So, the other day, some friends and I were sitting around talking about how much we hate the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Dry turkey baked for hours in the oven. Green Bean Casserole. Gelled cranberry in a can. Sugared Sweet-Potato Bake. Pink Stuff made from cherry Jell-O, cottage cheese, and pineapple. (Okay, I confess, I love that last one.)
Someone said, "But, Thanksgiving dinner is the quintessential American event."
I thought about this, and said, "Well, quintessential Baby Boomer, anyway."
Think about it. All the things we associate with Thanksgiving weren't even possible until the 1950s. A turkey for every table came with the advent of factory farming, and cooking that bird was much easier in a modern electric oven. Green Bean Casserole requires Campbell's soup in a can and Funyuns, and what could more 1950s than those old standbys? Gelled cranberry -- nuff said about that. Where would sweet-potato Bake be without mass-produced mini-marshmallows? And, of course, all the Jell-O salads, including my favorite Pink Stuff, come right out of Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, first published in 1950.
I think it's a sign of the waning influence of the Baby Boomer Donna Reed Fantasy that people are beginning to question these "traditional" Thanksgiving trappings. The thing to do these days is to re-imagine the Thanksgiving table. Deep-fry the turkey, or drizzle it with truffle oil. Toss lightly-steamed green beans with balsamic vinegar, good olive oil, and dried cranberries. Then forget the cranberry dressing altogether. Top the sweet potatoes with nuts, and cut back on the sugar. And, whatever you do, don't serve anything with Jell-O in it.
I called my mom yesterday, and they'd just finished a dinner with friends and family. They grilled steaks and served them with a savory casserole of Yukon Gold, sweet potatoes, and Parmesan cheese. Green beans and salad rounded out the plate. Nothing pink or gelled came anywhere near the table.