Notes from the River

Thanksgiving is a public holiday where we, as a country, collectively stuff our faces with turkey, (the least delicious cooked meat), and pretend like we don’t want to argue with each other.

Not to mention that we ignore the origins of Thanksgiving, which, like much of this country’s history, involves smallpox and old, dead, white people asserting themselves into, and destroying, indigenous communities.

The Thanksgiving menu leaves a lot to be desired. Turkey is dry and plain, and the sides are all mushy and often sweet. If we want to stick to the North American poultry theme, I’d argue for roast duck. Produce native to us here in California include nopales, huckleberries, and grapes, all better options than mushy squash and yams. I will argue in favor of corn’s place in the holiday meal – my contribution this year was a southern style cornbread (it got rave reviews).

A few moments in our dinner showed the cracks in the veneer of the assumed civility among attendees. Most notably, “Zohran Mamdani is a TikTok star” said with disgust. The same gentleman later spoke over me as he exclaimed with glee that he paid $20 a month for Chat GPT premium. It could have been worse – no one dared bring up the government (or our lack thereof).

I guess having a day off where we engorge ourselves on a mediocre menu and generally enjoy each other’s company isn’t that bad. After all, we could all be at work. I’d still prefer duck over turkey, though. And don’t get me started on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.