Of course, I'm usually in the minority and routinely I'm outvoted. So once again tomorrow, I'll make more T'giving memories of sliced turkey and TV TDs - and extra whipped cream when I don't need it. I will be with friends and it'll be very nice and I'll be most grateful for the fine company and excellent meal. A meal that others prepare, for the most part, and that others clean up, for the most part. I try to help, mind you. I'm not one of these guys who think everybody else should take care of the work. But inevitably the main cooks end up bearing the brunt.

Truthfully, I'd prefer to just go to a nice restaurant for the meal. In the past, I've managed to do this a number of times, mostly with my former wife who also liked taking holiday dinners the easy way. On several occasions, for instance, we went to Sage for Thanksgiving or Christmas. This is a very pleasant, quite affordable French restaurant with upscale décor and some delicious food. Like many of the restaurants in and around Fort Lauderdale, Sage dresses up for the holidays with a tasteful tree and Christmas ribbons and everything. Jill and I would ask for a corner table where we felt some measure of privacy. Then we'd start with a glass of good French cabernet sauvignon before ordering. Mostly we went for their traditional holiday dinner, with turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce and the whole nine yards. And pie, naturally, for dessert. We loved it and I highly recommend the experience for those who can give up the cooking tradition, whether you go to Sage or one of the many other restaurants serving up excellent Thanksgiving feasts. I'm all for tradition at certain times of the year. But I've never understood why those traditions must include a home kitchen full of greasy pans.