It's the day before Thanksgiving once more; I've got my game face on and am psyched up.
For the past 18 years, Thanksgiving in McKayville has been an annual display of holiday plans gone sideways with circumstances much stranger than fiction. Most years are instant classics - Here are a few examples:
1. Snow Day: Trapped at home in a record-breaking snow storm, we were unable to attend Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws. Totally buried in snow - no one was going anywhere. Anticipating being hosted, there was no "Thanksgiving" food in the house. With two devastated small children crying in disappointment about no turkey on "Turkey Day", I got desperate. In the cupboards were a pack of Jet-Puffed marshmallows and a box of toothpicks. We then spent the afternoon carefully carving out sections of marshmallow and attaching them together to create "turkeys" then got out some pillar candles and "roasted our turkeys" over the flame (as well as other such food fabrications). With sticky fingers and moderate stomach aches, the mini-McKays went to bed that night telling us it was the best Thanksgiving ever.
2. The Lobster Hunt: I love lobster bisque and enjoy the drawn-out, 24 hour experience of making it from scratch with my loved ones. One year, however, I was preparing for a large number of guests at my sister-in-law's house. This required many lobsters which had been severed (head from tail) and laid out on the counter for later preparation. Apparently, just like chickens without their heads, lobsters can continue to motate without their upper halves. When I re-entered the kitchen, 4 of the 6 lobsters were missing altogether. Thus, began the APB hunt for headless lobsters. Ultimately, the crustacean fugitives were apprehended. The kids now request to go on a lobster hunt every Thanksgiving (for stuffed animal lobsters) before eating.
3. Hungry Like the Wolf: During my time in the luxury resort world, I was often asked to create experiences for others on Thanksgiving like for British rock band, Duran Duran while in town for their concert. Upon observing the holiday excitement, they requested their own personal feast for their entourage (with one band member being a strict vegetarian). After working through the impromptu execution and the "some assembly required" for Tofurkey, I was asked to join them. For the rest of the afternoon, the band enjoyed peppering me with questions about "this American holiday", what the purpose was for associated traditions & how did we honor the Native Americans that kept us from perishing (Just for the sheer fun of putting me in the hot seat, I'm sure). If you want to gain a personal, deeper appreciation for the ritual of Thanksgiving, try explaining it to an impish British rock band.
Eighteen years of Thanksgiving fiascos have made me quite sure of two things that we already know but seem to need constant reminding:
1. There is always an abundance of things to be grateful for, and 2. No matter how carefully you plan and craft an experience, your ability to honestly live in the moment is what will truly take the experience over the top.
The presence of an unexpected enemy transcends the temptation to "go through the motions" and gives your community (family, business or whatever) a higher cause to preserve the intention of the experience while the details of the "how" are falling apart.
It's focusing on the importance of the end result of the experience. It's a wakeup call to why you are going through the trouble of providing the experience in the first place. It forces you to stay true to your cause (or not).
SO I SAY BRING IT ON - Let the moment out-design my finely-crafted plan. I welcome the challenge for the moment to bend my brain and make me a better provider of experience.
That said, here's last year's plan which, of course, did not occur as designed:
- I hosted / cooked
- Set loose in Whole Foods, each of my immediate family members selected 2 ingredients to incorporate into Thanksgiving dinner (completely their choice)
- I then created a 7 course menu including each of the chosen ingredients to be romanced throughout the afternoon and evening
Here's the menu (in Freytag form just for fun...)
- Exposition: Pan-Seared Diver Sea Scallops with Meyer lemon reduction, chive oil and heirloom teardrop tomatoes
- Inciting Incident: Lobster Bisque finished with chanterelle mushrooms, crème fraiche and American caviar
- Rising Action: Duck Confit Salad on a bed of organic baby mixed greens and port wine vinaigrette with Kentucky black apple, spiced pecans and gorgonzola
- Crisis: Duet of Blood Orange & Hibiscus Sorbet
- Climax: Brined Roast Turkey with rosemary sage dressing, roasted elephant garlic Yukon mashed potatoes, haricot verts sautéed in pancetta & thyme with pan gravy
- Falling Action: Savory Cheese Course of Amadeus, Sini Fulvi Ubriacone, Emmi Don Olivo, Mitica Mahon Aged and Mitica Leyenda Brandy (& Boursin for the kids)
- Denouement: Spiced Apple Napoleons with pomegranate caramel sauce. (I'm borrowing this recipe from Nashville's own Restaurant Zola...) Traditional Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potato Pie & Chocolate Toffee Pecan Pie
Accompanying Libations:
- Aperitif: Ginger-infused vodka & Limoncello martinis
- Early Courses: 1990 Duval Leroy, Femme Champagne
- Later Courses: 2004 Chateau La Nerthe, Chateauneuf-du-Pape
- Dessert: Nivole, Muscato d'Asti
- Digestif: Elijah Craig 18 year single barrel (#1893) bourbon
Gotta run - The kitchen and the promise of unexpected adventure awaits. Now that the day's experience is designed, something will undoubtedly "fail" to go as planned. I plan on failing gloriously where necessary by living out the moment true to its genuine purpose - in gratitude and honor of my beautiful family and blessings.
My warmest wishes to all of you and your loved ones. --Dolores McKay, ZAG Group CVO
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