Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, or to many of you, Turkey Day. As an understood tradition, turkey dominates the day. I am not a turkey hater, but I would like to share my personal Thanksgiving food tradition. Every Thanksgiving for the last 10 years, I have been having pizza. Some of you may be sitting there thinking, “Pizza, seriously? Dude, seriously?” This glorious tradition has a back story and I will share it now.
In 1996 I started working a restaurant in my hometown that served Applebee’s type food, but also had a buffet. On Thanksgivings, we would have a full-Thanksgiving buffet. For about six years in a row, I worked on Thanksgiving Day and as a team we would prepare multiple turkeys, over 30 pounds of mashed potatoes (in which I had to clean and peel), massive quantities of stuffing, and all sorts of vegetables. After serving the masses, I would head to the homestead where my family would have created a noteworthy, albeit smaller version of what I had not only cooked just cooked, but cleaned-up only hours before. I would eventually just have a turkey sandwich and some Ruffles and call it a day.
In 1998 my mom, ever-attempting to please all the members of the family acquiesced to my request for pizza. That first year she purchased Boboli’s and I made my own glorious batch of tastiness-A true Thanksgiving miracle. Over the years, I ventured away from base camp and shared Thanksgiving with others. In 2002, I shared Thanksgiving with some friends and you can be sure pizza was involved. One year, my ex-wife’s parent’s helped keep the tradition alive and I had an out-of-state Thanksgiving pizza experience.
As my family and I prepare for tomorrow, there is much to do. We will be cooking various Thanksgiving delights, but you can bet one thing. In the freezer is a special DiGiorno (pepperoni for those scoring at home) with my name on it.
Some tunes to checkout while you do the Thanksgiving thing.
1) Philpot-I have talked about this band before, but they need to be talked about again. These guys are from Dugger, IN. A town that is even smaller than my hometown (which is no small feat). Quick tangent, good piece of trivia about Dugger. One of my favorite teachers from high school is now the principal there. Have to give a shout-out to Mr. Roach. Back to the band. This is just a good-ole rock band. The have the classic elements in place. You have the grizzly voiced lead singer, grainy and edgy guitar sounds, long outros, solid solos, and a great DIY style. Check out the tunes, Fall and Ohio. The video below is actually Fall, acoustic because I could not find a better version of a rock tune.
2) The Ditty Bops-This duo is known for genre-defining music incorporating elements of ragtime, old-time jazz and other fun theatrical elements. They are fun and their music is just good to have on when you are doing things around your place and need a happy and satisfying groove. Their lyrics tell a story and they are worth checking out. Tune into the songs, Walk or Ride and Summer Rains.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
