Though I am not a very good cook, many years ago I learned
to roast a turkey and provide a Thanksgiving feast with all the fixin’s. In spite of the work, it gave me a lot of
pleasure.
My partner, rather unfortunately for our social life, is a
vegetarian. Most of the time I am happy to be a herbivore (with occasional
sneaky forays to a burger joint), but it does lead to some problems around the
holidays. If we join others for dinner, someone is likely to beg him to “try just a little turkey,” or to lecture
him about protein, rather than allowing him to eat the side dishes in
peace. Usually we manage to travel
somewhere far away from friends and family at Thanksgiving and Christmas. We feast on squash, mashed potatoes, pumpkin
pie, and other traditional foods, skipping the turkey.
One year, though, we wanted to take our chances on the
family Thanksgiving gathering, just so we could visit with them. We packed up
the Winnebago View and started out for southern California.
The sky was cloudy, and the weather forecast was for
possible showers. As we drove, clouds gathered above us, thunder rolled, and
lightning flashed. Within an hour or so, rain began pouring down. When we could
no longer see the freeway, we decided to pull off and sit out the storm.
Luckily, just then we saw a sign pointing toward a county park. I have
forgotten what the park itself looked like; it was probably just a large, grassy
area with some picnic tables and restrooms. More importantly, it was a safe
place to stay comfortably for a while.
The rain went on and on, until we realized there was no way
we could reach southern California that
day. Calling our hostess, we explained our situation and said we were not
coming after all.
Being RV owners, we had of course brought plenty of food
with us, so we sat at the dinette table eating a simple meal and listening to
music as the rain lessened. Then we looked out the window and saw a huge flock
of wild turkeys running across the grass toward us. Some were displaying their
plumage in peacock fashion, others were having beak-to-beak encounters that
reminded us of teenaged humans. They were having a wonderful time, enjoying
their freedom rather than gracing someone’s Thanksgiving table.
It was the best Thanksgiving a vegetarian could want.
