Saucyman: Starting to Look a lot Like Thanksgiving

Monday, November 23, 2009

Starting to Look a lot Like Thanksgiving

Understandably, Thanksgiving has been on my mind. Last night I went to a friends house for a pre-Thanksgiving/a practice Thanksgiving/a Sunday night Thanksgiving – not really sure what to call it but it had all the Traditional Holiday foods, well if deep frying a turkey is traditional – good,, but I am not sure how traditional it is. Enjoying the day before the day.

At lunch yesterday, I read about the real, true story of Thanksgiving from Andrew F. Smith’s new book, Eating History. A book comprised of 30 events that changed American’s eating habits. Two things – First, I am pretty tired of history as an epiphany – where one thing happens that forever changes everything else – okay maybe it isn’t history, maybe it is more of contemporary culture and maybe it isn’t even culture’s fault but the people who write about the one touchstone moment that forever alters humankind’s progression. The complexities of society aren’t as easy as a writer’s trope.

Second, you don’t have to go and get all Howard Zinn about [stuff]. Yeah, pilgrims and Indians sharing a feast together rather than smallpox, it’s a polite fiction. Even if Thanksgiving’s original sin is that the event didn’t actually happen, what does that have to do with me? I am supposed to ignore the holiday just because it is a myth? What abut other myths? On the days my life feels like one laborious, backbreaking, futile effort after another - am I not allowed to reference Sisyphus? Or just because many people use the day to fulfill obligations – family, football, cranberry relish, store bought pie topped with whip cream from a can, does that mean I shouldn’t enjoy the day either?

Instead, doesn’t the fluid notion of truth enable me to make Thanksgiving a reflection of the values that are important to me? Good food, prepared well, shared with people you love and enjoy. Well that is how I like to think of Thanksgiving. Not smallpox and a bump in domestic violence reports.

Now I am off to work on tomorrow’s post, strumpets – not what you think and try to figure out if pumpkin tiramisu is all a wishful fantasy or if I can make it something people want to eat. For the time being the NY Times, who have ripped open the debate of turkey v. sidedishes, has been all over kitchen support, offering sensible advice. The Saucy Thanksgivingpedia, not quite as well funded or staffed as the Times – I can go to the archives and offer up a buttery crust, an easy to make tender cream cheese piecrust, and offer not one but two alternatives for pie haters – tart and custard. Along with Friday’s cranberry post, I have counter-arguments you can respectfully present to the person who inevitably states wild rice isn’t really rice. Finally, whether you go Brussels Sprouts or brussels sprouts – it really isn’t thanksgiving without the wee cabbages of love.

More T-day stuff tomorrow afternoon.

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Basketball

Since the lockout ended, I have been largely silent about the great sport of basketball. Despite Brandon Roy retiring, despite my beloved Blazer’s sprint out of the blocks to a really good start, despite my home team playing a style of basketball than can no longer be described as Van Gundying (Jeff) up the sport’s fluidity.

I don’t know, some interesting developments transpired: During the lockout, analysts and beat writers, the very people who possibly think about professional basketball more than I do, had a light bulb go on over their collective heads and across the league they discovered what everyone else pretty much already knew, NBA Commissioner David Stern is a dick. Over the last decade Stern forced bankrupt municipalities to build new stadiums for billionaires’ new play thing, this heavy handed behavior garnered nothing but praise. The writers sighed and thought eh, “we live in the suburbs, we write for suburban middle managers, our values are if anything anti-urban” - with all the weight that word carries. But needlessly locking out players jeopardizing their tenuous employment in publishing, well that is something that we might complain about except they hate the players more - Oh the conflict.

But mostly I can’t get excited about any team helmed by Nate McMillan. We’ll make the playoffs with a pretty good but not best record, maybe get home court advantage in the first round and then fail to advance. This is true until McMillan proves otherwise, 11 years a coach out of the first round once - this record while coaching some pretty good but not great teams. Along the way Nate will overplay star forwards LaMarcus Aldridge and Gerald Wallace so there is nothing in the tank come playoff time and risk their health. And yo-yo Nicholas Batum’s minutes so the young player becomes a head case instead of developing into a consistent contributor.

So a predictable finish is part of the my own jejune response to the return of the sport of kings (not really, that's horse racing) maybe it's the sweet science (damnit google says that's boxing). My attitude goes deeper than a finish more predictable than one of McMillan's earth toned, triple pleated suits, if the lockout exposed a fault line in NBA coverage it's that broadcasters and writers are now PR agents for the teams - so who is left to advocate for the fan - thank goodness for blogs and the posting cyborg that is named Henry Abbott.

2nd round or bust