Let's Shop!

So it's the day-after the day-before: Thanksgiving.

How was yours?

Did you eat too much? Too little? Get sloshed? Snookered? Pickled? Make an ass of yourself (again)?

I hosted my 2 sisters, their families and one dear friend. .. my mom couldn't make it. Reviews on the cooking were good, I had plenty of booze (open bar) and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

So, my friend who came to dinner is a FFOBM (Former Friend of Beth Mason). A former regular guest at Mason's Thanksgiving Day celebrations, s/he dished quite a bit about them yesterday.

I won't tell you some of the more personal, hilarious anecdotes, except we shared laughs at the disparity between Thanksgiving festivities at the Mason mansion and Chez GA.

First off, GA worships the God of Plastic: plates, bowls and cold cups. Then there's the Goddess of Styrofoam. My guests get only the finest plastic and styrofoam dinnerware-- from their mouths straight to the garbage can.

Say what?

I'm supposed to spend a day shopping for them, another cooking, then wash their frigging dishes? No thanks, you do it. But I always give my guests 'real' metal cutlery because you never know when a broken (plastic) tine will get wedged in someone's espohagus.

Better safe than sorry!

As for the spread, it's every man, woman and child for himself, a.k.a. 'help yourself'. Again and again. Buffet style.

Then in 'musical-chairs' fashion, my starving guests clutching their plastic plates heaped high, grab any available chair lest they get stuck eating alone on a bar stool in the kitchen. This year it was my brother-in-law, although something tells me he wanted to be there. Alone.

Did I mention the extra-fancy deluxe paper napkins? I buy them once a year. At A&P.

Now, how do the Masons celebrate their Thanksgiving?

My friend described wearing formal attire to a formal sit-down at an extra-long, elegant dining table, caviar and hors d'oeuvres followed by a 9 -course dinner, each course offered with a 'wine-pairing' by servants (missing their Thanksgiving family dinners in order to serve the Masons) and of course, each guest is given a tri-fold menu... I guess so they know what's coming next.

Menus!

As my friend described this to me, I glanced around at my boisterous, rag-tag crew helping themselves to food, drinks, booze, on plastic, scurrying for chairs, laughing, and felt richer than a millionaire.

A millionaire eating on plastic.

So, Friday's here... let's shop!